The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most fascinating regions anywhere in the United States. Its geography ranges from the redwood forests to the magnificent bays and coves that line the region, and it offers a wide array of experiences from the wine country of Sonoma Region in the north to cutting edge innovation in Silicon Valley to the south. The region is ringed with a number of important Catholic sites that make for spiritually rewarding day trips from San Francisco.
Santa Clara
Santa Clara is the self-described “entertainment capital” of the Bay Region. It is the home of the San Francisco 49ers (and there is a fantastic museum that pays tribute to this storied sports franchise at Levi’s Stadium) and the Great America theme park. There is also a free museum dedicated to silicon innovation, the aptly named Intel Museum. Santa Clara also boasts one of the largest Korean communities in America, with a wonderful stretch of Korean restaurants and shops along El Camino Real.
For the Catholic pilgrim, the must-see destination is the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace. The shrine was founded in 1961 and is the largest Marian shrine in California. Pilgrims are immediately drawn to the gargantuan 32 foot steel statue of Our Lady outside the entrance to the shrine; it stands taller than a three story building and is a site to behold. Each month, on the 13th day between May and October, there is a candlelight procession in honor of Our Lady of Fatima, fully re-creating the celebrations that occur in Fatima. One of the key features of the shrine is that it has maintained perpetual Eucharistic adoration since 1976. The Shrine was later dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the bishop of San Jose, in the presence of the Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, of Rosary Crusade fame.
Also in Santa Clara is the Santa Clara Mission and Mission Gardens, located in the heart of Santa Clara University (a Jesuit College which is the oldest university in California). The Santa Clara Mission, named after St. Clare of Assisi, was established around the same time as Mission Dolores in San Francisco and was intended to be its sister mission. It also has the distinction of being the first of the California missions named after a female saint. The church has been rebuilt a number of times since its original founding in 1777, but the large cross standing outside the church is the original cross that was erected at the site in 1777 by the founding fathers of the mission. It is a beautifully ornate church and the St. Francis side altar houses a relic of St. Junipero Serra.
San Jose
San Jose lies at the very epicenter of Silicon Valley and the tech industry. Like Santa Clara, it also boasts a number of enticing family-friendly attractions to easily fill a day trip from San Francisco. These range from the The Tech Museum of Innovation, the Discovery Children’s Museum, or the real life mystery mansion of Winchester Estate, complete with hidden passageways and strange rooms. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is dedicated entirely to ancient Egypt and has the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on display in western North America, and there is the Lick Observatory… For hockey fans, the San Jose Sharks play their regular season games at the SAP Center.
San Jose has a large Portuguese community and in the early nineteenth century, these immigrant workers built the magnificent Five Wounds Portuguese National Church. The church is a landmark in San Jose and has a fascinating history. In fact the structure itself was built out of the Portuguese pavilion that stood at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915, which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. A Portuguese monsignor purchased the pavilion from the Portuguese government and then used the wood to construct the church standing in San Jose today. The building itself is now a San Jose landmark. Inside, it is filled with beautiful statues and artwork. The murals were painted by a Vatican Gallery trained priest, who had been exiled from Italy by Mussolini in the 1920s and settled in San Jose.
The church – named after the Five Holy Wounds of Christ (the two wounds in His hands; the two wounds in His feet; and His pierced side) – is also an opportunity to step back and contemplate this ancient devotion of the Catholic Church. It is a devotion that originated in 12th century Europe and experienced somewhat of a revival through the revelations of Divine Mercy in the 20th century. St. Faustina wrote in her diary: “When it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate my wounds.”
Santa Cruz
A short trip from San Jose is the surfing capital of Santa Cruz along the Pacific coast. Aside from the picturesque beaches, it is where pilgrims can find a lovely shrine to St. Joseph located just steps from the ocean and boardwalk. To add extra excitement to the journey, there are scenic railroad trips from San Jose to Santa Cruz that pass through redwood forests.
The Shrine of St. Joseph – Guardian of the Redeemer, is operated by the Oblates of St. Joseph. The Shrine Chapel is open daily from sunrise to sunset and there is weekly devotion to St. Joseph after the Wednesday mass. It is surrounded by manicured gardens full of sacred statuary, framed by the blue hues of the Pacific in the background.
Carmel
Located about 120 miles from San Francisco is the beautiful oceanside town of Carmel by the Sea. A day trip does not really do Carmel justice and it is really best to plan an overnight or three day stay to fully soak in the unique blend of artistic, cultural, architectural and natural wonders that define this seaside town on the Central California coast. The beach alone is spectacular, with its white sand, and ample opportunities for viewing sea life like dolphins and sea lions up close.
For the Catholic visitor, it is important as the location of the Carmel Mission Basilica and the Shrine of St. Junipero Serra. This was the California mission where St. Junipero Serra lived out the last years of his life and his tomb is located on the Mission site at the special shrine of St. Junipero Serra. St. Junipero was canonized by Pope Francis in 2016 and is widely seen as the Apostle of California, responsible for the establishment of the string of 21 missions along the California coast. Although there has been much misrepresentation of his life in the popular press, St. Junipero was a fierce defender of Indigenous rights and fought hard to protect the natives under his care from the abuses of the Spanish military authorities and cared deeply about their spiritual and personal well being.
The complex is lined with courtyards, fountains, works of art, and several museums, in addition to an active parish. Other treasures at the Carmel mission include the personal reliquary cross that belonged to Fr. Serra and the first library in California, preserving the colonial era books that the Franciscans brought with them.
Sacramento
Although not technically part of the Bay Area, Sacramento is just over one hour north of San Francisco and is a fun town to explore, especially given its old town attractions and the historic connection to the gold rush that changed the course of California history. Favorites in town include the California Railway Museum, the Sacramento History Museum and its tours of Underground Sacramento, and Fairy Tale Town park. Sacramento is also a gateway to California’s wine country, with more than 600 wineries located less than an hour from the state capital in famous wine producing regions like Napa and Sonoma.
Within the city of Sacramento is the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Not only is it an important shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe (co patron of the Diocese of Sacramento), but it also houses the tomb of the Venerable Alfonso Gallegos, the “bishop of the barrios”; he was the first Hispanic bishop of Sacramento and died in a fatal car accident in 1991. There is also an extensive exhibit on the Shroud of Turin in the church, including a replica available for visitors to view (this replica is only found in two other cities in the world: Rome and Jerusalem). The parish was originally established by a group of Mexicans living in Sacramento in 1944 and in the 1950s, it was officially dedicated as a Shrine to the Empress of the Americas. The Shrine was officially consecrated by the Cardinal Archbishop of Mexico City in 1958.
In the heart of downtown Sacramento, in between City Hall and the Capitol, is the stunning Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. This is one of the oldest buildings in Sacramento dating back to its founding and at the time, was the largest structure west of the Mississippi River. The bright interior is centered around a 2000 pound 13 foot crucifix and crown descending from the ceiling and suspended by aircraft cables. The ornate altar on the sanctuary houses a relic of St. Toribio Romo, the Mexican patron saint of migrants.
One interesting anecdote is that the first bishop of Sacramento, Patrick Manogue, was a gold prospector in California during the gold rush. He used his earnings to pay for his seminary education in Paris, before returning to the US as a missionary priest. In fact, the Cathedral’s design was modeled on Paris’ Eglise de la Trinite church, which Manogue was quite taken with in Paris. One of the Cathedral’s great artistic treasures is one of only two known copies in the world of Raphael’s famous Sistine Madonna (Bishop Manogue was able to get special permission from the Emperor of Austria to have a copy made of the original).
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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