St. Edward

About St. Edward Parish

St. Edward Catholic Church is a multicultural Catholic parish in Newark, California, in the Diocese of Oakland. The parish and school share a campus at 5788 Thornton Avenue, near Silicon Valley in the southern East Bay. The parish describes itself as a welcoming and growing community of disciples of the Gospel that labors to make Christ visible in prayer life and witness within families and the wider community.

History of St. Edward's

The parish's roots go back to 1879, when James G. Fair donated five acres and $1,000 for a Catholic church at Sycamore and Wells Avenue, completed in 1880 in a rural Gothic style. For forty years it was a mission church of St. Joseph's in Mission San Jose and Holy Ghost in Centerville. It became its own parish in 1920 with Father John F. Casey, followed by Father Reuben F. Bray in 1930.

• 1880 — Original church built in rural Gothic design
• 1920 — Established as its own parish
• 1958 — New Thornton Avenue church consecrated April 20 by Father Thomas P. Gilbert
• 1961 — New rectory and school completed
• 1975 — Father Bernardino Andrade (Madeira-born) assigned; built up Portuguese ministry
• 2006 — Father Antonio Reis assumed the Portuguese ministry
• 2004 — Father Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. arrived and led a renewed liturgy and sacred music program

Parish Clergy & Staff

The parish is currently led by Pastor Father Mark Amaral with Parochial Vicar Father Rafal Duda, assisted by Deacons Alex Ebarle, Dominic Comandante, and Roger Wedl (retired). Lay staff support parish operations, faith formation, music, youth ministry, and facilities.

• Rev. Mark Amaral, Pastor
• Rev. Rafal Duda, Parochial Vicar
• Dn. Alex Ebarle — RCIA / Adult Faith Formation
• Dn. Dominic Comandante
• Dn. Roger Wedl (Retired)
• Irma Ramirez, Office Manager
• Belinda Reyes Sullivan, Office Assistant
• Michele Miller, Bookkeeper
• Mark Freitas & David Bautista, Facilities & Maintenance
• Katherine Stencel LaRose, Director of Music
• Mirian Lopez, Faith Formation Coordinator (1st–6th grade)
• Colleen Smith, Confirmation & Youth Ministry Coordinator

St. Edward School

The parish operates St. Edward School, a TK–8 Catholic school on the Thornton Avenue campus. Families interested in enrollment may contact the school office at (510) 793-7242. The school is led by Principal Tina Cruz with School Secretary Angel Cogal.

• Grades served: Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade
• Principal: Tina Cruz
• School Secretary: Angel Cogal
• Phone: 510-793-7242

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Faith Formation at St. Edward covers the entire span from childhood through adulthood, with programs coordinated by Mirian Lopez for grades 1–6 and Colleen Smith for Confirmation and Youth Ministry for Jr. High and High School. Adults preparing for full communion are served through RCIA with Deacon Alex Ebarle.

• 1st–6th grade Faith Formation — Mirian Lopez, Coordinator
• Confirmation & Youth Ministry (Jr. High & High School) — Colleen Smith, Coordinator
• RCIA (Adult Faith Formation) — Dn. Alex Ebarle
• SPRED — Special Religious Education for the Developmentally Disabled, every other Monday at 6:00 PM in the Church Hall

Sacraments

The parish celebrates Baptism, Matrimony, Funerals, Confession, and the Eucharist. Baptism preparation is offered in both English and Spanish; the Diocese of Oakland requires six months of marriage preparation. Funerals are coordinated through the priests, who meet with families in advance of the service.

• Holy Baptism — registration required; classes in English (1st Wed, 7:00 PM via Zoom) and Spanish (1st Wed, 7:00 PM, small chapel); ceremony scheduled at least three months in advance
• Holy Matrimony — six months of Diocesan preparation; contact a priest
• Funerals — priest meets with the family before the funeral service
• Confession — Saturdays at 3:00 PM
• RCIA — Adult Faith Formation with Dn. Alex Ebarle

Parish Ministries & Organizations

St. Edward's ministry life includes dozens of lay-led groups spanning prayer, service, formation, hospitality, and culture. They reflect the parish's English, Spanish, and Portuguese-speaking communities and its long tradition of Catholic sodality life.

• ABBA FATHER — Fridays, 4:00 PM, Chapel
• Altar Servers — youth 3rd grade and above
• Altar Society — cleaning, linens, flowers
• Bible Study — Thursdays, 7:30 PM (Little Rock Scripture Study)
• Divine Mercy Prayer Group — daily after 9:00 AM Mass; Cenacle 2nd & 4th Saturday
• Hospitality Committee — parish events, funerals, fundraisers
• Knights of Columbus — St. Edward the Confessor Council (1996); ushers at 9:00 AM Mass
• Lectors & Eucharistic Ministers
• Legion of Mary — three praesidia (Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Madre de Cristo)
• Marriage Encounter
• Men's Club — 1st Wednesday, 7:30 PM, Doolan Center
• Parish Choir — multiple choirs under Director of Music Katherine Stencel LaRose
• Parish Pastoral Council & Finance Committee
• Respect Life — West Coast Walk for Life coordination
• Santo Niño / Handmaids of the Lord
• St. Vincent de Paul Society — 4th Monday, 7:30 PM
• SPRED — for the developmentally disabled
• Ushers
• Women's Club — 3rd Monday, 7:00 PM, Doolan Center
• Youth Group — High School, 1st & 3rd Sundays, 5:00–6:45 PM

Spanish-Language Ministry

Spanish-speaking parishioners are served by a 12:30 PM Sunday Mass, a Legion of Mary praesidia (Madre de Cristo), a baptism class in Spanish, and several Spanish-language organizations meeting in the chapel and parish hall.

• Santa Misa en español — Sundays, 12:30 PM
• Legion of Mary, Madre de Cristo — Wednesdays, 10:00 AM, small chapel
• Grupo de Oración — Tuesdays, 5:00 PM, Chapel
• Jóvenes para Cristo — Fridays, 7:00 PM, parish hall
• Movimiento Familiar Cristiano — call for information
• Escuelita Pastoral — call for information
• Baptism Class in Spanish — 1st Wednesday, 7:00 PM, small chapel

Music & Liturgy

Liturgy is a particular focus at St. Edward's. Multiple parish choirs serve different Masses, and the parish has been noted for its use of Gregorian chant and Latin Mass on Thursday evenings. The Music Director is Katherine Stencel LaRose.

• Multiple parish choirs serving various Masses
• Weekly Latin Mass — Thursdays, 7:00 PM
• Music Director: Katherine Stencel LaRose

Visit, Register & Contact

The rectory office is open Monday–Thursday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM, Friday 9:00 AM–Noon, and Sunday 9:00 AM–Noon (closed Saturday). New parishioners are invited to register with the parish. Travellers can find Mass times elsewhere via catholicmasstime.org; the EM/Lector schedule is published at rotundasoftware.com.

• Rectory Office Hours: Monday–Thursday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM; Friday 9:00 AM–Noon; Sunday 9:00 AM–Noon (closed Saturday)
• Parish Registration Form available on the parish website
• Parish email: [email protected]
• School inquiries: 510-793-7242