About St. Bruno · San Bruno, California
St. Bruno Catholic Church is a bilingual, multicultural parish of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Francisco serving San Bruno, California, a small city on the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco. Faithful to its motto, "The Little Parish with a Big Heart" (from an older parish bulletin), the church today ministers through English, Spanish, Tongan, Filipino, and Fijian communities and offers daily Mass, weekend Masses in English and Spanish, CCD and Confirmation programs, RCIA/OCIA, quinceañera preparation, and a vibrant sacramental life. The present Mission-style church, opened on Christmas Eve 1959, continues a parish story that began in 1906 when the first Mass was celebrated over a stable in Cody's Hall at the corner of Mills and San Bruno Avenues.
- Established
- 1908 (first church building); parish established 1912
- Patron
- Saint Bruno of Cologne, founder of the Carthusian Order (c. 1030–1101)
- Rector
- Rev. Roland S. De La Rosa
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Francisco
Why belong here
St. Bruno's is a welcoming, multilingual parish in the heart of San Bruno where every Catholic — English-speaking, Spanish-speaking, Tongan, Filipino, or Fijian — can find a community that feels like home. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Saturday (with a Spanish Mass on Thursdays and a Tuesday evening Mass), and Sunday Masses come in English and Spanish, with confession available Saturday afternoons. The parish runs CCD for grades 1–7 on Saturdays, a Confirmation program for grades 8–12 on Tuesday evenings, RCIA/OCIA for adults seeking initiation, quinceañera preparation, and a faithful preaching tradition that roots the parish in the missionary spirit of its 1906 founders.
Mass times at St. Bruno
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Adoration times
- First Friday Holy Hour: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (preceding the 6:00 PM bilingual Mass)
Parish History
Catholic life in San Bruno began in 1906 in Cody's Hall, a dance hall above a horse stable. By 1908 the first Mission-style church, designed by architect J. J. Foley, was rising on a 50-foot lot at San Bruno and Hensley Avenues donated by the Silva family. After four years as a mission of St. Catherine in Burlingame, St. Bruno's was established as its own parish in 1912, and successive pastors built the buildings, debt, and ministries that shaped the community. A generation later, in the late 1950s, the present Mission-style church replaced the original, and the parish expanded into CCD, the Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul, the Holy Name Society, and a vibrant Women's Guild — the basis of today's multicultural parish.
- 1906: First Mass said in Cody's Hall, corner of Mills and San Bruno Avenues
- 1907: Lay committee organized (Silva, Huff, Conturri, Jones, Mrs. J. Valentine) to raise funds
- 1908: First church building begun; ground broken November 13, 1908 under Rev. James A. Grant
- 1912: St. Bruno's established as a parish; Rev. William J. Cantwell becomes first resident pastor
- 1929: Rev. Peter E. Doyle begins his 27-year pastorate; founds CYO baseball and Cub Pack #38
- 1949: Catholic school built on Oak Avenue (now St. Robert's School)
- 1959: Pastor Rev. Doyle dies on December 24, the same morning the last Masses are said in the old church
- 1959: New Mission-style church opens at Midnight Mass, Christmas Eve
- 1960: Old church demolished; original bell preserved on the north side of new church
- 2022: Rev. Roland S. De La Rosa installed as pastor by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone (Oct. 9)
Our Patron — Saint Bruno of Cologne
The parish is named for Saint Bruno of Cologne (c. 1030 – October 6, 1101), founder of the Carthusian Order, whose feast day is October 6. The Carthusians are renowned for their strictly traditional and austere rule of contemplative life. Bruno is usually represented with a death's head in his hands, a book and a cross, or crowned with seven stars; he was beatified in 1514 by Pope Leo X and inscribed in the General Roman Calendar by Pope Gregory XV in 1623. For centuries he has been regarded as a patron saint of those who pursue a contemplative monastic vocation.
- Feast day: October 6
- Born c. 1030 in Cologne; died October 6, 1101 at Serra San Bruno
- Founded the Carthusian Order
- Beatified 1514 by Pope Leo X; veneration extended to the whole Latin Church in 1623 by Pope Gregory XV
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Bruno's Religious Education office runs two tracks: CCD for Grades 1–7 on Saturday mornings, and Confirmation for Grades 8–12 on Tuesday evenings with Mass. Both programs run from September through May, with registration each summer. Students who will turn 18 during the school year are recommended to proceed through the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) program rather than the youth Confirmation track.
- CCD (Catecismo): Grades 1–7, Saturdays 9:00–11:00 AM, September–May
- Confirmation (Confirmación): Grades 8–12, Tuesdays 6:00 PM (with Mass) to 8:15 PM, September–May
- Director of Religious Education: Kacey Carey — (650) 398-0852
- CCD Spanish Coordinator: Teresa Navarro
- Religious Education office hours: Saturday 9–11 AM — (650) 398-0853
OCIA / RCIA (Adult Initiation)
Adults interested in becoming Catholic — or adult Catholics seeking to complete their initiation — are welcomed through the parish's English-language OCIA program directed by Deacon Guillermo Quant, and the Spanish-language RICA program directed by Ramiro Castillo. Classes usually begin in September; those interested should call the parish office for the actual date and time.
