About St. Clare of Assisi · Santa Clarita, California
St. Clare of Assisi is a Roman Catholic parish in Canyon Country, in the Santa Clarita Valley of Los Angeles County, California, belonging to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The parish opened in 1977 as a mission of nearby Our Lady of Perpetual Help and grew quickly into one of the largest faith communities in the valley, today counting more than 5,500 registered families. St. Clare is known for its vibrant multicultural life — particularly its Hispanic and Filipino communities — and for an unusually full liturgical schedule that includes multiple Sunday Masses in English, Spanish, and Tagalog, daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and a strong Religious Education program that has been a cornerstone of the parish since its earliest years.
- Established
- 1977 (opened as a mission; established as a parish in February 1978)
- Patron
- St. Clare of Assisi
- Rector
- Fr. Marlon Mateo
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Why belong here
St. Clare of Assisi offers one of the most complete Catholic liturgical and formation lives in the Santa Clarita Valley: six Sunday Masses including a Spanish Mass and a Filipino Choir Mass, a daily 9 AM Mass, and one of the most generous Eucharistic Adoration schedules in the area with the Adoration Chapel open from Monday through Friday each week plus overnight Nocturnal Adoration every First Friday. With more than 5,500 registered families, the parish sustains a full Religious Education program for children and youth, a Confirmation program, an OCIA (formerly RCIA) process for adults, a vibrant Hispanic Ministry, a music ministry with multiple choirs, the Knights of Columbus, a Bereavement Ministry, and parish groups for seniors — all in a parish whose history is rooted in the spiritual partnership of St. Francis and St. Clare and in the early Spanish missionary naming of the Santa Clara River.
Mass times at St. Clare of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
- Fridays: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (temporarily suspended for summer; summer schedule is 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM)
- Mondays: 8:30 AM – 8:50 AM (for the elderly and handicapped)
- By appointment — call the Parish Office at 661-252-3353
Adoration times
- Adoration Chapel — Monday: 12:30 PM – 8:00 PM
- Adoration Chapel — Tuesday through Friday: 9:30 AM – 8:00 PM
- Adoration Chapel — Saturday & Sunday: No Exposition
- Adoration in the Main Church for Vocations to the Priesthood & Religious Life: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM, every 1st & 4th Thursday
- Nocturnal (Overnight) Adoration: every First Friday, after the evening Mass
Parish Story & History
St. Clare of Assisi opened in 1977 as a mission of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Newhall, begun by OLPH's pastor Father Henry J. Banks to serve the growing Canyon Country area of the Santa Clarita Valley. Masses first met at Canyon High School's library, then the gymnasium, while CCD classes gathered at the Elks Lodge, Sierra Vista Junior High, and parishioners' homes. In 1976 Cardinal Manning approved the name St. Clare of Assisi, and a modest church was built off Camp Plenty Road using the plans of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fillmore. Father Ed Renehan was named Mission Administrator in 1977 and the parish's first pastor in February 1978. The current larger church was built in 1988; in the 1990s the parish founded the mission that became Saint Kateri Tekakwitha in Saugus, and in 2006 the Dominican Sisters arrived to begin Spanish Religious Education and Hispanic Ministry. Today the parish counts more than 5,500 registered families.
- 1977 – Mission opened under Fr. Henry J. Banks from OLPH
- 1978 – Officially made a parish; Fr. Ed Renehan named first pastor
- 1985 – Religious Education classrooms built
- 1988 – Current main church completed; first Mass on Christmas Eve
- 1991 – Saugus-area mission begins (later Saint Kateri Tekakwitha)
- 1994 – Northridge Earthquake damages the church
- 2006 – Dominican Sisters arrive for Spanish Religious Education & Hispanic Ministry
- 2007 – Two new buildings added (Renehan Hall, Parish Library)
- 2008 – Fr. Olin Mayfield arrives as Administrator; installed Pastor in 2010
- 2022 – Fr. Marlon Mateo begins as Administrator (current pastor)
Clergy, Deacons & Parish Staff
The parish is currently shepherded by Fr. Marlon Mateo, who began his ministry at St. Clare as Administrator on July 1, 2022, and is assisted by Associate Pastors Fr. Marko Rudela (ordained June 1, 2024) and Fr. Jesús Alfredo Quezada Ávila. Three deacons — Gary Smith, Antonio Arana, and Transitional Deacon Jerick Alenton — serve the parish. The Parish Office and Religious Education office are staffed by a full team including the Director of Religious Education Nancy Arriaga, Hispanic Ministry Director Dora Baez, Confirmation Coordinators Alex Zuniga and Karina Lara, OCIA Administrator Anita Mendoza Arana, Head Sacristan Jose Erazo, and parish office staff Melody Googooian, Cherry Pastores, and Matina Torres.
