Catholic community looks back Catholic community looks back (December 29, 2000)

History book to be part of centennial celebration

by Stephanie Ericson

A historic look back is part of the plans of the Catholic Community of Pleasanton for celebrating the centennial of St. Augustine's, the city's oldest church.

While the original St. Augustine Catholic Church was built on Rose Avenue in 1882, it relied on visiting priests from Mission San Jose to conduct services. In 1901, St. Augustine's was officially declared a parish with its own priest, the Rev. Edmund Cloutier.

Roberta Emerson, a member of one of the church's three centennial committees, is sifting through information and organizing it into a historical account of the church. Other members of the team have been seeking photos, researching archives, and collecting oral histories from elder parishioners.

Most members of the early congregation, said Emerson, were of Spanish or Irish descent, the latter probably settling here after the Gold Rush years. The only other church in Pleasanton during the early years was the United Presbyterian Community Church, then located on Neal Street.

As Pleasanton grew, so did St. Augustine's congregation, until it outgrew the original church. In 1968 the new church on Bernal Avenue opened its doors and was the city's only Catholic church until St. Elizabeth Seton opened last spring.

But a number of today's parishioners remember the old church on Rose Avenue well and shared their memories with committee member Joyce Freeman.

"I interviewed seven or eight of the old-timers and it was lots of fun," Freeman said. One of those she spoke with was Sister John-Marie Samaha, now living at the Holy Family order's mother house in Fremont. Sister John-Marie directed religious education in Pleasanton from 1952 to 1960 in the days when Catholic children were released once a week from public school for catechism classes.

"The sisters would traipse them down to a family's home nearby or to the church," said Freeman. Apparently not wanting to waste a minute, Sister John-Marie would give sermons to the children on the way. Sister John-Marie also recalled visiting various homes each May to see the children's handmade altars devoted to the Blessed Mother.

Several notable events in the church's history have been more recent. Donna Whitaker, who retired two years ago after 24 years as church secretary, remembered when the new church caught fire in 1985.

"It was horrendous," she told Freeman. "Father John Gilmore heard the back windows of the sacristy break. He came running out of the office and told me to call 911. Then he used the garden hose as best he could." Fortunately, the main church was saved, although the sacristy had to be rebuilt.

Another historical moment for St. Augustine's parish came several years later when the Rev. David Staal was ordained, an occasion that drew considerable news media attention. Previously an Episcopal priest, Staal was married and had a child at the time (with a second to come later). Having a family before ordination was the only way a priest could be exempted from the vow of celibacy, Freeman explained.

"That was a pretty big event because it doesn't happen that often," said Freeman.

The centennial committees plan to finish the church's history book in time for distribution in mid-May, when the parish celebrates its annual picnic at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

"We will make that a very special picnic this year," said the Rev. Dan Danielson, pastor of St. Augustine's. "We will conduct a major Mass at the amphitheater and cancel some Masses at the regular church."

The kickoff to the centennial celebration comes earlier, at a spaghetti feed and dance Jan. 12, at 1901 prices - 25 cents. Also in January, St. Augustine's will distribute the family photo directory of present parishioners that it has been putting together since the summer.

In late August 2001, the church plans to celebrate the feast of St. Augustine, which falls on Aug. 28, with a large dinner at the Castlewood Country Club. The church will also bury a time capsule at that time. <@$p>