About Saint Albert the Great · Palo Alto, California
Saint Albert the Great Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 1095 Channing Avenue in Palo Alto, California, in the Crescent Park neighborhood near the Stanford University campus. It is one of three worship sites of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, the citywide Catholic parish that serves the entire city of Palo Alto under the Diocese of San Jose. The church is named after Saint Albert the Great, the 13th-century German Dominican friar, philosopher, and theologian who was the teacher of Thomas Aquinas and patron saint of natural scientists. The church is best known for its daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament (Adoration from 9:00 AM to sunset every day), its English-language Sunday Mass, and as the gathering place for the Good Shepherd Arab American Catholic Community of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
- Established
- 1961
- Patron
- Saint Albert the Great
- Rector
- Rev. Ryan Mau (Parochial Administrator of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, which includes St. Albert the Great)
- Diocese
- Diocese of San Jose
Why belong here
Saint Albert the Great offers one of the most generous schedules of Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese of San Jose, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed daily in the vestibule from 9:00 AM to sunset, making it a spiritual haven for those seeking quiet prayer during the workday. Its intimate setting on Channing Avenue near Stanford, daily 8:00 AM Mass, and Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM, combined with a thriving Young Adult Bible Study and its role as the home of the Good Shepherd Arab American Catholic Community, give it the feel of a welcoming neighborhood church within a large citywide parish.
Mass times at Saint Albert the Great
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 4:50 PM (St. Albert the Great, before the 5:00 PM Vigil Mass)
- Saturday 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM (St. Thomas Aquinas Church, within the same parish)
Adoration times
- Daily Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament – St. Albert the Great Vestibule, 9:00 AM until sunset
About Saint Albert the Great Church
Saint Albert the Great is a Roman Catholic church at 1095 Channing Avenue in Palo Alto, California, serving as one of three worship sites of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. It is named after the 13th-century Dominican saint who taught Thomas Aquinas, and it is best known for its welcoming, intimate atmosphere and its nearly continuous daily Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The church serves the Crescent Park and north Palo Alto neighborhoods and is closely connected to the Stanford University community.
History
St. Albert the Great was established in 1961, one of two new parishes (along with Our Lady of the Rosary, 1959) created to serve Palo Alto's booming post-war Catholic population. It was merged in 1987 into St. Thomas Aquinas Parish under the newly created Diocese of San Jose. In 2011 it celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Mass led by Bishop Patrick McGrath. Today it remains a vital worship site within the merged parish structure.
- Founded 1961 to serve north Palo Alto / Stanford-area Catholics
- 50th anniversary celebrated in 2011 with Bishop Patrick McGrath
- Merged into St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in 1987
- Now functions as a chapel of ease within the citywide parish
Parish Ministries & Groups
Saint Albert the Great hosts an unusually rich array of ministries for a chapel of its size, including the Young Adult Bible Study, the SESS Choir, and the Senior Soup Lunch, all of which use the St. Albert Hospitality Center or rectory. The site also serves as the home of the Good Shepherd Arab American Catholic Community, a mission of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
- Young Adult Bible Study – Wednesdays at the St. Albert Rectory (Adoration 6:45–7:45 PM, study 7:45–9:00 PM)
- SESS Choir – weekly rehearsal
- Senior Soup Lunch – Wednesdays at 9:30 AM in the Hospitality Center
- Good Shepherd Arab American Catholic Community – Sunday Arabic Mass at 11:30 AM
The Good Shepherd Arab American Catholic Community
The Good Shepherd Arab American Catholic Community, a mission of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, celebrates its Sunday Mass at Saint Albert the Great at 11:30 AM in Arabic, followed by a community social in the Hospitality Center. The community is served by Fr. Samer Al-Sawalha and is part of the wider Latin Patriarchate Arab-American pastoral network.
- Sunday Mass in Arabic at 11:30 AM
- Social gathering in the St. Albert Hospitality Center after Mass
- Served by Fr. Samer Al-Sawalha of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Young Adult Bible Study
A weekly Young Adult Bible Study meets at the St. Albert the Great Rectory on Wednesdays. The evening combines Adoration (6:45–7:45 PM), Bible Study (7:45–9:00 PM), and social time until about 10:00 PM—offered as an integrated night of prayer, formation, and fellowship for young adults in the parish.
- Wednesdays at the St. Albert the Great Rectory
- 6:45–7:45 PM: Adoration
- 7:45–9:00 PM: Bible Study
- Until ~10:00 PM: Social
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish — The Larger Parish Family
Saint Albert the Great has been part of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish since 1987, when the Diocese of San Jose merged all Palo Alto Catholic churches into one citywide parish. The parish now operates three worship sites: St. Thomas Aquinas Church (the historic 1901 Gothic church at 751 Waverley Street), Our Lady of the Rosary Church (3233 Cowper Street), and Saint Albert the Great (1095 Channing Avenue). The parish also jointly operates St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School with families from across Palo Alto.
- St. Thomas Aquinas Church — 751 Waverley St.
- Our Lady of the Rosary Church — 3233 Cowper St.
- Saint Albert the Great — 1095 Channing Ave.
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School — parish-wide Catholic elementary school
Contact & Visiting
Saint Albert the Great is located at 1095 Channing Avenue in the Crescent Park neighborhood of Palo Alto. The parish phone number is (650) 494-2496, and the parish email is [email protected]. Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to explore the parish website for the most up-to-date schedule and to sign up for parish communications.
- Address: 1095 Channing Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
- Phone: (650) 494-2496
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish website: https://www.paloaltocatholic.net/
- Free street parking available on Channing Avenue and surrounding streets