About Our Lady of the Lake · Loch Lomond, California
Our Lady of the Lake is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the mountain community of Loch Lomond, in Lake County, California. It is one of three worship sites of St. Joseph Catholic Parish, headquartered in nearby Middletown, and falls under the Diocese of Santa Rosa. The church sits at 12836 Highway 175, in the wooded hills between Middletown and Cobb, and offers a single Saturday evening Mass for residents and visitors of the surrounding Adams Springs, Hobergs, and Loch Lomond resort area. The mission's life is intertwined with its sister chapel, Our Lady of the Pines at Cobb, and with the parish's mother church, St. Joseph in Middletown.
- Established
- 1953
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Lake (the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Fr. Lawrence Mendoza
- Diocese
- Diocese of Santa Rosa
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Lake offers a uniquely intimate mountain chapel experience in the Loch Lomond area of Lake County, with Saturday evening Mass in a building hand-crafted in the early 1950s by local families on land donated by the Prather family. The mission is supported by a close-knit Women's Guild — 'The Lady of the Lake Guild' — which raises funds for repair projects and hosts an annual Easter bake sale. As part of the larger St. Joseph Catholic Parish, parishioners can also participate in faith formation, RCIA, religious education, Spanish-language worship (at St. Joseph in Middletown), Reconciliation, and community life across three worship sites.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Lake
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. (English) at St. Joseph, Middletown
- Friday 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Spanish) at St. Joseph, Middletown
- Or by appointment
Our Lady of the Lake Mission Church
Our Lady of the Lake is a mission church of St. Joseph Catholic Parish in Middletown, California. It sits at 12836 Highway 175 in the small mountain community of Loch Lomond, in Lake County. The mission offers a single weekly Saturday Mass at 4:00 p.m. and shares its sacramental and pastoral life with St. Joseph in Middletown and Our Lady of the Pines in Cobb. The mailing address, phone, email, and bulletin for the mission all funnel through the St. Joseph parish office in Middletown.
- Address: 12836 Hwy 175, Loch Lomond, CA 95461
- Saturday Mass: 4:00 p.m. (English)
- Parish phone: (707) 987-3676
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Parish website: stjoseph-middletown.com
History of Our Lady of the Lake
The chapel owes its existence to the Catholic devotion of the Prather family and the carpentry skills of two local men named Pearson. Around 1950, on land donated by Robert Prather, those two carpenters agreed to be paid in carpentry services for land they bought from him, and Prather directed them to build the church. The Diocese of San Francisco approved the plans in 1952; the massive roof beams came from Prather property and were peeled by Native American workers; and Robert and Ruth Prather, together with family and friends, hauled the pink brick and other materials to the site. The first Mass was celebrated in the summer of 1953 by Fr. Aidan Colloty, OFM, and Bishop Guilfoyle officiated at the dedication. In the early 1970s the mission joined St. Joseph's in Middletown (previously served from Lakeport).
- Late 1800s: Dr. W. W. Prather and Harriet Herren Prather purchase Adams Springs resort.
- 1921: Before Harriet's death, son Robert promises to build a church in her memory.
- 1935: Robert and Ruth Prather buy adjacent land and develop the Loch Lomond subdivision.
- c. 1950: Carpenters Pearson agree to build the church in exchange for Prather land.
- 1952: Diocese of San Francisco approves plans; pink brick and beams hauled to site.
- Summer 1953: First Mass celebrated by Fr. Aidan Colloty, OFM; Bishop Guilfoyle dedicates the church.
- 1978: Donald Vernon Prather is the first Prather to be married at Our Lady of the Lake.
- Early 1970s: Mission joins St. Joseph's parish, Middletown.
The Prather Family and Stained-Glass Windows
The Women's Guild of Our Lady of the Lake — under president Dorothy Emerson — selected stained-glass windows as the signature project of her term. Madeline Strickler donated two of the windows; Priscilla's Studio of Fort Bragg designed, created, and installed them; and private individuals of the parish donated the rest. The Women's Guild of Our Lady of the Lake and Our Lady of the Pines together donated the entry-door windows in heartfelt appreciation to Lilburn Robert Prather, Sr., and the Prather family, whose land and labor made the church possible.
- Windows designed and installed by Priscilla's Studio of Fort Bragg.
- Project led by Women's Guild president Dorothy Emerson.
- Entry windows dedicated to the Prather family.
