About Blessed Sacrament · Elk, California
Blessed Sacrament Mission is a small, historic Catholic mission church perched on an ocean bluff along Highway 1 in the tiny coastal village of Elk, California (Mendocino County). Built in 1896, it is administered as a mission of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Mendocino under the Diocese of Santa Rosa, and forms part of the "Coast Catholic" family of parishes. The congregation worships on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning — the Sunday Mass is celebrated in the Traditional Latin rite — in a setting that the parish itself describes as offering magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean to a faithful handful of regulars and visitors.
- Established
- 1896
- Patron
- Blessed Sacrament
- Rector
- Rev. Robert "Rob" Torczynski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Santa Rosa
Why belong here
Blessed Sacrament Mission is a quietly extraordinary place to worship — a real 1896 blufftop church overlooking the Pacific where visitors are welcomed as warmly as regulars. The Sunday Mass is offered in the Traditional Latin form, a rare offering on California's North Coast, while Saturday's 4 PM Mass fulfills the Sunday obligation in English. Father Rob Torczynski also serves the parish from the rectory by the sea, joined by a hermit priest in residence, and the tiny but tireless Elk Altar Society keeps the historic building alive year-round. If you are traveling Highway 1 between Point Arena and Mendocino, or live along the coast, this little mission offers a deeply prayerful Catholic home.
Mass times at Blessed Sacrament
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment
Welcome to Blessed Sacrament Mission
Tucked onto an ocean bluff on Highway 1 in the tiny Mendocino-coast village of Elk, Blessed Sacrament Mission is a small Catholic congregation that takes the spiritual care of its community — and its many passing visitors — to heart. The parish website welcomes all comers: 'We are pleased that you are visiting our website to learn more about our lovely little church. Visitors to our church and community will always receive a warm and heartfelt welcome.' Mass is offered Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, with the Sunday liturgy in the Traditional Latin form.
Church History
Catholic life on this stretch of the Mendocino coast began in 1866 with a small wooden mission church called St. Patrick's, built for $800 by Father Vincent Rierra from St. Vincent's in Mendocino City to serve the coast from Sonoma County to the Albion River. By 1880 it had been replaced as the main mission church by St. Mary Star of the Sea, a gothic wood-frame church at Cuffey's Cove on land donated by James Kenny. In 1895 Father Walruzel built the present rectory across from where the new church would stand, and the following year (1896) the English priest Father Henry White built the present Church of the Blessed Sacrament on land donated by Michael and Catherine Donahue — a 52 × 42 × 16 ft building whose interior, altar, and statues remain close to their original look. After St. Mary's was declared unsafe around 1910 and later razed, its 1880 bell was moved to the new Blessed Sacrament bell tower; it was taken down during renovations in the early 1970s and today sits on the church lawn, rung before Saturday vigil Mass. The coast passed from secular clergy to English Franciscan Capuchins in September 1903, then to Irish Capuchins in 1920, and back to secular clergy after the Irish Capuchins departed in 1968 with Father Eunan Buckley. By the late 1960s the church and rectory had fallen into disrepair; a 1970 restoration — funded in part by a Saint Patrick's Dinner and Dance and led by a $25,000 gift from Edmund Giusti, who kept underwriting critical work — stabilized the leaning bell tower, repaired the foundation, and gave the building a new coat of paint. Today the buildings are maintained by the small, devoted Elk Altar Society.
- 1866 – St. Patrick's Mission established by Father Vincent Rierra as a mission of St. Vincent's, Mendocino City (Diocese of Marysville).
- c. 1880 – St. Mary Star of the Sea built at Cuffey's Cove by Father James Sheridan for $3,000 on land donated by James Kenny.
- 1895 – Rectory built by the French priest Father Walruzel.
- 1896 – Church of the Blessed Sacrament built by Father Henry White on land donated by Michael and Catherine Donahue; parish formally established.
- 1903 – Capuchin Franciscan Fathers take charge of the Mendocino-coast missions.
- 1920 – Irish Capuchins take responsibility for the mission; Father Sebastian Brennan moves to Elk.
- 1968 – Last Irish Capuchin, Father Eunan Buckley, departs.
- 1970 – Major restoration led by Edmund Giusti's $25,000 gift plus community fund-raisers; bell removed from tower.
