About Our Lady of Mount Carmel · Big Oak Flat, California
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a small Catholic mission church located in the historic Gold Rush community of Big Oak Flat, in Tuolumne County, California. It is one of three worship sites served by St. Patrick's Catholic Parish in nearby Sonora, along with the historic St. Anne's Church in Columbia. The mission sits alongside its own Catholic cemetery, on Catholic Cemetery Road just off Highway 120, in the heart of the Mother Lode's southern mines region. As a mission of St. Patrick's, it is cared for by the pastor of that parish and belongs to the Diocese of Stockton.
- Established
- 1860
- Patron
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Suresh Ery (Parochial Administrator of St. Patrick's, Sonora, which serves the mission)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Stockton
Why belong here
Our Lady of Mount Carmel offers a rare chance to worship in one of the oldest Catholic settings in the Sierra foothills, where Mass is still offered on a quiet site that has served Big Oak Flat and Groveland families since the Gold Rush. As a small mission of St. Patrick's Sonora, it gives parishioners a more intimate, family-sized Catholic community while still drawing on the larger parish's clergy, faith formation, music ministry, and sacramental life. It is a living link between today's Tuolumne County Catholics and the Irish, Portuguese, and Hispanic pioneer families who first built the faith here in 1860.
Mass times at Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesdays 6:00–6:50 pm (at St. Patrick's Church, Sonora)
- Saturday 4:30–4:45 pm (at St. Patrick's Church, Sonora)
Adoration times
- Wednesdays 6:00–6:50 pm (Adoration, at St. Patrick's Church, Sonora)
Parish Overview
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Catholic mission church in the Mother Lode village of Big Oak Flat, Tuolumne County, California. Together with St. Patrick's Church in Sonora and the historic St. Anne's Church in Columbia, it forms St. Patrick's Catholic Parish, within the Diocese of Stockton. The mission is on Catholic Cemetery Road, beside its own historic Catholic cemetery, and its companion rectory/hall is on Highway 120. Worship is celebrated in both English and Spanish, with confession and Eucharistic Adoration available midweek at the parish's main church in Sonora.
- Type: Mission church
- Diocese of Stockton
- Served by St. Patrick's Catholic Parish, Sonora
- Three worship sites: St. Patrick's, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and historic St. Anne's
History of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The mission was founded in 1860 during the height of the Gold Rush, when the southern mines of Tuolumne County were booming. Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany dedicated the church and its cemetery in October 1860 on a single trip that also dedicated Catholic churches at La Grange and Chinese Camp. Fr. Louis Lootens was appointed as the first pastor. The first recorded interment in the adjoining Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery was Manuel Prara De Costa, a 27-year-old from the Azores, who died on 2 December 1860. Pioneer families — Irish, Portuguese, and Hispanic — formed the founding Catholic community, with baptismal, marriage, and burial records preserved from the 1860s. In the early years priest and people came to Mass on horseback or by horse and buggy, and the church has survived several fires over its history.
- Founded October 1860 — dedicated by Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany, O.P.
- First pastor: Fr. Louis Lootens
- First burial in the cemetery: Manuel Prara De Costa (Azores), December 1860
- Original congregation: Irish, Portuguese, and Hispanic Gold Rush settlers of Big Oak Flat and "Garrotte" (Groveland)
Clergy & Staff
The mission of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is shepherded by the priest-team of St. Patrick's Parish in Sonora, working with parish lay staff who serve all three worship sites. The parish directory lists the pastor/priest-administrator, a parochial vicar role, and lay staff for music, religious education, and parish finances.
- Rev. Suresh Ery — Parochial Administrator (Diocese of Stockton; previously Parochial Vicar at Presentation, Stockton, and at St. Patrick's, Angels Camp)
- Sandra Betti — Director of Music & Liturgy
- Kathy Casas — Coordinator of Religious Education
- Ron Ivey — Business Manager
- Parish office phone: (209) 532-7139
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery
The mission church sits next to its own historic Catholic cemetery, also named Our Lady of Mount Carmel, on Catholic Cemetery Road in Big Oak Flat. The cemetery was dedicated in October 1860 at the same time as the church, and the first recognized interment took place in December 1860 (Manuel Prara De Costa). It has served the Catholic families of Big Oak Flat, Groveland, and the surrounding Mother Lode communities for more than 165 years and is also listed on Find a Grave as 'Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery.'
- Cemetery address: 11700 Catholic Cemetery Rd., Big Oak Flat, CA 95321
- Dedicated October 1860 with the church by Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany
- First recorded burial: December 1860, Manuel Prara De Costa (Azores)
Sister Worship Sites of St. Patrick's Parish
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is one of three churches served by St. Patrick's Catholic Parish. The other two bring their own historic character to the parish family.
- St. Patrick's Church — 127 Jackson St., Sonora, CA 95370 (the main parish church)
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel — 11700 Catholic Cemetery Rd., Big Oak Flat, CA 95321 (the mission)
- Historic St. Anne's Church — 22519 Church Ln., Columbia, CA 95310 (inside Columbia State Historic Park)
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the mission on Catholic Cemetery Road off Highway 120 in Big Oak Flat. The companion rectory and parish hall is located on Highway 120, also in Big Oak Flat. All inquiries about Mass times, sacraments, funerals, baptisms, weddings, and faith formation are handled through the St. Patrick's parish office in Sonora.
- Parish office (St. Patrick's, Sonora): (209) 532-7139
- Church & cemetery: 11700 Catholic Cemetery Rd., Big Oak Flat, CA 95321
- Rectory / Parish Hall: 17700 Hwy 120, Big Oak Flat, CA 95310
- Website: http://www.stpatssonora.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Louis Lootens1860–
First pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, appointed at the church's October 1860 dedication by Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany.