About Our Lady of Refuge · San Jose, California
Our Lady of Refuge is a Roman Catholic parish in East San Jose, California, belonging to the Diocese of San Jose. Founded and dedicated on February 19, 2012, it was the first new parish established in the Diocese in over 17 years, created to serve the dense, multiethnic Santee neighborhood where four neighboring parishes were already at capacity with 10 to 14 weekend Masses each. Today the parish is a vibrant, trilingual community celebrating Mass in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and (monthly) Tamil, with a strong outreach to low-income families through a weekly free food market and the Catholic Charities Parish Engagement Program. Its name, Our Lady of Refuge (Nuestra Señora del Refugio), honors a Marian title given in 1843 as 'Patroness of the Californias'.
- Established
- 2012
- Patron
- Our Lady of Refuge (Nuestra Señora del Refugio) — a Marian title given as 'Patroness of the Californias' in 1843 by the first Bishop of the Californias, Francisco Diego Garcia
- Rector
- Rev. Hugo Rojas
- Diocese
- Diocese of San Jose in California
Why belong here
Our Lady of Refuge is one of the most intentionally multicultural parishes in the Diocese of San Jose, with Sunday Mass in Vietnamese, Spanish and English and a monthly Tamil Mass — a rare gift for immigrant Catholics seeking liturgy in their heart language. The parish is deeply committed to serving low-income East San Jose families through a weekly Tuesday free food market, the Catholic Charities Parish Engagement Program, immigration legal help, ESL and after-school tutoring opportunities, and a strong catechetical program led by a Vietnamese religious sister. If you are looking for a Catholic parish where worship in your language, formation for your children, and concrete help for neighbors in need all happen under one roof, Our Lady of Refuge is built for exactly that.
Mass times at Our Lady of Refuge
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM (per the Diocese of San Jose parish page)
- Friday 5:00 PM – 6:00 AM in English and Spanish
- Friday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Vietnamese), per the parish Mass Schedule page
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Silent Adoration every Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Adoración al Santísimo en silencio / Chầu Thánh Thể Chúa trong thinh lặng)
Welcome to Our Lady of Refuge
Our Lady of Refuge (Nuestra Señora del Refugio) is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of San Jose located at 2165 Lucretia Avenue in East San Jose. Founded in 2012 to serve the dense, multiethnic Santee neighborhood, it is today one of the most intentionally multilingual parishes in Santa Clara County, with Sunday Mass in Vietnamese, Spanish and English and a monthly Tamil Mass. The parish bills itself as 'A PLACE OF REFUGE WHERE ALL ARE WELCOME,' and its mission is to be a refuge of help, prayer and sacraments for immigrant families and neighbors in need.
- Founded February 19, 2012 — first new parish in the Diocese of San Jose in over 17 years
- Parish campus at 2165 Lucretia Ave., San Jose, CA 95122
- Phone: (408) 715-2278
History and Founding
Our Lady of Refuge was born from a decade-long pastoral study of East San Jose, where four parishes were already at capacity (10–14 weekend Masses each) and the Santee Mission was squeezing 350 worshippers into a rented school auditorium in a neighborhood of 23,000 residents. After the Protestant congregation Our Father's House vacated its two adjacent Lucretia Avenue buildings in 2011, the Diocese purchased and renovated the complex (about $6 million) using funds from the 2006 Capital Campaign held by the Catholic Foundation of Santa Clara County. Bishop McGrath chose the name from over 200 submissions, and on February 19, 2012 celebrated the Rite of Dedication Mass with Monsignor Francisco Rios (onsite) and Father Brendan McGuire (administrative) as founding co-pastors.
- Site: former Our Father's House buildings, 1961 and 1983, combined ~1,000-seat sanctuary
- Funding: 2006 Capital Campaign plus sponsorships from St. Mary (Los Gatos), St. Simon (Los Altos), St. Patrick (San Jose), Holy Spirit (Almaden Valley, $100K/yr × 5 years), and ~50 other parishes pledging $1.5 million
- Founding pastors: Rev. Msgr. Francisco Rios (onsite) and Rev. Brendan McGuire (administrative)
- Received Bishop Oscar Cantú's ADA 'Hand in Hand in Ministry' award in 2019
Parish Staff and Clergy
Our Lady of Refuge is led by its third pastor, Father Hugo Rojas, who was appointed by Bishop McGrath after serving at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph and previously at St. Mary's Parish in Gilroy; an Argentine from Tunuyan, Mendoza, he was ordained December 6, 1997 and served ten years as a missionary in Taiwan before arriving in the Diocese of San Jose in 2008. He is assisted by Parochial Vicar Father Anthony Tan Nguyen. Two religious sisters form the lay-leadership core: Sr. Catherine Phuong Dang (QuiNhon Missionary Sisters of the Holy Cross), Director of Catechetics, and Sr. Silvia Frias (Eucharistic Missionaries of the Holy Trinity), Director of Hispanic Ministry.
