About Our Lady of Mt. Carmel · Carmel Valley, California
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a warm and welcoming Catholic parish serving the Carmel Valley Village in Monterey County, California. The parish was formally established on March 11, 1953 by Bishop A.J. Willinger of the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno, with roots going back to the late 1940s when Mass was first celebrated in a local barn for the area's Catholic families. Today the parish is part of the Diocese of Monterey in Northern California, gathering faithful for Mass in English and Spanish on weekends and offering a range of lay ministries, faith formation for children and adults, and outreach to the broader Carmel Valley community.
- Established
- 1953
- Patron
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Rector
- Rev. Jhonnatan Carmona
- Diocese
- Diocese of Monterey in California
Why belong here
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a small, tightly-knit parish where parishioners can know one another and their priest personally. The parish offers the full rhythm of Catholic life — weekday and Sunday Mass (including a monthly Spanish Mass in Carmel Valley Village and a quarterly Spanish Mass at Cachagua), First Communion and Confirmation preparation, RCIA for adults, a choir and liturgical music program, Eucharistic Adoration, and ministries like Bereavement, Manna, Hospitality, Altar Servers, Lectors, and a Human Trafficking Awareness group. Located in scenic Carmel Valley Village within the Diocese of Monterey, it is a peaceful yet active community for Catholic families, retirees, and Spanish-speaking Catholics in the Monterey Peninsula.
Mass times at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM and by appointment
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration is held periodically (the Pastoral Council has continued the tradition with simplified sign-in due to lighter attendance — confirm current schedule with the parish office).
About Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Located in the scenic Carmel Valley Village within the Diocese of Monterey in California, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Catholic parish that has served the Carmel Valley community since 1953. The parish describes itself as 'a warm and welcoming Catholic Community that serves the Gospel with deep faith, hope, and love as a living and Spirit-filled witness to the Heart of Jesus present and alive in Carmel Valley.' The parish gathers English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics for worship, formation, and outreach, and publishes a regular online bulletin archive.
- Within the Diocese of Monterey (formerly Monterey-Fresno).
- Pastor since 2021: Rev. Jhonnatan Carmona.
- Serves Carmel Valley Village and surrounding Monterey County.
Parish History
Our Lady of Mount Carmel grew from humble beginnings. Until 1947, Catholics from the valley had to travel to the Carmel Mission or other nearby churches. Determined parishioners including Charlie Allaire, Leo Weber, and Mary Lou Berta asked Msgr. Michael O'Connell of the Carmel Mission to send a priest — leading to weekend Masses being celebrated in the De Amaral barn. In December 1951 the first priest was assigned to live locally, and on March 11, 1953, Bishop A.J. Willinger formally established the parish. A three-acre site on El Caminito was purchased; the former Lang dairy barn was converted into a church by volunteer labor supervised by Harry Downie, the Curator of Carmel Mission, and also used as a temporary rectory. A succession of 11 pastors has shepherded the parish through seven decades of growth.
- First Mass: De Amaral barn (late 1940s).
- Diocese of Monterey-Fresno formally established the parish on March 11, 1953.
- 65 local Catholic families at founding.
- Original church: converted dairy barn at El Caminito.
- Supervisor of barn conversion: Harry Downie, Curator of Carmel Mission.
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
Father Jhonnatan Carmona has served as the parish priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel since 2021. The parish publishes a full succession of pastors dating back to its 1953 founding, showing continuity of priestly ministry in Carmel Valley Village across more than seven decades. Pastoral Council minutes show the parish hosts priests and speakers such as Fr. Jim Nesbit for Lenten reflections such as 'Why meditate on the Stations of the Cross?'
- Rev. Jhonnatan Carmona — Parish Priest since 2021.
- Rev. Dennis Gallo — 2016 to 2021.
- Rev. Emil Andrew Robu — 2009 to 2016.
- Rev. Joseph Occhiuto — 2004 to 2009.
- Rev. Scott McCarthy — 1993 to 2004.
- Rev. John McSweeney — 1974 to 1992 (longest tenured on the published list).
- Rev. Douglas Keating — 1969 to 1974.
- Rev. Vincent Cowan — 1967 to 1969.
- Rev. James Voylko — 1961 to 1967.
- Rev. Timothy Cummins — 1958 to 1961.
- Rev. Ignatius Loughran — 1953 to 1958.
Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation
The parish runs a Faith Formation program that covers sacramental preparation and ongoing catechesis for children and youth. RCIA (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) is available for adults seeking to become Catholic, organized by Derwin Borling, with a downloadable registration form on the parish website.
- 1st Year Holy Communion — Coordinator: Michele Higa.
- 2nd Year Holy Communion — Coordinator: Susan Franks.
- 1st and 2nd Year Confirmation — Coordinator: Daryl Lyon.
- RCIA — Coordinator: Derwin Borling.
- Sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation.
Ministries and Parish Life
Parishioners are invited to participate in a wide array of lay ministries that sustain both the parish and the wider Carmel Valley community. Ministries touch liturgical, pastoral, social, and administrative needs, with named coordinators and contact forms on the parish website.
- Bereavement Ministry
- Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
- Faith Formation
- Finance Council
- Hospitality
- Human Trafficking Awareness
- Lectors
- Liturgical Music and Choir
- Manna Ministry
- Parish Hall & Events
- Pastoral Council
- Sacristans and Altar Servers
- Social Media
- Ushers
- Database and Website
Sacraments and Rituals
The parish celebrates the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church and other rituals common in the Diocese of Monterey. Sacramental inquiry and preparation can be initiated by contacting the parish office at (831) 659-2224 or [email protected].
- Baptism
- Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
- First Communion
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Confirmation
- Marriage
- Holy Orders
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral Services
- Quinceañera
Pastoral Council and Parish Governance
A Parish Pastoral Council meets regularly to advise the pastor and shape parish life. Published meeting minutes document decisions ranging from scholarship distributions and sanctuary improvements to the continuation of Eucharistic Adoration and the annual feast day fiesta, as well as Lenten reconciliation services and speaker events such as Stations of the Cross reflections.
- Annual $3,000 in parish scholarship funds.
- Holy Day Mass scheduling and Eucharistic Adoration continuity.
- Communal Lenten Reconciliation services each spring.
- Annual feast day fiesta for Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July, with the bishop presiding).
- Post-Easter community brunch and other parish social events.
Bulletin Archive and News
Our Lady of Mount Carmel maintains an online bulletin archive going back many years. The bulletins carry weekly Mass intentions, parish announcements, liturgical schedules, and ministry news, and they are linked from the parish website.
- Weekly bulletin archive published online.
- Includes Mass intentions, Holy Day schedules, and ministry updates.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Ignatius Loughran1953–1958
First pastor of the newly established parish.
- Rev. Timothy Cummins1958–1961
- Rev. James Voylko1961–1967
- Rev. Vincent Cowan1967–1969
- Rev. Douglas Keating1969–1974
- Rev. John McSweeney1974–1992
Longest-tenured pastor on the published list.
- Rev. Scott McCarthy1993–2004
- Rev. Joseph Occhiuto2004–2009
- Rev. Emil Andrew Robu2009–2016
- Rev. Dennis Gallo2016–2021
- Rev. Jhonnatan Carmona2021–present
Current parish priest; succeeded Fr. Dennis Gallo.