About St. Denis · Menlo Park, California
St. Denis Parish is a Roman Catholic community in Menlo Park, California, serving the Sharon Heights neighborhood and the wider Silicon Valley area as part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The merged parish combines two historic churches — St. Denis Church (2250 Avy Avenue, Menlo Park) and the mission church Our Lady of the Wayside in Portola Valley — under a single pastorate. Its namesake honors Dennis Martin, an Irish pioneer who built the first Catholic church in San Mateo County in 1853. Today the parish offers daily and weekend Masses in English, with the Sunday 10:00 AM liturgy live-streamed on Facebook, and is shepherded by Rev. W. Paul O'Dell.
- Established
- 1961
- Patron
- St. Denis (patron of Dennis Martin)
- Rector
- Rev. W. Paul O'Dell
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Francisco
Why belong here
St. Denis Parish is a welcoming, family-friendly Catholic community rooted in one of the oldest faith stories in San Mateo County — the pioneer chapel of Dennis Martin — and refreshed by a contemporary 1963 campus and a Parish Center that has hosted religious education for nearly 400 children. Parishioners worship at two churches — St. Denis in Sharon Heights/Menlo Park and Our Lady of the Wayside in Portola Valley — in a range of weekend and daily Masses (with the Sunday 10:00 AM liturgy also live-streamed on Facebook), enjoy weekly coffee-and-donuts hospitality after Sunday Mass, and participate in an active Pastoral Council, Faith Formation program, online giving, and a variety of parish activities organized through the year.
Mass times at St. Denis
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM (per parish directory listing)
Parish Overview
St. Denis Parish is a Roman Catholic community serving Menlo Park and Portola Valley in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The parish combines two worship sites — St. Denis Church in Sharon Heights and Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley — under one pastorate led by Rev. W. Paul O'Dell. The parish describes itself as two 'vibrant, caring, and welcoming communities' gathered to worship, to reach out in friendship and charity, and 'to transform the world around us.'
- St. Denis Church — 2250 Avy Ave., Menlo Park
- Our Lady of the Wayside Church — Portola Valley
- Pastor: Rev. W. Paul O'Dell
- Archdiocese of San Francisco
Parish History
The St. Denis story is unusual — the parish takes its name and inspiration from a pioneer chapel built by Irish immigrant Dennis Martin in 1853 near Searsville Lake and dedicated by Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany in 1856. After Martin's land was seized and the original chapel abandoned, the Archdiocese of San Francisco re-established the parish in 1961 on a 14-acre Sharon Heights site; the modern St. Denis Church was dedicated in June 1963. In 1995 the Archdiocese merged it with Our Lady of the Wayside Parish.
- 1853 — Dennis Martin's pioneer chapel built
- 1856 — chapel dedicated by Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany
- 1872 — abandoned after the founding of Nativity, Menlo Park
- 1959 — Archdiocese purchases 14-acre Sharon estate
- 1961 — parish established by Archbishop Mitty
- 1963 — new St. Denis Church dedicated
- 1995 — merger with Our Lady of the Wayside Parish
- 1996–1998 — Parish Center built and landscaped
The Pioneer Story of Dennis Martin
Dennis Martin (1821–1890) was an Irish immigrant who crossed the Sierra in 1844 with the Murphy-Miller-Martin party — on record as the first wagon train to do so, and whose members were the first white men to see Lake Tahoe. He became a successful lumberman and landowner near Searsville Lake, married Bridget O'Neil at Mission San José, and raised a family. After dispossession by court ruling, he eventually died in San Francisco in 1890 and was buried in the St. Denis Cemetery he had himself laid out.
- Born in Ireland, 1821; died in San Francisco, 1890
- Member of the Murphy-Miller-Martin wagon train
- Built first Catholic chapel in San Mateo County, 1853
- Laid out the St. Denis Cemetery on a nearby hill
The 1995 Merger
In 1995 the Archdiocese of San Francisco merged St. Denis Parish and Our Lady of the Wayside Parish into a single parish, retaining the St. Denis name and worshipping at both churches. Msgr. John F. Rodriguez became the first pastor of the merged parish; Fr. Thomas became parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Wayside. The former St. Marcella's Mission site was sold as part of the pastoral plan.
- Merged parish kept the name 'St. Denis Parish'
- Two worship sites: St. Denis (Menlo Park) and Our Lady of the Wayside (Portola Valley)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
St. Denis has long invested in faith formation. The Parish Center, completed in 1997 and paid off by the time of completion thanks to parishioner generosity, was purpose-built to house the religious education program; by the late 1990s enrollment approached 400 children. Fr. John Diez earlier moved the program to Sunday mornings, a tradition that continues. The Faith Formation offices are open daily alongside the parish office.