- Pastor: Fr. Marlon Mateo (since July 1, 2022)
- Associate Pastor: Fr. Marko Rudela (since July 1, 2024)
- Associate Pastor: Fr. Jesús Alfredo Quezada Ávila
- Deacon Gary Smith
- Deacon Antonio Arana
- Transitional Deacon Jerick Alenton
- Director of Religious Education: Nancy Arriaga
- Hispanic Ministry Director: Dora Baez
- OCIA Administrator: Anita Mendoza Arana
- Confirmation Coordinator: Alex Zuniga; Assistant: Karina Lara
- Head Sacristan: Jose Erazo
- Digital Communications Managers: Anthony & Sandra Manalo
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious Education has been the cornerstone of St. Clare since the mission's very first year, when CCD classes met at the Elks Lodge, Sierra Vista Junior High, and parishioners' homes. Today the program runs five days a week and serves children and youth in grades 1 through 8, continuing formation after First Reconciliation and First Communion for grades 3–6, with Junior High Ministry for grades 7–8 (including 'J. Crew' social events) and a full Confirmation program with its own coordinator and assistant coordinator. Adult formation is offered through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) — the Church's formal process for those seeking Baptism, First Communion, or Confirmation — as well as an Adult Confirmation track.
- Religious Education (grades 1–8)
- Ongoing Faith Formation (grades 3–6, after First Communion)
- Junior High Ministry (grades 7–8) with J. Crew social events
- Confirmation program (youth)
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — English and Spanish
- OCIA Youth Program (Empowering God's Children & Young People safety program)
- Adult Confirmation
OCIA — Becoming Catholic
OCIA, formerly known as RCIA, is the Church's way of welcoming adults into the Catholic faith through formation, study, and prayer. The process guides adults who have never been baptized as Catholic, as well as those who have not yet completed First Communion or Confirmation, toward celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist). At St. Clare the program is run in both English and Spanish, with a small-group setting, and is administered by Anita Mendoza Arana in collaboration with Deacons Gary Smith and Antonio Arana.
- OCIA Administrator: Anita Mendoza Arana ([email protected])
- English track: Deacon Gary Smith
- Spanish track: Deacon Antonio Arana
- Annual OCIA Youth Permission Form (Empowering God's Children safety program)
Hispanic & Filipino Ministry
The parish is home to two large and well-established cultural communities. The Hispanic Ministry, in place since 2006 when the Dominican Sisters arrived, sustains a 7 PM Spanish Vigil Mass on Saturdays, a 3 PM Spanish Mass on Sundays, Spanish Religious Education, and a daily Rosary in the chapel at 7 PM, along with the Grupo de Oración (Prayer Group) that meets Mondays 7:00–9:00 PM. The Filipino community gathers for a 1 PM Sunday Mass celebrated with the Filipino Choir, with a separate children's choir and other parish choirs. The Hispanic Ministry office is led by Director Dora Baez, with music directed by Marco Mancilla and a children's choir under José Martínez.
