About Holy Cross · San Jose, California
Holy Cross Parish is a Roman Catholic parish serving the Northside (Luna Park) neighborhood of San Jose, California. Founded in 1906 to minister to Italian immigrants in the working-class Northside, the parish is today staffed by the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (Scalabrinians) — the same religious community that has tended it for decades. Mass is celebrated in English, Spanish and Italian each week, and the parish runs CCD religious education, a youth group, a senior ministry, social services and a long-running Monday-night bingo in Scalabrini Hall. A devastating 2014 fire destroyed the 1920 church building; a new church was dedicated on the same site in 2018, and a 10-foot antique Italian gilded crucifix salvaged from the fire still hangs above the altar.
- Established
- 1906
- Patron
- The Holy Cross (also historically Most Holy Crucifix / Most Precious Blood)
- Rector
- Rev. Miguel Alvarez, CS
- Diocese
- Diocese of San Jose (in California)
Why belong here
Holy Cross is a warmly multiethnic parish where English, Spanish and Italian are all heard at Mass each weekend, and where the Scalabrinians continue a century-long mission of welcoming immigrant communities in Northside San Jose. Newcomers and longtime parishioners alike find a working-class Catholic home here, with CCD religious education for public-school students, a youth group, a senior ministry (Treasures of Holy Cross), Christian Family Movement and Marriage Encounter small communities, a social-services office that walks with people in material need, and a beloved Monday-night bingo that keeps the parish hall buzzing. The 2018 rededication of the church, with the historic crucifix above the altar, makes this a parish with deep roots that you can walk into, pray in, and serve.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (one hour before the 6:00 PM Italian Mass)
- First Friday of the month 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Adoration times
- Wednesday 6:45 AM – Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction during the novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- First Friday of the month 5:30 PM – Holy Hour (Spanish) with Benediction before the 6:30 PM Spanish Mass
- First Friday Nocturnal Adoration — after the 6:30 PM Friday Spanish Mass (Exposition at ~7:15 PM), continuing through the night and concluding with Benediction on Saturday at 5:00 AM, followed by Mass
Parish History
Holy Cross was founded in 1906 as a mission of Saint Patrick Parish to minister to Italian immigrants in San Jose's Northside, in what was then the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Blessed by Archbishop Montgomery on December 8, 1906 (just eight months after the great earthquake destroyed St. Patrick's itself), the community was raised to parish status and designated an Italian national parish in 1911. It has been known by three successive names — Santissimo Crocifisso (1906), Most Precious Blood (from 1911), and Holy Cross (from 1927). The Scalabrinians (Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo) eventually took over pastoral care, continuing the parish's founding mission of serving immigrant Catholics. A larger church building dedicated in 1920 served the community for nearly a century before a four-alarm fire destroyed it on November 16, 2014; a new church on the same site was dedicated May 25, 2018, with the original 1907 Italian gilded crucifix — salvaged from the fire — re-hung above the altar.
- Founded 1906 as a mission of Saint Patrick Parish
- Designated an Italian national parish, 1911
- Named Holy Cross, 1927
- 1920 church destroyed by four-alarm fire, Nov. 16, 2014
- Demolished June 2015; parish worshipped in Scalabrini Hall
- New church dedicated May 25, 2018 on the original site
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
The parish is staffed by the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (Scalabrinians), the religious institute founded by Blessed Giovanni Battista Scalabrini to serve migrant communities. The current pastor is Rev. Miguel Alvarez, CS. He is assisted by parochial Vicar Rev. Querubin Antonio Pelayo, CS, and by Brother Charles S. Muscat, CS, who serves as the Director of Religious Education (DRE).
- Rev. Miguel Alvarez, CS — Pastor
- Rev. Querubin Antonio Pelayo, CS — Parochial Vicar
- Bro. Charles S. Muscat, CS — Director of Religious Education
Parish Ministries & Groups
The parish groups its ministries around four pillars — worship, community, family and social outreach — giving parishioners a clear way to plug in. A vibrant youth ministry and CCD religious education welcome younger Catholics and public-school students; the Treasures of Holy Cross senior group supports parishioners 60+; Christian Family Movement and Worldwide Marriage Encounter walk with families and couples; the Hospitality / Ushers team welcomes at Mass; and the Kermess Committee organizes the annual parish festival on the weekend before the September 14 feast.
- Youth Group
- CCD / Religious Education (public-school students)
- Treasures of Holy Cross — Seniors' Group (60+, monthly)
- Christian Family Movement (https://mfccusa.net)
- Worldwide Marriage Encounter (https://wwme.org)
- Hospitality / Ushers
- Kermess Committee (organizes the Parish Festival)
Social Services
The parish Social Services Office lives out the parish's mission of charity and justice by walking with the poor, the marginalized and those in concrete need — described on the parish site as an extension of the Church's mission beyond worship. The office is staffed by volunteers and is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM; parishioner Velia Rico can be reached at (408) 421-3070.
- Open Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:00 – 7:00 PM
- Contact: Velia Rico, (408) 421-3070
Community Life: Bingo, Festival & Gatherings
Holy Cross has long been a parish that comes together outside Mass. Every Monday from 5:00 to 9:30 PM the parish hall becomes a community bingo hall where neighbors chat, play, and socialize — an institution that, after the 2014 fire, also served as the parish's worship home. The annual Kermess / Parish Festival is held on the weekend before September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and is run by a committee chaired by the pastor together with leaders of the parish's auxiliary groups.
- Monday-night Bingo, 5:00 PM – 9:30 PM, Scalabrini Hall
- Annual Parish Festival on the weekend before September 14 (Feast of the Holy Cross)
- Senior gatherings for the 60+ community (Treasures of Holy Cross)
Devotions & First Friday
Devotional life centers on three regular practices: a Wednesday morning novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help that includes Adoration and Benediction at 6:45 AM; a Spanish-language First Friday Holy Hour at 5:30 PM with Benediction before the 6:30 PM Spanish Mass; and the once-a-month Nocturnal Adoration that runs from First Friday evening until Saturday at 5:00 AM, closing with Benediction and Mass.
- Wednesday: Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help + Adoration + Benediction (6:45 AM)
- First Friday: Spanish Holy Hour (5:30 PM) + Nocturnal Adoration
- Saturday (after First Friday): Benediction at 5:00 AM, followed by Mass
Sacraments
Holy Cross prepares parishioners for and celebrates the seven sacraments — including Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage preparation, and Anointing of the Sick — through its regular Mass and devotions schedule and through the CCD, Marriage Encounter and Christian Family Movement programs listed on the parish website.
- Baptism
- First Communion / First Reconciliation
- Confirmation
- Marriage preparation (CFM and Worldwide Marriage Encounter)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation (see Confession times)
Visit & Contact
Holy Cross Parish is located at 580 East Jackson Street in the Northside / Luna Park neighborhood of San Jose, CA 95112, and can be reached at (408) 294-2440. The parish belongs to the Diocese of San Jose in California and is staffed by the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (Scalabrinians).
- Address: 580 E. Jackson St., San Jose, CA 95112
- Phone: (408) 294-2440
- Website: http://holycrosssj.org/
- Diocese of San Jose in California
- Staffed by the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (Scalabrinians)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father J. Lally1906 (mission era)
Pastor of Saint Patrick Parish who founded the Italian mission church that became Holy Cross; his own St. Patrick's was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.
- Father A. Bruno1919–1920
Officially dedicated the second (1920) church building during his pastorate.