- Rev. Hugo Rojas — Pastor ([email protected])
- Rev. Anthony Tan Nguyen — Parochial Vicar ([email protected])
- Sr. Catherine Phuong Dang — Director of Catechetics ([email protected])
- Sr. Silvia Frias — Director of Hispanic Ministry ([email protected])
Faith Formation and Catechetics
Faith formation is led by Sr. Catherine Phuong Dang, a Vietnamese-born QuiNhon Missionary Sister of the Holy Cross who professed vows at St. Agnes Church in the Diocese of Oakland in 1996, earned a Master's in Catechetics at Santa Clara University, served at Saint Maria Goretti Parish from 1998, completed a Canon Law degree at the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome in 2009 and returned to San Jose to serve at Our Lady of Refuge in 2012. Programs include catechetical classes for children and adults, RCIA, and sacramental preparation; classes are offered in the parish's English, Spanish and Vietnamese communities.
- Director of Catechetics: Sr. Catherine Phuong Dang ([email protected])
- Children's catechetical classes
- Adult faith formation and RCIA
- Sacramental preparation
Hispanic Ministry
Hispanic Ministry is led by Sr. Silvia Frias, a Mexican religious of the Eucharistic Missionaries of the Holy Trinity from Pénjamo, Guanajuato — the youngest of seven siblings. The parish offers two Sunday Masses in Spanish (10:00 AM and 1:30 PM), a Tuesday–Friday 9:00 AM Spanish Mass, and ministries developed in collaboration with Catholic Charities such as ESL classes, after-school tutoring and parish prayer groups first envisioned by founding pastor Monsignor Rios.
- Director of Hispanic Ministry: Sr. Silvia Frias ([email protected])
- Sunday Spanish Masses at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM
- Weekday Spanish Mass Tue–Fri 9:00 AM
- Adult ESL classes
- After-school tutoring
- Hispanic prayer groups
Vietnamese and Tamil Communities
Vietnamese Catholics make up the largest language community at Our Lady of Refuge: a 5:00 PM Saturday Vigil, an 8:00 AM Sunday Mass, a 4:00 PM Sunday Mass, daily 8:00 AM Masses Monday through Friday and a Saturday morning 8:00 AM Mass — eight Masses a week in Tiếng Việt. The Tamil Catholic community gathers monthly for a Vigil Mass in Tamil at 7:00 PM on the third Saturday of each month.
- Vietnamese Mass schedule: Sat 8:00 AM & 5:00 PM Vigil; Sun 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM; Mon–Fri 8:00 AM
- Friday Vietnamese Confessions 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- Tamil Mass: 3rd Saturday Vigil at 7:00 PM
Outreach: Free Food Market and Parish Engagement Program
Since opening in October 2019, the Parish Engagement Program run jointly with Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County has transformed Our Lady of Refuge into a hub of social services for East San Jose. Each Tuesday evening the parish courtyard and hall host a free food market distributing Second Harvest Food Bank groceries, a hot meal, immigration legal consultations, housing navigation and medical referrals through Gardner Health Services. By early 2020 the program had reached 550 households (about 2,500 people), served 500 hot meals weekly, conducted over 120 immigration consultations and made 100 medical referrals; it has since pivoted to a drive-through distribution model during pandemic conditions while continuing to operate.
- Weekly Free Food Market — every Tuesday, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Drive-through food distribution since 2020
- 500 hot meals served weekly (pre-pandemic baseline)
- Immigration legal services consultations
- Housing referrals and medical referrals through Gardner Health Services
- Partnerships: Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, Second Harvest Food Bank
- Quoted by Fr. Hugo Rojas: 'Our Vietnamese, Latino, and Filipino communities are working together.'
Devotions and Devotional Life
Beyond the regular Mass schedule, Our Lady of Refuge sustains a deep devotional life centered on the Eucharist, Our Lady and the saints. Every Wednesday at 5:00 PM the parish gathers for the English Perpetual Help Mass, and every Friday the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for Silent Eucharistic Adoration from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
- Perpetual Help Mass — Wednesdays 5:00 PM (English)
- Eucharistic Silent Adoration — Fridays 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Devotion to Our Lady under the title 'Our Lady of Refuge / Nuestra Señora del Refugio'
Visiting and Contact Information
The parish office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and on Saturday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM; the office is closed on Sunday, Monday and holidays. Mass-goers can also reach the parish by phone at (408) 715-2278. The campus, on Lucretia Avenue just east of US-101, includes the repurposed worship building with adjacent offices, classrooms, kitchens, meeting rooms and a large parking lot.
- Address: 2165 Lucretia Avenue, San Jose, CA 95122
- Phone: (408) 715-2278
- Office hours: Tue–Fri 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and 1:00–6:00 PM; Sat 9:00 AM–12:00 PM (closed Sun, Mon, holidays)
- On-site parking available in the former Our Father's House lot
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Msgr. Francisco Rios (onsite) and Rev. Brendan McGuire (administrative co-pastor)2012 – c. 2017
Founding co-pastors when the parish was dedicated on February 19, 2012; Monsignor Rios, an Argentine member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, served as the on-site pastoral minister.
- [Second pastor of Our Lady of Refuge]
The parish's own website identifies Fr. Hugo Rojas as the third pastor, implying a second pastor served between Monsignor Rios and Fr. Hugo. The site does not name this pastor publicly.
- Rev. Hugo RojasAfter June 2017 – present
Third pastor; appointed by Bishop McGrath after serving at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph; previously a missionary in Taiwan for ten years.