About St. Katharine Drexel · Jackson, California
St. Katharine Drexel Parish is a consolidated Catholic community of seven churches serving Amador County in California's Gold Country, within the Diocese of Sacramento. Established in 2011 from the union of three earlier parishes and dedicated at its current Martell campus in 2013, it now ministers to roughly 1,400 families across Jackson, Sutter Creek, Pioneer, Ione, and surrounding mining-era towns. The parish runs a Spanish-language Mass, a year-round Eucharistic Adoration schedule, an active Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference, a children's faith formation program, and a multi-tier 'Clear Path of Discipleship' formation process.
- Established
- 2011
- Patron
- St. Katharine Drexel
- Rector
- Rev. Ryan Mahar (Parochial Administrator, appointed October 1, 2025)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sacramento (Gold Country Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Katharine Drexel is the central Catholic home for all of Amador County, drawing seven historic mission churches across Jackson, Sutter Creek, Pioneer, and Ione into one growing family of roughly 1,400 households. Registered parishioners benefit from a full sacramental life — weekday and Sunday Mass in English and Spanish, daily Eucharistic Adoration (including a 12-hour Holy Hour on Thursdays), regular confession, and outreach through the parish's St. Vincent de Paul Conference. There is also a structured 'Clear Path of Discipleship' for every stage: Foundations of Faith, Discovering Catholicism, more than 15 small groups, and lively children's faith formation, making it an unusually well-equipped Gold Country parish for both longtime Catholics and newcomers investigating the faith.
Mass times at St. Katharine Drexel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 4:30–5:45 PM
- Thursday 11:00–11:45 AM
- Saturday 9:00–10:30 AM
Adoration times
- Monday 5:30–7:30 AM
- Tuesday 5:00–6:00 PM
- Thursday 5:30 AM–5:30 PM (12-hour Holy Hour, includes 10:00–11:00 AM family-friendly hour)
- Saturday 5:30–6:30 AM
- Third Wednesday 10:30–11:30 AM at Our Lady of the Pines, Pioneer
Our Story & History
St. Katharine Drexel Parish was established on November 30, 2011, when the Diocese of Sacramento united three long-standing Amador County parishes and six historic mission churches — whose roots stretch back to the California Gold Rush of the 1850s — into one Catholic community. The consolidation was driven in large part by the shortage of priests in this rural Gold Country region: small mining-era towns such as Jackson, Sutter Creek, Pioneer, and Ione could no longer each sustain their own resident priest. Two years after the merger, on April 7, 2013, the new St. Katharine Drexel Church and Parish Center in Martell was completed and dedicated. Built on Prospect Drive just south of the City of Jackson, the campus was deliberately designed to be large enough to gather the whole consolidated parish for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, faith-formation classes, youth and senior events, and broader parish- and community-based gatherings. The Martell site has since also been designated as a regional training site for the Diocese of Sacramento.
- Established November 30, 2011 (Diocese of Sacramento).
- St. Katharine Drexel Church, Martell, dedicated April 7, 2013.
- Unites the historic Catholic communities of Jackson, Sutter Creek, Pioneer, and Ione.
- Serves about 1,400 families across Amador County.
Mission Churches & Chaplaincies
Though named for the Martell church, St. Katharine Drexel Parish is canonically a community of seven churches spread across Amador County, plus a chaplaincy at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione. Each mission church keeps its own historic identity and hosts weekday Masses, devotion, or seasonal liturgies, while the largest gatherings — and most weekend Masses — take place at the Martell campus.
- Immaculate Conception — 115 Spanish Street, Sutter Creek, CA 95685
- Our Lady of the Pines — 26750 Tiger Creek Road, Pioneer, CA 95666
- Sacred Heart of Jesus — 20 Relihan Drive, Ione, CA 95640
- St. Patrick — 115 Court Street, Jackson, CA 95642
- Mule Creek State Prison — Ione, CA (chaplaincy)
Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by its Parochial Administrator and supported by a deacon, a parish secretary, a bookkeeper, a Director of Family Life, a Discipleship Coordinator, and a Music Director. Each staff member's story is featured on the 'Our Staff' page, underscoring the parish's family-oriented culture.
