About St. Joseph · Marysville, California
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marysville, California is one of the oldest Catholic institutions in the Sacramento Valley, established in 1852 during the Gold Rush era by Father Peter Magagnotto and served from its current home since the cornerstone was laid on September 16, 1855. The parish is part of the Diocese of Sacramento (Yuba County / Sutter Buttes Deanery) and from 1860 until 1886 the building actually served as the cathedral church for the Vicariate of Marysville and then the Diocese of Grass Valley. Today it is a bilingual parish of about 1,700 families with Masses in English and Spanish, a robust faith formation program, devotional life including First Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, an active St. Vincent de Paul conference, Knights of Columbus, Guadalupanos, Catholic Daughters, and a mission station at Sacred Heart in Dobbins.
- Established
- 1852
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Michal Olszewski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sacramento (Yuba County / Sutter Buttes Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a remarkable combination: a 170-year-old Gold Rush–era faith community where generations of the same families still worship side by side, a real downtown parish with a 100-foot neo-Gothic spire, F.X. Zettler stained glass and an 1876 pipe organ, and a fully bilingual (English and Spanish) program of Masses, devotions, faith formation and groups. Members can pray before the Blessed Sacrament on First Friday, walk a novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe with the Guadalupanos, take their children through a structured First Communion and Confirmation track, serve the poor through the parish St. Vincent de Paul conference, and join the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Daughters or Bible Study — all in one small-town-feeling parish.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (also listed as /Miércoles 6:00 pm)
- Saturday 2:00 p.m. (CatholicMassTime shows the window as 3:30–4:30 p.m.) /Sábado
Adoration times
- First Friday of every month, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. — Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament following the 8:00 a.m. Mass, with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (English)
- First Wednesday of every month, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. — Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with prayers for priestly and religious vocations (Spanish)
History of St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph is one of the oldest institutions in the Diocese of Sacramento. It was founded in 1852 during the California Gold Rush by the Italian-born Passionist Father Peter Magagnotto, who had been sent north by the Archbishop of San Francisco. Father Magagnotto first built a small temporary church on the lot where the present rectory still stands, then oversaw construction of the present church whose cornerstone was laid on September 16, 1855 by Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany. Marysville's Catholic reach then became so large that on September 23, 1860 Pope Pius IX erected it as the Vicariate Apostolic of Marysville, with Father Eugene O'Connell consecrated as bishop on February 3, 1861 and St. Joseph's as his cathedral. The vicariate was elevated to the Diocese of Grass Valley in 1868 and finally replaced by the Diocese of Sacramento in 1886, with Father Patrick Manogue — whom O'Connell had earlier appointed out of this territory — becoming the first Bishop of Sacramento. The parish marked its 150th anniversary in 2005–06 and continues to celebrate its bilingual, multigenerational identity.
- 1852 — parish founded by Father Peter Magagnotto, C.P.
- 1855 — cornerstone of present church laid (Sept. 16) by Archbishop Alemany
- 1856 — present church opens
- 1860–1868 — serves as Cathedral of the Vicariate Apostolic of Marysville
- 1868–1886 — serves as Cathedral of the Diocese of Grass Valley
- 1886 — Vicariate replaced by Diocese of Sacramento; Father Patrick Manogue becomes Sacramento's first Bishop
- 2005–06 — parish celebrates 150th anniversary
- 2020 — stained-glass windows re-covered with commemorative donor plaques
Parish Staff & Office
The parish is led by its pastor with the help of a deacon and a small lay staff who keep the parish office, religious education program and church facilities running. The office is open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and can be reached by phone, fax, or after-hours emergency line.
- Rev. Michal Olszewski — Pastor (originally from Poland, speaks English, Polish and Spanish; led recent renovations and the bilingual Exposition/Blessed Sacrament devotions)
- Dcn. Rafael Moreno — Deacon
- Dale Walker — Business Manager & Director of Religious Education
- Gloria Mooney — Office Assistant
- Dan Ferguson — Maintenance
- Parish Office: 223 8th Street, Marysville, CA 95901
- Phone (530) 742-6461 | Fax (530) 742-0346
- Emergency only (530) 812-2266
- Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education is directed by Dale Walker, the parish's Business Manager and Director of Religious Education. The program follows the Diocese of Sacramento's two-year sacramental preparation model and includes adult RCIA for inquirers and catechumens who are unbaptized, baptized but uncatechized, married to a Catholic, or non-Catholic seekers.