Pastor & Clergy
The mission is served by Father Robert "Rob" Torczynski, who became pastor in 2019 and also serves as pastor of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Mendocino (the parish from which Blessed Sacrament is administered). Father Rob came to California after living as a Carthusian monk for 28 years — mostly in France — and now ministers along the Mendocino Coast. Joining him in Elk is Father Arsenius Anachoreta, a hermit priest in residence who has been a monk for more than 40 years. The Coast Catholic website invites visitors to listen to Father Rob preach on the parish's YouTube channel and to present a recorded retreat on prayer.
- Father Robert "Rob" Torczynski — Pastor (2019 – present); also pastor of St. Anthony, Mendocino.
- Father Arsenius Anachoreta — Hermit Priest in Residence, Elk (2019 – present).
Elk Altar Society
The day-to-day survival of the church and rectory is the work of the Elk Altar Society, a tiny group of about ten members that fund-raises and labors to keep the 1896 buildings watertight, painted, and free of termite and beetle damage. Their annual events — including the historic Saint Patrick's Dinner and Dance — supply the basics: a new roof, exterior paint, and the endless small repairs an oceanfront building requires. As one parish writer put it, 'The voices of our forefathers and mothers are still speaking to us to preserve this lovely place.'
- About 10 active members
- Organizes annual fund-raisers (including the Saint Patrick's Dinner and Dance)
- Oversees repairs, painting, roof work, and general upkeep of church and rectory
Cuffey's Cove Catholic Cemetery
The parish operates the historic Cuffey's Cove Catholic Cemetery, located about one mile north of Elk on Highway 1 — the same Cuffey's Cove where the old St. Mary Star of the Sea once stood. The cemetery is administered through Patrick Robards at (707) 882-3122, and a detailed plot map and full cemetery policies are available as downloadable PDFs on the Coast Catholic website. There is also a linked Find-a-Grave resource for locating graves, many with photographs. Visitors purchasing a plot are asked to print, sign, and bring the policy acknowledgement page when paying Mr. Robards.
- Contact: Patrick Robards, (707) 882-3122
- Find-a-Grave link with grave photos available via the parish website
- Plot map and policies available as PDFs
- Located 1 mile north of Elk on Highway 1
Parish Donations & Support
Because the parish is small and visitors are seasonal, the mission openly asks for support to keep the church open and maintained. Donations can be made by mail (checks payable to Blessed Sacrament, PO Box 28, Elk, CA 95432), via PayPal from the parish website, or via Venmo. The Coast Catholic site notes: 'Expenses continue when people aren't visiting. Please help with a donation to our Parish.'
- Check: payable to Blessed Sacrament, PO Box 28, Elk, CA 95432
- PayPal: button on coastcatholic.org
- Venmo: link on coastcatholic.org
Coast Catholic: A Family of Parishes
Blessed Sacrament Mission and St. Anthony Catholic Church in Mendocino together form 'Coast Catholic' on the Mendocino Coast, under the Diocese of Santa Rosa. The shared Coast Catholic website (coastcatholic.org) carries the mission's schedule, history, cemetery information, donation links, and a parish calendar of upcoming Masses and events. The mission is also recognized on the Diocese of Santa Rosa parish finder and on GCatholic as a church within the Diocese of Santa Rosa.
- Sister parish: St. Anthony Catholic Church, Mendocino (Father Rob Torczynski serves both)
- Diocese: Diocese of Santa Rosa
- Shared web presence: coastcatholic.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Henry White1895 – c. 1903
English secular priest under whose direction the present Blessed Sacrament Church was built in 1896; last of the secular clergy on the Mendocino coast.
- Rev. Modestus Henderson, O.F.M. Cap.1903 – 1905
One of the early Franciscan Capuchin fathers after the order took charge of the coast.
- Rev. Laurence Blanderfield, O.F.M. Cap.1905 – 1915
Franciscan Capuchin, served during the transition from secular clergy to Capuchin administration.
- Rev. Sebastian Brennan, O.F.M. Cap.after 1907
Took charge of Mendocino County affairs, became Superior of the California Mission; in 1920 he joined the incoming Irish Capuchins and moved to Elk.
- Rev. Eunan Buckley, O.F.M. Cap.until 1968
Last of the Irish Capuchin fathers to serve the mission.
- Rev. John Martin1997 – 2005 (retired)
Secular priest, retired 2005.
- Rev. Louis "Lou" Nichols2005 – 2019 (retired)
Retired in 2019.
- Rev. Robert "Rob" Torczynski2019 – present
Current pastor; former Carthusian (28 years, mostly in France), also pastor of St. Anthony Church of Mendocino.
- Father Arsenius Anachoreta2019 – present
Hermit priest in residence in Elk; a monk for more than 40 years.