- Parish Center completed Fall 1997 at cost of about $1,000,000
- Religious education enrollment nearly 400 children by late 1990s
- Faith Formation offices open daily
Music, Liturgy and the Campus
The contemporary 1963 St. Denis Church was designed by Robert W. Hagman of Hagman and Meyer Architects (a Sharon Heights parishioner) and built by W.A. Moroney, Inc. of Burlingame. A pipe organ — a generous gift of a parishioner — was installed and dedicated during the pastorate of Fr. John Diez, whose other lasting liturgical initiatives included liturgical renewal and the inauguration of weekly Sunday coffee-and-donuts. Under Fr. James O'Shaughnessy, a major refurbishment removed the wall behind the altar to renew the worship space.
- Architect: Robert W. Hagman (Hagman and Meyer Architects)
- Builder: W. A. Moroney, Inc., Burlingame
- Pipe organ installed and dedicated
- Wall behind altar removed in 1980s refurbishment
Pastoral Council
Pastoral Council members advise Pastor Fr. Paul O'Dell on parish matters, meet monthly on the second Tuesday at 7:00 PM in the Parish Office, and help lead parish activities such as Lenten Soup Suppers, volunteer thank-you receptions, jubilee celebrations, and the Installation Mass of the pastor.
- Thomas Wandless
- Michael Dimartino
- Ginny Kavanaugh
- Stephanie McGrory
- Alysha Messmer
- Susan Flax
Hospitality and Parish Life
Each Sunday morning, after the 10:00 AM Mass at St. Denis and the 9:00 AM Mass at Our Lady of the Wayside, the parish hosts coffee and donuts and conversation. Families and individuals are invited to help with this ministry of hospitality — even younger children can help with setup, serving and cleanup, learning participation in the life of the parish.
- Sunday hospitality after 10:00 AM Mass (St. Denis)
- Sunday hospitality after 9:00 AM Mass (Our Lady of the Wayside)
Getting Involved — Registration and Giving
New parishioners are invited to download the Parish Registration Form from the parish website, fill it out, and return it to the Parish Office, drop it in the collection basket, or mail it to 2250 Avy Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025. Online giving is available through WeShare / ChurchGiving, with separate links for St. Denis parishioners and Our Lady of the Wayside parishioners.
- Parish Registration Form available on stdenisparish.org
- Online giving via stdenisparish.churchgiving.com and olwparish.churchgiving.com
Visiting and Contact
The parish office and the Faith Formation offices are open daily, but visitors are asked to call ahead to be sure someone is available. The mailing address is St. Denis Parish, 2250 Avy Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025; the main telephone number is (650) 854-5976.
- Address: 2250 Avy Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025
- Phone: (650) 854-5976
- Parish office open daily; call ahead
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Bixio, S.J.1856–1859
First pastor of the original pioneer St. Denis chapel on Martin's Rancho Cañada de Raymundo property; served by the Jesuits of Mission Santa Clara.
- Rev. Thomas I. Kennedy1961–
First pastor of the new St. Denis Parish, established by Archbishop Mitty; came from the principalship of Serra High School, San Mateo.
- Rev. Daniel M. Lynch
Built a new rectory in 1967 and a CCD addition; parish grew to 375 families.
- Rev. James O'Shaughnessy1986–1992
Oversaw the major church refurbishment, including removal of the wall behind the altar; died in office.
- Rev. John Diezfrom 1983
Drove liturgical renewal, moved religious education to Sunday morning, inaugurated weekly coffee-and-donuts, established Parish Council and Finance Committee; dedicated the pipe organ.
- Msgr. John F. Rodriguezfrom 1992; led the 1995 merger
Became Administrator and then Pastor after Fr. O'Shaughnessy's death; first pastor of the merged St. Denis / Our Lady of the Wayside parish.
- Rev. Vincent D. Ringappointed July 1, 2004
Appointed by Archbishop William Levada; came from St. Robert's Parish, San Bruno. Refurbished the patio outside the parish offices; retired to Spain in 2004.
- Rev. Jose Shajifrom 2008
Succeeded Fr. Ring as pastor.
- Rev. W. Paul O'Dellinstalled 2015
Current pastor; has given new direction and involvement to the Pastoral Council (Installation Mass held that October).