About St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church · Santa Maria, California
St. Louis de Montfort is a Roman Catholic parish in the Orcutt/Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, serving a worship community of roughly 3,100 registered families. Established in 1963 as a division of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish and staffed since 1975 by the Josephite Fathers (Congregation of the Josephites), it operates an elementary school, the parish church, and the affiliated St. Joseph High School and St. Joseph Seminary on the same campus. The parish offers Mass in both English and Spanish, with weekday and weekend schedules, plus perpetual adoration, novena, and traditional Catholic devotions.
- Established
- 1963
- Patron
- St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673–1716), French Catholic priest, founder of the Company of Mary, apostle of the Rosary, canonized 1947
- Rector
- Rev. Aidan Peter Rossiter, CJ
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Why belong here
St. Louis de Montfort is one of the largest parishes on the central California coast, with roughly 3,100 registered families and a full English/Spanish liturgical life — daily Mass, four Sunday Masses in English, a Spanish Mass, a Saturday Vigil with both languages, and rich devotions including weekly Thursday Novena and Benediction, Monday Adoration from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and a monthly Liturgy of the Hours. Families benefit from an on-site elementary school (K–8) staffed by the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, the adjacent St. Joseph High School and St. Joseph Seminary, and a robust Faith and Family Formation program (Lou's Kids and Edge) that walks parents and children together through First Communion and Confirmation. With a 24/7 livestream of every Mass, perpetual adoration, an active Young Adult group, the SHINE retreat, Respect Life Ministry, St. Vincent de Paul outreach, Legion of Mary, and a long tradition of hospitality from its Josephite Fathers, the parish is a hub for both traditional Catholic devotion and active lay community life.
Mass times at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 4:45 PM (English)
- Saturday 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Bilingual)
Adoration times
- Monday 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM (Noon) — Eucharistic Adoration
Parish History & Founding
St. Louis de Montfort was officially created on March 22, 1963 when Cardinal James Francis McIntyre, Archbishop of Los Angeles, divided the fast-growing St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Santa Maria into two. The new parish was named for St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, the 18th-century French founder of the Company of Mary and apostle of the Rosary. Father Vincent McCabe, a 42-year-old Irish priest then serving as associate at St. Mary's, was named founding pastor. While the permanent facilities were under construction, Father McCabe celebrated the first Masses in an old army/airport mess hall at Goodwin and Industrial Roads; later, until the church was finished, services were held in three classrooms of the new school.
- Founded March 22, 1963
- Founding pastor: Rev. Vincent McCabe (1963–1975)
- First Mass in the new church: January 30, 1966
- Church and school dedicated by Cardinal McIntyre: February 4, 1968
- Mission of St. Anthony (Los Alamos) established by Fr. McCabe in 1967
Architecture & Campus
The church and school were designed by Donley, Bundy & Associates. Mandella Construction Company built the church and Thielmann Construction Company built the school. The original church is a concrete-masonry, mid-century-modern structure that seated about 1,000 with the altar facing the people — a notable early implementation of Vatican II's liturgical renewal. A bell tower was always part of the design but went unfinished for decades; it was finally completed under Pastor Charles Hofschulte as a working bell tower.
- Architect: Donley, Bundy & Associates
- Church builder: Mandella Construction Company
- School builder: Thielmann Construction Company
- Construction style: concrete masonry, mid-century modern
- Original capacity: ~1,000 seated
Josephite Fathers & Religious Staffing
In 1975 the Josephite Order (Congregation of the Josephites, founded in Belgium in 1817 by Father Constant Van Crombrugge) petitioned the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for permission to take over the parish, and the request was granted. Father Anthony Runtz, CJ, became the first Josephite pastor. Ever since, the parish has been continuously staffed by Josephite priests. The companion women's congregation, the Daughters of Mary and Joseph — also founded by Father Van Crombrugge — has staffed the parish school since its opening in 1964.
- Josephite pastors since 1975: Fr. Runtz, Fr. Garcia, Fr. Newman, Fr. Hofschulte, Fr. Rossiter
- Daughters of Mary and Joseph staff the parish school
- St. Joseph High School and St. Joseph Seminary are also on the campus
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
The parish runs a robust Faith and Family Formation program for children and their parents. 'Lou's Kids' serves grades K–5 on Wednesdays and Thursdays; 'Edge' serves grades 6–8 on Thursdays. Sacramental preparation for First Communion requires two consecutive years of enrollment and combines in-class sessions with at-home lessons, Mass attendance tracking (via the 'My Offering' magnetic-tag board near the St. Joseph statue) and Family Days. Adult initiation is offered through RCIA (English) and RICA (Spanish, Friday evenings).