- Faith Formation for children in grades 1–8
- First Penance and First Holy Communion celebrated together at the end of 2nd grade (two-year prep starting in 1st grade)
- Confirmation celebrated at the end of 8th grade (preparation begins in 7th grade)
- RCIA Inquiry Sessions for adults — contact the parish office
Sacraments
St. Joseph celebrates the full range of parish sacraments. Infant Baptism is scheduled monthly in English and Spanish (with no baptisms during Advent or Lent), and parents and godparents must complete a baptism preparation class.
- Infant Baptism (up to age 6) — 2nd Saturday 9:00 a.m. in Spanish; 4th Saturday 9:30 a.m. in English
- Baptism Prep Classes — 3rd Tuesday 6:00 p.m. (English); 3rd Friday 7:00 p.m. (Spanish), held in the Front Hall
- First Penance and First Holy Communion — end of 2nd grade
- Confirmation — end of 8th grade
- RCIA for adults
- Matrimony and Anointing of the Sick — arranged through the parish office
Parish Ministries & Groups
The parish supports a wide network of lay organizations, prayer groups, and service ministries. Many of them gather in the church's front hall. Groups currently meet in person; the St. Vincent de Paul conference has been meeting by conference call as needed.
- Bible Study (English) — Mondays 6:00 p.m. in the front hall (social time 5:30 p.m.); runs 60–90 minutes
- Spanish Prayer Group — Tuesdays 7:00 p.m. in the parish hall
- Guadalupanos — Fridays 7:00 p.m.
- Knights of Columbus — General Meeting 2nd Tuesday 7:30 p.m.; Officers 4th Tuesday 7:00 p.m.; Santa Maria 4th Degree Assembly 4th Thursday 7:30 p.m.
- St. Vincent de Paul, St. Joseph Conference — 1st and 3rd Thursday 6:00 p.m.; [email protected]; 530-454-5606
- Catholic Daughters of the Americas
- Catholic Ladies Relief Society
- Right to Life
- Parish Choir (8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Masses)
- Spanish Choir (12:00 p.m. Mass)
Community Outreach
The parish reaches beyond its walls through a food bank, the local St. Vincent de Paul conference, and partnership with A Woman's Friend pregnancy-resource ministry. The Guadalupanos bring the wider Hispanic community together each December for the novena and Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Parish food bank
- St. Vincent de Paul — assists with rent, utilities, car repair and insurance (e.g., helped 8 families with $2,841.31 in support in a recent two-month period)
- A Woman's Friend — pregnancy counseling partnership
- Annual Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 3–12)
- Mission Mass at Sacred Heart Station, Dobbins (first Sunday of each month)
Architecture, Art & Sacred Treasures
St. Joseph's neo-Gothic church is one of Marysville's signature landmarks and houses several 19th-century treasures that have been carefully restored in recent decades. Its 100-foot silver spire can still be seen from every direction into the city. The newest restoration project, completed in 2020, re-covered the stained glass and added donor plaques.
- Neo-Gothic exterior with 100-foot silver spire
- Bell cast in 1851 (a year before the parish was formally established)
- 15 stained-glass windows by F.X. Zettler (Munich / Royal Bavarian Art Institute), installed August 1899; refurbished and re-covered in 2020 with brass donor plaques
- Pipe organ built by J.G. Moulton in England, installed 1876, restored 2001
- Traditional statues of St. Joseph (patron), the Blessed Mother and St. Anthony of Padua
- Certified replica of the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the south side-altar
Visit, Contact & Stay Connected
The parish publishes a weekly bulletin, maintains a Facebook page linked from the website, and offers a mobile app (text APP to 88202 to download). Daily Mass, Adoration on First Friday, the Friday Guadalupanos meeting, and the noon Spanish Mass on Sunday are easy entry points for a first visit.
- Church address: 702 C Street, Marysville, California 95901
- Parish Office: 223 8th Street, Marysville, California 95901
- Phone: (530) 742-6461 • Fax: (530) 742-0346 • Emergency: (530) 812-2266
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stjoseph-marysville.org/index.html
- Weekly bulletin (published on the website)
- Facebook page (linked from website)
- Parish app — text APP to 88202
- Office Hours: Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Peter Magagnotto, C.P.1852–
Italian-born Passionist sent by Archbishop Alemany to found the parish in 1852; built the original temporary church and oversaw construction of the present church (cornerstone 1855).
- Father Bob Copsey2003–present (as of the 150th anniversary article)
Returned to St. Joseph in August 2003 after first serving as associate pastor in 1978–79; led growth of the Hispanic ministry and weekly Spanish Mass.