- Rev. Ryan Mahar — Parochial Administrator (appointed October 1, 2025); formerly Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph, Redding, and Parochial Administrator of St. Paul, Knights Landing; ordained for the Diocese of Sacramento in 2020.
- Rev. Mr. Ray Moreno — Deacon; U.S. Marine Corps veteran, answered his call to the diaconate in 2018 and joined SKD in 2021.
- Ellen Waverly — Director of Family Life ([email protected])
- Kirsten Lawrence — Discipleship Coordinator ([email protected])
- Erica DeBenedet — Parish Secretary ([email protected])
- Beth McCarty — Bookkeeper ([email protected])
- Anna Blankenheim — Music Director ([email protected])
Clear Path of Discipleship & Formation
The parish teaches a four-stage 'Clear Path of Discipleship' — Encounter, Connect, Grow, Thrive — to help parishioners move from first contact with the parish into a life of missionary discipleship. Adult inquirers typically begin with Foundations of Faith, an eight-week Discovering Christ series running in fall and winter on Thursday evenings; Catholics investigating their faith more deeply, fallen-away Catholics, and non-Catholics considering entering the Church are welcomed into the year-round weekly Discovering Catholicism series.
- Encounter — Foundations of Faith (Discovering Christ, 8 Thursdays, 6:30 PM in the Social Hall)
- Connect — parish-wide events and activities
- Grow — Small Groups (15+ across the parish, coordinated by Stan and Linda Renzelman)
- Thrive — Discipleship Quads for deeper formation and missionary sending
- Year-round Discovering Catholicism for inquirers and returning Catholics (contact Ellen Waverly)
Children's Faith Formation & Sacraments
The parish runs a full Children's Faith Formation program that includes First Communion preparation, with classes coordinated through the Director of Family Life. Confirmation preparation is organized through the Parish Office. Sacramental records are kept on file for all registered parishioners, making it straightforward to provide Godparent eligibility letters to other parishes.
- Faith Formation for Children (contact Ellen Waverly: [email protected])
- First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation (contact the Parish Office)
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick — contact the parish office
- Communion brought to the home- or hospital-bound for registered parishioners
Outreach: St. Vincent de Paul Conference
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul's St. Katharine Drexel Conference is the principal outreach arm of the parish, drawing members from across the county to provide financial and material assistance to neighbors in need in Jackson-Pioneer, Ione-Comanche, and Plymouth-Fiddletown. Assistance typically takes the form of rent, food, utilities, prescription medications, and auto expenses, and is funded entirely by parishioner donations.
- Three rotating two-person teams on duty weekly to field calls for help
- Monthly meeting at the St. Katharine Drexel Parish Center to coordinate cases
- Direct help line: (209) 223-5865
- Conferences include members from nearly every parish church site
Parish Life & Music
Beyond the sacraments, St. Katharine Drexel sustains a full parish life of formation, fellowship, and music. Anna Blankenheim leads the Music Ministry, annual Women's Events and other parish-wide gatherings fill the calendar, and Small Groups give parishioners a regular, life-stage-appropriate way to grow in friendship and faith together. The spacious Martell campus functions as both a liturgical and a community hub.
- Music Ministry under Anna Blankenheim
- Annual Women's Events and other parish-wide gatherings
- 15+ Small Groups meeting monthly with Catholic curricula
- Family Life and Discipleship staff supporting parish-wide ministry
Visiting & Registering
Registration is open to anyone in Amador County and is kept fully confidential. Registered parishioners are mailed Easter and Christmas schedules each year, can receive pre-printed contribution envelopes (or sign up for online giving), receive an annual contribution statement, and benefit from easier sacramental record requests — including Godparent eligibility letters to other parishes. The Parish Center office is open Tuesday–Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
- Online registration form available on the parish website
- Paper registration forms in each church vestibule
- Office: 11361 Prospect Drive, Jackson, CA 95642 — (209) 223-2970
- Office email: [email protected]