In the redwood country of western Sonoma County, the Catholic parish of St. Philip the Apostle and St. Teresa of Avila serves two small towns from two landmark churches built a century apart. The parish welcomes visitors and year-round residents alike to share prayer and Eucharist in buildings that have stood at the heart of their communities since the 1860s and the early 1900s.
St. Teresa of Avila, Bodega
The older of the two churches is St. Teresa of Avila, a white wooden church with a steeple that sits on a hilltop above the town of Bodega. Its story begins in 1860, when Jasper O'Farrell, for whom a San Francisco street is named, donated redwood lumber and a lot from his 1843 Mexican land grant, Rancho Estero Americano, to build a church. The church was built in 1860 by carpenters believed to have come from the New England shipbuilding trades. After completion, the lot and church were deeded as a gift from Jasper's brother John O'Farrell to Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany of San Francisco, who dedicated the church on June 2, 1862, under the name of Saint Teresa de Avila, patron saint of Jasper O'Farrell's sister. A young French-Italian priest, Father Louis Rossi, became its first pastor.
Within a decade, the Catholic population of the Bodega area had grown so much that the little church had to be enlarged. In 1872, the congregation and builders applied some inventive thinking: the structure was cut in half, and a new section was inserted between the two halves. The junction points in the ceiling and floor remain visible to this day. At the same time, the choir loft and steeple were added, and additional stained glass windows were installed. Many later windows are memorial donations honoring members' loved ones.
In 1886, an 850-pound cast iron bell was hung in the steeple, but it was soon discovered to be too heavy for the tower, so the bell was relocated to a new tower behind the church, which eventually deteriorated. By the 1940s and 1950s the building was in severe disrepair and there was a movement afoot to dismantle it. In 1954, members agreed to rescue the church, and a year-long restoration project added a new foundation and external concrete buttresses. A second restoration ran from 1967 to 1974, with the goal of preserving the simplicity and beauty of the original structure; replicas of the old carved front doors were put in place during this work. The bell at last found a permanent home at the entrance to the property when Saint Teresa of Avila was designated California Registered Historical Landmark No. 820 on June 2, 1968.
The white church gained wider fame in 1953, when photographer Ansel Adams made it the subject of his black and white photograph "Church and Road." Limited edition prints of that image are offered in exchange for donations to the Restoration Fund. Saint Teresa of Avila is also the oldest Catholic church in continuous use in Sonoma County. Next door to the church stands the Potter School, which served as the schoolhouse in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film "The Birds." Hitchcock attended services at Saint Teresa during the filming.
St. Philip the Apostle, Occidental
A few miles inland, the parish's second church, St. Philip the Apostle, stands in the small town of Occidental. Through the late 1800s, the Catholic population of the Occidental area was served from the Church of the Assumption in Tomales, but a growing Italian and Irish immigration led to a movement to build a local church. When the Asti family donated a plot of land to the Diocese of San Francisco, Father John Rogers, pastor of Assumption, took on the task of construction. He hired the San Francisco architectural firm of Shea and Shea to draw the plans and the Neles Brothers of Bodega as contractors, and local workers did much of the labor. The Victorian Gothic style church was completed in December 1902 and dedicated by the coadjutor bishop of San Francisco in June 1903.
St. Philip remained a mission of Assumption for nineteen years, then for a short time a mission of St. Elizabeth in Guerneville, before being placed under the auspices of St. Sebastian's Church in Sebastopol for forty years. The building has been restored and maintained over the decades, retaining most of its original woodwork and charming details. Since 1963, shortly after the formation of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, St. Philip the Apostle and St. Teresa of Avila have shared one parish, with the pastorate based in Occidental.
Mass and Confession Schedule
Mass is celebrated in both churches each weekend. At St. Philip in Occidental, Mass is offered on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., with weekday Mass on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8:00 a.m., and a first Saturday Mass at 9:00 a.m. At St. Teresa of Avila in Bodega, a Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday Mass at 9:30 a.m.
The sacrament of Reconciliation is heard on Friday at 8:30 a.m. at St. Philip and on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at St. Teresa. A weekly Holy Hour is held on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at St. Philip. Masses are celebrated in English.
The Rural Food Program
One of the most recognized ministries of the parish is the St. Philip-St. Teresa Rural Food Program, which has fed residents of western Sonoma County since June 1986. The program began under the leadership of long-time parishioner Naomi Curtis and now operates in collaboration with other local charities, drawing much of its food through an association with the Redwood Empire Food Bank and supplementing with fresh poultry, eggs, and other items. Anyone who is temporarily out of a job, homeless, or simply unable to make ends meet is welcome at distribution.