- Hispanic Ministry Director: Dora Baez (661-299-6593)
- Spanish Mass: Saturday 7 PM and Sunday 3 PM
- Grupo de Oración: Mondays 7:00–9:00 PM
- Daily Rosary in the chapel: 7:00 PM
- Hispanic Music Ministry Director: Marco Mancilla
- Hispanic Children's Choir contact: José Martínez
- Filipino Choir Mass: Sunday 1:00 PM
Worship, Music & Liturgy
St. Clare's Worship and Liturgy office is led by Deacon Gary Smith (Director of Liturgy) and Head Sacristan Jose Erazo, who coordinates the parish's many liturgical ministers. The music ministry is anchored by multiple choirs serving the English, Spanish, and Filipino communities, with the parish's 5:00 PM Saturday Vigil Mass livestreamed online so that homebound parishioners and those beyond the Santa Clarita Valley can join in the parish's worship.
- Director of Liturgy: Deacon Gary Smith
- Head Sacristan: Jose Erazo ([email protected], 661-964-7510)
- Multiple parish choirs (English, Spanish, Filipino, Children's)
- Saturday 5 PM Vigil Mass livestreamed
Parish Life, Outreach & Groups
Beyond liturgy and formation, St. Clare sustains a wide range of parish groups and outreach ministries that have been part of its life since the 1970s. The Lenten Fish Fry, the parish Barbecue, the International Food Fair, and the Christmas Basket Program — all begun in 1979 — remain community touchstones. Today's parish life also includes the Knights of Columbus, a Bereavement Ministry, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Ushers, Sunday Coffee and Donuts, and a Tuesday/Thursday Senior Group, along with parish staff overseeing facilities and digital communications.
- Knights of Columbus
- Bereavement Ministry
- Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers
- Ushers
- Sunday Coffee and Donuts
- Tuesday/Thursday Senior Group
- Lenten Fish Fry (since 1979)
- Parish Barbecue (since 1979)
- International Food Fair and Ministry Faire
- Christmas Basket Program (since 1979)
- Facilities and Maintenance team (Salvador Torres, Tom Jezik)
Campus, Buildings & Community Center
The St. Clare campus has grown in step with the parish family. The 1977 mission church — built for $285,000 using the architectural drawings of St. Francis of Assisi in Fillmore — was fully paid for before its first Mass and survived the 1994 Northridge Earthquake before being refurbished in 1999 for $435,000. That original structure is now the Fr. Henry J. Banks Community Center. The current main church was completed in 1988, the Religious Education classrooms were added in 1985, and in 2007 two new buildings opened to provide gathering and meeting space, including Renehan Hall and the Parish Library. The Adoration Chapel, open Monday through Friday, is part of this expanded campus.
- Fr. Henry J. Banks Community Center (the original 1977 church, refurbished 1999)
- Main church (completed 1988; first Mass Christmas Eve 1988)
- Religious Education classrooms (built 1985)
- Renehan Hall and Parish Library (opened 2007)
- Adoration Chapel (open Mon 12:30–8 PM, Tue–Fri 9:30 AM–8 PM)
Plan Your Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed to introduce themselves to one of the priests after Sunday Mass. The Parish Office can be reached at 661-252-3353 or [email protected], and is staffed Monday through Friday; the campus gates and Parish Office close early (4:00 PM) on weekdays during the summer schedule. Confession is also available by appointment, and the parish encourages anyone interested in OCIA, Confirmation, or other sacraments to reach out to the specific ministry contacts listed on the website.
- Address: 19606 Calla Way, Canyon Country, CA 91351
- Phone: 661-252-3353
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.st-clare.org/
- Confession by appointment: 661-252-3353
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Henry J. Banks1970s
Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help who launched St. Clare as a mission of OLPH for the Canyon Country area.
- Father Ed (Msgr. Edmond) Renehan1977–2008
Appointed Mission Administrator in 1977; became the parish's first Pastor in February 1978 when St. Clare was officially made a parish with 1,500 families. Later Msgr. Renehan; led the parish for roughly three decades including the building of the 1988 church and the founding of what became Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish.
- Father Olin MayfieldJuly 1, 2008 – June 30, 2022
Came as Administrator in 2008, installed as Pastor by Bishop Wilkerson on August 15, 2010 (Feast of the Assumption); served until June 30, 2022.
- Father Marlon MateoJuly 1, 2022 – present
A priest of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, originally ordained for the Order of Carmelites in the Philippines in 2009; began ministry at St. Clare as Administrator on July 1, 2022.