- Lou's Kids (K–5): Wednesdays 3:45–5:15 PM and Thursdays 6:00–7:30 PM
- Edge Middle School (6–8): Thursdays 6:00–7:30 PM, Upper Room
- First Communion: two-year preparation
- Confirmation preparation
- RCIA / RICA (English and Spanish)
- Coordinator: Kathy Lester — [email protected], (805) 937-8363
Parish Ministries & Outreach
Lay life at St. Louis de Montfort is organized around many active ministries. The Young Adult Group (ages 18–39) meets bi-weekly on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM in Lou's Grotto. The SHINE retreat brings parish families together for an annual community-building weekend. Other recognized groups include the Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul conference, Respect Life Ministry, New Horizon, the Juvenile Detention ministry, Wednesday Bible Study, the Parish Council, and Eucharistic Ministry to the homebound.
- Young Adult Group (Tuesdays 6:30 PM, bi-weekly, Lou's Grotto)
- SHINE Retreat (annual parish/family retreat)
- Legion of Mary
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Respect Life Ministry
- New Horizon
- Wednesday Bible Study
- Juvenile Detention Ministry
Sacraments
Baptism is celebrated on the 1st and 3rd Sundays at 1:00 PM, with classes on the 2nd Sunday; Spanish baptisms are held the 4th Sunday at 1:30 PM with classes the 2nd Monday at 7:00 PM. First Communion and Confirmation are prepared through the parish's two-year Faith Formation track. Weddings, Quinceañeras and marriage preparations require at least six months' notice and are coordinated through Deacon Raul Blanco and parish coordinators Gaby G. and María S. (Spanish), with marriage prep (Rosario and Antonio Mejia) on Tuesday evenings.
- Baptism: 1st & 3rd Sundays at 1:00 PM
- Spanish Baptism: 4th Sunday at 1:30 PM
- First Communion and Confirmation: 2-year prep
- Weddings/Quinceañeras: 6-month advance; contact Deacon Raul Blanco
- RCIA / RICA for adult initiation
- Anointing of the Sick: contact the Rectory
Schools & Seminary on Campus
St. Louis de Montfort Catholic School (K–8) sits on the parish campus at 5095 Harp Road under Principal Gina Fox and has been staffed since 1964 by the Daughters of Mary and Joseph. Adjacent are St. Joseph High School (Principal Erinn Dougherty, 4120 Bradley Rd) and St. Joseph Seminary — the U.S. formation house of the Josephite Fathers. Together these three institutions form a single Catholic educational campus serving children, teens, and seminarians side by side with the parish church.
- St. Louis de Montfort Elementary (K–8) — Principal Gina Fox, (805) 937-5571, www.sldmschool.org
- St. Joseph High School — Principal Erinn Dougherty, (805) 937-2038, www.sjhsknights.com
- St. Joseph Seminary — (805) 937-5378, www.josephite.community
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Vincent McCabe1963–1975
Founding pastor; came from St. Mary of the Assumption as associate; built school, church, and established the mission of St. Anthony in Los Alamos; later served 14 years at San Roque, Santa Barbara; native of County Leitrim, Ireland.
- Rev. McGovern1975 (brief)
Archdiocesan priest who succeeded Fr. McCabe but resigned the same year due to ill health; transition figure between diocesan and Josephite eras.
- Rev. Anthony Runtz, CJ1975–1985
First Josephite pastor; native of Staten Island, NY; lived in England 28 years; built parish hall (1977, named for Mildred Jeffers), rectory (1980), and school playground; reformed Parish Council; established Eucharistic Ministry, Parish Renewal and Pre-Cana; helped restore San Ramon Chapel in Sisquoc; died 2006.
- Rev. Guillermo Garcia, CJ1985–1990
Native Angeleno; launched the parish's first Convocation Fair in 1987; left to serve as Superior General of the Josephite Order and was based in Belgium.
- Rev. Mark Newman, CJ1990–2001
From England; former principal of St. Joseph High School; served the parish 11 years.
- Rev. Charles Hofschulte, CJ2001–present (per official website history page written c. 2013)
From South Gate, CA; former principal of St. Joseph High School and former local superior of the Josephites; led the parish's 50th anniversary in 2013; completed the long-delayed bell tower.
- Rev. Aidan Peter Rossiter, CJCurrent (per current official website staff page)
Current pastor listed on the parish contact/staff page.
- Rev. Edmond Renehan1966–1969
First associate pastor; served during founding period.