Distribution takes place on the second Tuesday of every month from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the parish hall in Occidental, with registration opening at 8:30 a.m. Volunteers from the churches and surrounding communities set up the distribution like a small grocery store and help clients carry selections to their cars. The program is funded by a monthly second collection at both St. Philip and St. Teresa, along with individual donations and group support. Coordinators Cathy McCool and Hal McGuirk lead the work alongside dozens of regular volunteers. Donations to the Rural Food Program are also accepted online.
Calvary Cemetery
The parish also maintains Calvary Catholic Cemetery, located near the junction of Bodega Highway and California Highway 1, just outside the town of Bodega. The land, two acres formerly owned by Jasper O'Farrell, was sold to Archbishop Alemany on June 4, 1869, by John C. and Bridget Stump for one hundred dollars in gold coins. The first burial that year was seven-year-old Thomas Johnson; the second was five-year-old Willie Long. Although the oldest monument in the cemetery bears the date 1860, the property was not officially dedicated as Calvary Cemetery until the Stump sale.
Calvary Cemetery offers graves for earthen burial as well as an outdoor columbarium for cremated remains, available to parishioners and former parishioners. The cemetery has been cared for over the years by members of the parish, and recent improvements include new roads and grounds work. The Parish Cemetery Committee meets regularly to ensure the cemetery will be maintained into the future.
Religious Education
The parish offers a religious education program, known as CCD, for students from kindergarten through the year of Confirmation. Regular classes meet two to three times each month in the parish hall at St. Philip Church in Occidental, on Sunday mornings from 9:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., after which children are encouraged to attend the 11:15 a.m. Mass with their families. Sacramental preparation requires two consecutive years: at least age seven for First Communion and Reconciliation, and seventh grade for Confirmation. The program is staffed by volunteers, and parental involvement is welcomed.
Tuition is set at $60 for the first child enrolled and $30 for each additional child, with scholarships available for families experiencing financial hardship. Registrations from outside parish boundaries must be accompanied by a permission letter from one's home pastor.
Guilds, Music, and Parish Life
Two Ladies Guilds, one at each church, are central to parish life. The St. Philip Ladies Guild and the St. Teresa Ladies Guild offer the women of the parish friendship, spiritual growth, and a steady calendar of social and fundraising events, including the Annual Ravioli Luncheon and Pancake Breakfasts that benefit the parish in many ways. The St. Philip Boosters Club plans and carries out special fundraising projects to support the care and maintenance of St. Philip Church, the parish hall, and the rectory. At St. Teresa, a Restoration Committee is devoted to the historic preservation of the older building.
The Music Ministry welcomes instrumentalists and singers, primarily for Sunday Masses, with the parish choir rehearsing on most Wednesdays and Friday mornings. The parish Liturgy Committee, the Parish Pastoral Council, and the Parish Finance Council each advise the pastor in their area of concern and meet several times a year, with meetings open to parishioners. Each church has a dedicated Gardens and Grounds group, and volunteers with green thumbs are always welcome.
The Parish Hall and Community Use
St. Philip's parish hall, located at 3730 Bohemian Highway in Occidental, hosts parish events and is also rented to registered, active parishioners and outside non-profit groups. Receptions after baptisms, weddings, anniversaries, retreats, classes, and meetings are common uses. The hall seats up to 125 for seated events and accommodates up to 250 for standing events. An open Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, open to visitors, gathers in the hall on Friday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
Endowment and Giving
An endowment fund was established in June 2017 in partnership with the Parish Finance Council to provide for the perpetual maintenance of the two historic churches. The St. Philip the Apostle Parish Endowment Account is managed by Christian Brothers Investment Services of San Francisco, with earnings used for parish facility restoration, maintenance, and emergencies. Contributions to the endowment may be one-time gifts, recurring donations, planned or legacy gifts, retirement account beneficiary designations, or gifts of certain non-cash assets, all of which are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Online giving is available, as are weekly donation envelopes mailed to parishioners. Online and mailed gifts are fully tax-deductible, and a year-end statement of giving is provided. The parish federal tax identification number is 37-1874623.
Pastoral Leadership
Rev. John M. Plass serves as pastor of St. Philip and St. Teresa, following a long line of parish priests who have served the two-church parish over more than sixty years, beginning with Msgr. James T. Monagle in 1964. Jolene Corcoran serves as Director of Religious Education. The parish office is located at the St. Philip Parish Hall, 3730 Bohemian Highway, Occidental, and is open weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon; voicemail and email are also reviewed on weekday mornings. The mailing address for both churches is P.O. Box 339, Occidental, CA 95465.