About St. Bernard · Oakland, California
St. Bernard Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the East Oakland neighborhood of the city of Oakland, California, within the Diocese of Oakland. The parish was established in 1912 and is staffed by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), an international missionary congregation. St. Bernard serves a culturally diverse community with weekend Masses offered in English and Spanish, weekday Masses celebrated bilingually, and a Saturday Vigil Mass. The church building is a noted replica-style Mission Revival design originally drawn by San Francisco architect George E. McCrea and dedicated in 1916, and the parish continues to be a vital worship and community presence in the 94621 ZIP code at 1620 62nd Avenue.
- Established
- 1912
- Patron
- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
- Rector
- Fr. Emilio Reyes, SVD (effective July 1, 2026)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Oakland
Why belong here
St. Bernard is a welcoming, multicultural Catholic community on Oakland's 62nd Avenue, offering weekend Mass in both English and Spanish plus a daily bilingual weekday Mass — making it a natural fit for bilingual families and individuals across East Oakland. As an SVD (Society of the Divine Word) parish it carries a distinctly missionary spirit, and parishioners benefit from a century-old worship space decorated with notable stained glass, plus the practical convenience of Saturday Vigil Masses and Saturday confessions. Whether you are seeking a Spanish-speaking liturgical home, a parish with deep Oakland roots going back to 1912, or simply a place to pray the Mass and the sacraments, St. Bernard offers a faithful, accessible option in the Diocese of Oakland.
Mass times at St. Bernard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM (Bilingual)
About St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard Parish is a Roman Catholic parish located at 1620 62nd Avenue in Oakland, California, within the Diocese of Oakland. It has served the surrounding East Oakland community since 1912, when it was established by Archbishop Patrick W. Riordan of San Francisco, and it is one of the parishes staffed by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), the international Catholic missionary congregation. Today the parish serves a bilingual community, celebrating Mass in both English and Spanish, and it is listed in the Diocese of Oakland's official parish directory under the name St. Bernard Church.
- Address: 1620 62nd Avenue, Oakland, CA 94621
- Phone: (510) 632-3013
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese: Diocese of Oakland
- Religious institute serving the parish: Society of the Divine Word (SVD)
History of the Parish
Saint Bernard Parish traces its origins to 1912, when Archbishop Riordan established the parish and appointed Rev. E. J. Nolan as its first pastor. Nolan immediately commissioned plans for a permanent church building, which San Francisco architect George E. McCrea designed as a replica of the Old Carmel Mission, with E. D. Prose serving as general contractor. Archbishop Edward J. Hanna formally dedicated the completed church on September 15, 1916. After the parish debt was paid down in the mid-1920s, the Church Art Glass Studio of San Francisco installed the original stained glass windows in the nave, sanctuary, and choir.
- 1912 — Parish established by Archbishop Riordan; Rev. E. J. Nolan named first pastor.
- 1916 (Sept. 15) — Church dedicated by Archbishop Hanna.
- Mid-1920s — Parish debt retired; Church Art Glass Studio (San Francisco) creates original stained glass windows.
- 1950 — Major expansion designed by architect Vincent Buckley; the church is split in half, the sanctuary moved back, and the two halves reconnected to add seating.
- 1958 — Sanctuary and altar remodeled by architect Fred Howeling; structural and leakage repairs.
- 1960 — Six new stained glass windows added by Carl Huneke (Century Stained Glass Studio).
- 1964 — Chapel added to the convent, designed by R. P. Fiedler and Associates; Huneke creates ten more windows.
Architecture & Stained Glass
The church building is Mission Revival in style, deliberately modeled by George E. McCrea after the Old Carmel Mission. The 1950 expansion, designed by Vincent Buckley, was unusually accomplished by physically separating the church into two halves and reattaching them around new seating space that matched the original construction. A second remodeling in 1958 by architect Fred Howeling addressed the sanctuary and altar along with structural concerns. The parish is also notable for its multi-period stained glass collection — the 1920s Church Art Glass Studio nave/sanctuary/choir windows, six 1960 windows by Carl Huneke in the expanded nave, and ten additional Huneke windows in the 1964 convent chapel, with further windows credited to the tenure of Rev. Enrique Huerta.
- Mission Revival design by George E. McCrea (replica of Old Carmel Mission)
- 1950 split-and-extend expansion by architect Vincent Buckley
- 1958 sanctuary and altar remodel by architect Fred Howeling
- 1964 convent chapel by R. P. Fiedler and Associates, built by Covarelli Construction (Oakland)
- Stained glass by Church Art Glass Studio (San Francisco) and by Carl Huneke / Century Stained Glass Studio
Society of the Divine Word (SVD) Mission
St. Bernard is staffed by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD / Verbites), an international Catholic missionary congregation founded by St. Arnold Janssen. The parish is part of the Northern District of the SVD US Province, which gathers roughly sixty confreres working in multicultural parishes across California and beyond. The SVD charism shapes St. Bernard's identity as a bilingual, cross-cultural worshipping community: Masses are offered in English and Spanish, weekday Masses are bilingual, and the parish welcomes Catholics of many backgrounds. Recent and current SVD pastors have included Fr. Joseph Scott, SVD, Fr. Stephen Ayisu, SVD, and Fr. Emilio Reyes, SVD (appointed pastor effective July 1, 2026 by Bishop Barber of Oakland).
- Society of the Divine Word (SVD / Verbites)
- Northern District of the SVD US Province
- Recent pastors: Fr. Joseph Scott, SVD; Fr. Stephen Ayisu, SVD
- Fr. Emilio Reyes, SVD — pastor effective July 1, 2026
Visit & Contact
St. Bernard Parish is located at 1620 62nd Avenue, Oakland, CA 94621, in the East Oakland flats. The parish office can be reached by phone at (510) 632-3013 or by email at [email protected], and the parish is listed in the Diocese of Oakland's official parish directory. Visitors attending Mass are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early and to consult the parish bulletin or call ahead to confirm any schedule changes around Holy Days, Holy Week, or parish feasts.
- Address: 1620 62nd Avenue, Oakland, CA 94621
- Phone: (510) 632-3013
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese of Oakland parish directory listing: oakdiocese.org/diocese/parish-directory/st.-bernard-church
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. E. J. Nolan1912–
First pastor; immediately began plans for the church building.
- Rev. Enrique Huerta, SVD
Created additional stained glass windows for the church during his tenure.