About St. Anthony · Challenge, California
Saint Anthony of Padua is a Catholic mission church located in the small community of Challenge, in the foothills of Yuba County, California. It is staffed and administered together with Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish in nearby Oroville, sharing a single pastor (Fr. German Ramos) and a unified parish staff, school, and ministries. The mission sits along La Porte Road and serves the rural foothill communities northeast of Oroville, with weekly Sunday Mass celebrated in the Roman Rite. As a mission of the Diocese of Sacramento (Yuba County / Sutter Buttes Deanery), it brings the sacraments, faith formation, and pastoral care of the larger Saint Thomas parish family to a small but dedicated Catholic community in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
- Patron
- Saint Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Rev. German Ramos (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sacramento
Why belong here
St. Anthony of Padua offers the small foothill community of Challenge a friendly, close-knit place to worship the Lord and grow in faith without the drive down the mountain. As a mission of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, it shares in a wide range of ministries — Music Ministry, faith formation, the parish school, Altar Society, and a parish council of local lay faithful — while preserving the warmth and familiarity of a small rural church. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed to celebrate Sunday Mass, receive the sacraments, and participate in the life of the parish family that has served the greater Oroville area since 1857.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
About Saint Anthony of Padua, Challenge
Saint Anthony of Padua is a Catholic mission church serving the small foothill community of Challenge, California, in Yuba County. It is administered together with Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish in Oroville, sharing a single pastor, parish staff, school, and ministries across the two worship sites. The mission brings Sunday Mass, the sacraments, and pastoral care to Catholics living in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of Oroville.
Clergy & Leadership
The mission is staffed by the Parochial Administrator of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish. Day-to-day parish life at Saint Anthony of Padua is supported by a local Parish Council and an Altar Society of lay faithful.
- Parochial Administrator: Rev. German Ramos
- Parish Council: Peter Garcia, Mary Lou Lauck, Gene Weckman
- Altar Society: Jan Jensen
Music Ministry
Music Ministry is shared between Saint Thomas the Apostle in Oroville and Saint Anthony of Padua in Challenge, with the goal of leading the assembly in sung prayer at every weekend Mass and Holy Day at both sites. Musicians and singers of all abilities are invited to share their gifts.
- Music Coordinator: Rhonda Williams (parish office: 530-533-0262)
- High Mass Choir Director: Bronwyn Eisermann ([email protected])
Parish Council
A local Parish Council of lay faithful helps guide the life and decisions of Saint Anthony of Padua in Challenge, working with the pastor to serve the mission community.
- Peter Garcia
- Mary Lou Lauck
- Gene Weckman
Altar Society
The Altar Society cares for the liturgical environment of the mission, supporting the beauty and reverence of the celebration of the Mass at Saint Anthony of Padua.
- Contact: Jan Jensen
Parish Family with Saint Thomas the Apostle, Oroville
Saint Anthony of Padua is one worship site of a single parish family that includes Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church and Parish School in Oroville. Together they form a Catholic community serving the greater Oroville area and the surrounding foothills, with the same pastor, staff, ministries, and faith-formation programs available to all parishioners.
- Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 1330 Bird Street, Oroville, CA 95965
- Parish office: 530-533-0262 / Fax: 530-533-1148
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–12 PM; Fri 9 AM–12 PM and 1 PM–3 PM
Diocese & Deanery
The mission belongs to the Diocese of Sacramento and is part of the Yuba County / Sutter Buttes Deanery. GCatholic also notes its pastoral connection with the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Downieville, reflecting the rural foothill network of small parishes and missions served together in this region.
Contact & Visiting
Visitors and parishioners can reach the mission through its address on La Porte Road in Challenge or by contacting the Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish office in Oroville.
- Address: 10184 La Porte Road, Challenge, California 95925
- Phone: 530-675-9553
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Parish office (Oroville): 530-533-0262
- Website: https://orovillecatholic.org/