- RCIA / OCIA (English): Deacon Guillermo Quant — (650) 588-2121 ext. 114
- RICA (Spanish): Ramiro Castillo — (650) 398-0852
- Classes begin each September; call the parish office to register
Sacraments
St. Bruno's prepares parishioners for every sacrament of the Catholic Church, from Baptism through Anointing of the Sick. Marriage and quinceañera preparations require at least six months of advance planning; the parish asks that the quinceañera celebrant already be confirmed or be in good standing in her final year of Confirmation.
- Baptism — by parish appointment
- First Communion — through the CCD program (Grades 1–7)
- Confirmation — through the Confirmation program (Grades 8–12)
- Confession — Saturdays 3:30–4:30 PM
- Marriage — arrangements must be made at least six months before the tentative date
- Anointing of the Sick — call the parish office for anyone unable to come to church
- Quinceañera — arrangements at least six months in advance
Our Communities (Multilingual Parish Life)
St. Bruno's is intentionally multicultural — the parish describes itself as "shaped by all its communities" and as "a renewed Church forming ministerial communities in San Bruno." Several language communities worship side-by-side: the English-speaking core community, the Latino / Hispanic community (with a Spanish Sunday Mass and a Spanish Thursday weekday Mass), the Tongan Community, the Filipino Community, and the Fijian Community. The Fijian community's children particularly are remembered for the joyful rendition of "Immaculate Mary" they sang at the October 2022 installation of the pastor.
- English-speaking community
- Latino / Hispanic community (Misa en Español — Sundays 10:00 AM, Saturdays 6:00 PM, Thursdays 9:00 AM)
- Tongan Community
- Filipino Community
- Fijian Community
Parish Staff, Pastoral & Finance Councils
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Roland S. De La Rosa, with Deacon Guillermo Quant assisting. Day-to-day administration is handled by Executive Secretary Roger Tellez. Pastoral Council Chair Marianella Sobalvarro and Finance Council Chair Ms. Rosa Willis guide lay governance, while Kacey Carey (DRE), Teresa Navarro (CCD Spanish), Ramiro Castillo (RICA), and Pamela Rojas (Liturgy Committee) lead the parish's major formation and liturgical ministries.
- Pastor: Rev. Roland S. De La Rosa — (650) 398-0852
- Deacon: Guillermo Quant — ext. 114
- Executive Secretary: Roger Tellez — (650) 398-0851 / [email protected]
- Director of Religious Education: Kacey Carey — (650) 398-0852
- CCD Spanish Coordinator: Teresa Navarro — (650) 398-0852
- R.C.I.A. (Spanish) Director: Ramiro Castillo — (650) 398-0852
- Liturgy Committee Chair: Pamela Rojas — (650) 588-2121
- Pastoral Council Chair: Marianella Sobalvarro
- Finance Council Chair: Ms. Rosa Willis
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James A. Grant1908–1912
Administered St. Bruno's as a mission of St. Catherine's, Burlingame; supervised building of the first church; died 1926.
- Rev. William J. Cantwell1912–1916
First resident pastor; secured the original rectory, organ, statues, and street improvements.
- Rev. Thomas P. Heverin1916–1929
Worked to retire parish debt; remembered for ministering to flu epidemic victims regardless of creed.
- Rev. Thomas Crimmins1929–1931
Completely reorganized the parish.
- Rev. Peter E. Doyle1929–1959 (27 years)
Fourth pastor; ordained 1908 at St. Patrick's College, Carlow, Ireland; founded CYO baseball and Cub Pack #38; oversaw 1949 construction of the Catholic school (now St. Robert's); died December 24, 1959.
- Rev. Robert J. HennessyAdministrator from 1955
Established the second parish in San Bruno.
- Rev. John G. O'Connell1958–1963
Demolished homes to clear space for the present church; supervised landscaping; remodeled rectory; the new church opened Christmas Eve 1959.
- Rev. James J. Barry1963–1964
Previously chaplain for the 91st Division at the Presidio; died suddenly July 13, 1964.
- Rev. Hugh P. McKenna (Administrator) and Rev. Frank J. Brady (Assistant Pastor)By 1968
About 800 Catholic families, 300 children in CCD; many lay societies active.
- Rev. Michael Brillantes (Administrator)circa 2010 (per old bulletin)
Earlier pastor listed in parish bulletin history.
- Rev. Santos Rodriguez (Parochial Vicar)circa 2010 (per old bulletin)
Earlier parochial vicar.
- Rev. Roland S. De La RosaInstalled October 9, 2022
Installed by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone; formerly pastor of Mater Dolorosa, South San Francisco.