Mass and Sacramental Schedule
Our Lady of the Lake celebrates one weekly Mass — Saturday at 4:00 p.m. — for the Loch Lomond mountain community. Weekday and Sunday Masses, Reconciliation, baptisms, marriages, and Anointing of the Sick are coordinated through the parish office at St. Joseph, Middletown, including a 4:00 p.m. Sunday Mass celebrated in Spanish.
- Saturday: 4:00 p.m. Mass at Our Lady of the Lake (English)
- Sunday: 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph, Middletown (English)
- Sunday: 4:00 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph, Middletown (Spanish)
- Reconciliation: Friday 9–10 a.m. (English) and 7–8 p.m. (Spanish) at St. Joseph, or by appointment
- Baptisms: preparation for parents required — see Pastor after Mass
- Marriages: by appointment at least six months in advance
- Anointing of the Sick: call the parish office
Parish Staff and Organizations
Our Lady of the Lake is shepherded by the staff of St. Joseph Catholic Parish. Fr. Lawrence Mendoza serves as pastor of the three-church parish; Sandy Hood is the office manager; Patricia Giacomini directs RCIA and serves as Religious Education consultant; Pam Quiroz directs Religious Education; and Debbie Heidary manages the newsletter and website.
- Fr. Lawrence Mendoza — Pastor
- Sandy Hood — Office Manager
- Patricia Giacomini — RCIA Director, Religious Education Consultant and Advisor
- Pam Quiroz — Religious Education Director
- Debbie Heidary — Newsletter/Website
The Lady of the Lake Guild
The Lady of the Lake Guild is the parish's Women's Guild and a long-standing engine of fellowship and fundraising at Our Lady of the Lake. The Guild hosts an annual Easter bake sale after each of the Easter Masses (6:30 p.m. Holy Saturday at St. Joseph, and 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday at St. Joseph and Our Lady of the Lake, with a 4:00 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph) and channels proceeds toward repair projects for the mission church.
- Annual Easter bake sale
- Funds used for church repair projects
- Donations gladly accepted
Ministry to the Mountain Communities
Our Lady of the Lake was founded to serve the resort and mountain-home communities around Adams Springs, Hobergs, Siegler Springs, and Loch Lomond — a role it continues today as a Saturday-evening worship site within St. Joseph Catholic Parish. Its parish history is inseparable from the 19th- and 20th-century Catholic life of Lake County's resorts, and its stained-glass windows, pink brick walls, and hand-hewn beams remain a tangible witness to a half-century of community-built faith.
- Sister mission chapel: Our Lady of the Pines at Cobb
- Mother church: St. Joseph, Middletown
- Diocese: Santa Rosa
Visiting Our Lady of the Lake
From St. Joseph in Middletown, take California Highway 175 towards Cobb for about eight miles; the mission is on the right just before you reach Loch Lomond. Parish office hours at St. Joseph (21396 Hwy 29, Middletown) are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The emergency line is 707-513-3991, and the parish fax is 707-987-2792. Weekly bulletins are posted at stjoseph-middletown.com.
- From Middletown: CA-175 toward Cobb, ~8 miles; mission on right before Loch Lomond
- Parish office: 21396 Hwy 29, Middletown
- Office hours: Wed–Fri, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Emergency: 707-513-3991
- Mailing: P.O. Box 1350, Middletown, CA 95461
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Aidan Colloty, OFM (Franciscan)1953 (first Mass and dedication)
Celebrated the first Mass in the summer of 1953; Bishop Guilfoyle officiated at the dedication.
- Fr. James McSweeneyOctober 2002 – August 17, 2020
Parochial administrator who formed the 'Vision Plan'; under Bishop Daniel Walsh, the parish of St. Joseph's was officially designated in November 2004, uniting St. Joseph Middletown, Our Lady of the Lake (Loch Lomond), and Our Lady of the Pines (Cobb). Led the three-church parish for 16 years until his death from a long illness.
- Fr. Adam KotasAugust 18, 2020 – July 2021
Appointed by Bishop Robert Vasa as parochial administrator of St. Joseph's, while also serving Queen of Peace parish in Clearlake.
- Fr. Marlon AtendidoJuly 2021 – December 2021
Appointed parochial administrator of St. Joseph's and Queen of Peace.
- Fr. Lawrence MendozaDecember 2021 – present
First appointed as assistant to Fr. Marlon; then served as co-parochial administrator; on December 31, 2022, Bishop Vasa appointed him pastor of St. Joseph's parish serving Middletown, Cobb, and Loch Lomond.