About Our Lady of the Rosary · Palo Alto, California
Our Lady of the Rosary is a Catholic church located at 3233 Cowper Street in the Mitchell Park neighborhood of Palo Alto, California. Built in 1955 in what was then a fast-growing residential area south of Oregon Avenue, it is today one of three worship sites of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, alongside St. Thomas Aquinas Church (Waverley Street) and St. Albert the Great Church. The seven-acre campus includes the church, the parish's Pastoral Center, the Dermody Center (housing youth and religious education offices), and an eight-classroom school building now leased to the International School of the Peninsula. As a mission church of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish within the Diocese of San Jose, it serves the community with Sunday Mass in both English and Spanish.
- Established
- 1955
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Rosary (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Matthew D. Stanley
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Rosary offers parishioners a welcoming bilingual Catholic community in the heart of Palo Alto's Mitchell Park neighborhood, with Sunday Mass celebrated in both English and Spanish. As part of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, worshippers benefit from three connected church sites, a strong sacramental life, faith formation for youth and adults, and the Dermody Center which houses religious education and youth ministry offices. It is an ideal parish for families seeking an active Catholic community on the Mid-Peninsula.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Rosary
Weekly Mass schedule
History of Our Lady of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Rosary Church has a history closely intertwined with St. Aloysius Church in Palo Alto. The building that would become Our Lady of the Rosary was originally proposed in the 1950s as a gymnasium and multipurpose room for a school serving St. Aloysius Parish, in what was then a fast-growing residential area south of Oregon Avenue. Before the school and gym were completed in 1958, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish had been formed and the gym became the church.
- Church built in 1955; building designed by Blanchard and Maher and constructed by Arne Falk.
- Located on a seven-acre site in the Mitchell Park neighborhood, three miles from downtown Palo Alto.
- Formed as its own parish in the 1950s before the building was completed.
- Merged into St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in 1987.
Stained Glass Heritage
Several of the stained glass windows at Our Lady of the Rosary originally came from St. Aloysius Church. The 1940 St. Aloysius building, designed by Henry A. Minton and constructed by G. W. Williams Co., had no stained glass at first. In 1945, Carl Huneke of Century Stained Glass Studio in San Francisco created six small rectangular windows for the sanctuary. In 1960, seven sacrament-themed windows for the nave were created by Hogan Stained Glass. These were removed and stored when the St. Aloysius building was sold to Ananda in 1995, and later installed at Our Lady of the Rosary, where they remain a cherished link to the parish's history.
- Six sanctuary windows by Carl Huneke / Century Stained Glass Studio, 1945
- Seven sacrament nave windows by Hogan Stained Glass, 1960
- Windows relocated from St. Aloysius after its 1995 sale to Ananda
Three Churches, One Parish
Our Lady of the Rosary is one of three worship sites of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Palo Alto. The other two are St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Waverley Street (the parish's historic main church, built 1901–1902 and a Palo Alto landmark) and St. Albert the Great Church. The three together form one parish community within the Diocese of San Jose in California, offering Masses in English, Spanish, and Latin (Gregorian chant) across the week.
- St. Thomas Aquinas Church — 751 Waverley Street (historic 1902 Carpenter Gothic church)
- St. Albert the Great Church
- Our Lady of the Rosary Church — 3233 Cowper Street (Mitchell Park)
- Pastor: Rev. Fr. Matthew D. Stanley
Parish Campus and Facilities
The seven-acre Our Lady of the Rosary campus includes the church building, the parish's Pastoral Center, the Dermody Center (which houses the Youth and Religious Education Coordinator offices and meeting rooms), and an eight-classroom school building now leased to the International School of the Peninsula. Together these buildings support worship, faith formation, youth ministry, and community life for the surrounding Mitchell Park neighborhood and the wider Palo Alto Catholic community.
- Church building (1955)
- Pastoral Center
- Dermody Center — youth and religious education offices
- Eight-classroom school building — leased to International School of the Peninsula
Clergy and Staff
Our Lady of the Rosary is served by the clergy of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. The pastor is Rev. Fr. Matthew D. Stanley, who also serves as Dean of Deanery 2 in the Diocese of San Jose. He is assisted by two parochial vicars and a deacon.
- Rev. Fr. Matthew D. Stanley — Pastor (and Dean, Deanery 2)
- Rev. Stasys Mikalonis — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Dat Luong — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Daniel Hernandez
Mitchell Park Neighborhood
Our Lady of the Rosary is located in the Mitchell Park neighborhood of southern Palo Alto, three miles south of downtown. Mitchell Park is a largely residential area known for its mid-century homes, tree-lined streets, and the nearby Mitchell Park Library and Community Center. The parish's location makes it a convenient worship site for Catholic families living in south Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Los Altos.
- Neighborhood: Mitchell Park, Palo Alto
- Three miles south of downtown Palo Alto
- Address: 3233 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, CA 94306