About Our Lady of Good Counsel · Fort Bragg, California
Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) is a Roman Catholic parish in Fort Bragg, California, on the Mendocino Coast, serving approximately 500 registered families (over 1,700 people) within the Diocese of Santa Rosa. The parish is bilingual, with English and Spanish Masses, an active school, and a robust network of lay groups including the Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul, Legion of Mary, Don Bosco Youth Group, and Hispanic ministry movements. It is also the historic home parish of Catholics on the North Coast, tracing its origins to 1890 when the original mission chapel was built on land donated by the Union Lumber Company.
- Established
- 1890
- Patron
- Our Lady of Good Counsel
- Rector
- Rev. Andre Querijero, OCD
- Diocese
- Diocese of Santa Rosa (established 1962; OLGC transferred from the Archdiocese of San Francisco)
Why belong here
OLGC is a welcoming bilingual parish on the Mendocino Coast that combines a long Catholic heritage (since 1890) with a small, tight-knit community of about 500 families. It offers daily and Sunday Mass in both English and Spanish, a weekly Holy Hour, regular confession, devotions to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart, a Catholic school (San José Sánchez del Río), and a wide range of lay groups — Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul, Legion of Mary, Don Bosco Youth Group, a Bible study group, and Hispanic movements such as Curso de Biblia, Grupo de Oración, and Parejas Para Cristo. It is also a parish that actively serves those in need through the Works of Mercy program, which provides sack lunches and financial assistance to the homeless and needy.
Mass times at Our Lady of Good Counsel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
- Tuesday: 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Holy Hour: Thursday 7:30 a.m.
- First Friday – Exposition and Solemn Benediction: 7:30 a.m.
- First Saturday – Exposition and Solemn Benediction: 8:30 a.m.
About Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish
Our Lady of Good Counsel is a Roman Catholic parish on the Mendocino Coast in Fort Bragg, California, in the Diocese of Santa Rosa. It serves a bilingual (English/Spanish) community of about 500 registered families — over 1,700 people — and offers daily and Sunday Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, and a full calendar of devotions and lay groups. The parish also runs its own Catholic school, San José Sánchez del Río Catholic School.
Parish History
Catholic life on the North Coast began with the Rev. Bernardine Sheehan in Mendocino. Priests from Mendocino celebrated Mass in Fort Bragg homes for 27 years before the original Our Lady of Good Counsel mission chapel was built in 1890 at Main and Oak Streets on land donated by the Union Lumber Company. Franciscan Capuchin Fathers later served the area for about six decades from Mendocino, until a 1930 fire at St. Anthony's Church in Mendocino destroyed the rectory and all records, forcing the Capuchins into Fort Bragg and reversing the parish/mission relationship between the two towns.
- 1890 – Original OLGC mission chapel built at Main and Oak Streets
- c. early 20th c. – Franciscan Capuchin Fathers minister from Mendocino
- 1930 – Fire at St. Anthony's, Mendocino; Capuchins relocate to Fort Bragg
- Late 1940s – Original chapel condemned; St. Francis Hall built as temporary church (1948)
- 1950–1952 – Present OLGC Church constructed of native redwood
- 1959 – Five-room parish school built
- 1962 – Fort Bragg becomes part of the new Diocese of Santa Rosa
Building & Architecture
The current OLGC church is a contemporary-design building constructed of native redwood between 1950 and 1952 at a cost of approximately $45,000. It measures 36 by 86 feet and seats 230. The rectory was built the same year, and St. Francis Hall — still in use today — was constructed on the old Main and Oak site in 1948 to serve as a temporary church while the new building was planned.
Parish Groups & Ministries
OLGC supports a wide variety of lay organizations and apostolates — from traditional Catholic societies to Hispanic ministry movements and outreach to those in need. The parish's Works of Mercy program provides sack lunches and financial assistance to the homeless and the needy.
- Knights of Columbus
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- Legion of Mary
- Don Bosco Youth Group
- Curso de Biblia (Bible Study)
- Grupo de Oración (Prayer Group)
- Parejas Para Cristo (Couples for Christ)
- Portuguese Holy Ghost Society
- Men's Club
- Al-Anon
- Homebound Ministry
- Works of Mercy (outreach to homeless and needy)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at OLGC includes programs for both children and adults. The Youth and Catechism of Catholic Doctrine Program teaches the core values of the Catholic faith, while Adult Programs assist parishioners in their spiritual journey through liturgy, retreats, and ongoing formation.
- Youth & Catechism of Catholic Doctrine Program
- Adult Programs (liturgy, retreats, ongoing formation)
San José Sánchez del Río Catholic School
OLGC operates San José Sánchez del Río Catholic School, a small parish school serving grades K–8. The school focuses on forming students in the 'true, the good, and the beautiful' through a Catholic liberal-arts education. Its construction was funded in part by the parish's three-year capital campaign.
- Grades K–8
- Catholic liberal-arts focus (true, good, beautiful)
- Part of parish capital-campaign funding priorities
Sacraments
In addition to the Eucharist and Confession, OLGC celebrates Baptisms, Weddings, Anointing of the Sick, Presentations, and Quinceañeras. Families are asked to contact the parish office to begin preparation, and an emergency line is available for Anointing of the Sick.
- Baptism
- First Communion & Confirmation (via Youth & Catechism program)
- Marriage (Weddings)
- Anointing of the Sick (with emergency line: 707-964-0229 Ext. 2)
- Presentations & Quinceañeras
Outreach & Charity
Through its Works of Mercy program and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, OLGC provides sack lunches and financial assistance to the homeless and the needy in the Fort Bragg community. A homebound ministry brings the sacraments and pastoral care to parishioners who cannot attend Mass in person.
- Works of Mercy – sack lunches & financial assistance
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- Homebound Ministry
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently served by Rev. Andre Querijero, OCD, a Discalced Carmelite priest, as pastor. The parish office is staffed Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and an after-hours emergency line is available for Anointing of the Sick.
- Pastor: Rev. Andre Querijero, OCD
- Parish office hours: Mon–Fri 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
- Emergency Anointing line: (707) 964-0229 Ext. 2
Visit, Contact & Giving
Visitors and parishioners can find OLGC at 255 S. Harold Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437. Street parking and a small lot are available near the church. The parish office can be reached at (707) 964-0229 or [email protected], and online giving is available through the parish website.
- Address: 255 S. Harold St., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
- Phone: (707) 964-0229
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon–Fri 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
- Online giving available via olgcinfb.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Bernardine Sheehan
First Catholic priest on the North Coast; based in Mendocino and began ministering to Fort Bragg.
- Franciscan Capuchin Fathersc. late 19th–20th century
Made Mendocino their headquarters; served Fort Bragg as a mission for about six decades until the 1930 St. Anthony's fire.
- Father Andrew Pachecoordained 2016 by Bishop Robert Vasa
Listed as pastor on California Catholic Daily's parish profile.
- Rev. Andre Querijero, OCDcurrent
Discalced Carmelite; current pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel.