About St. Margaret Mary · Oakland, California
St. Margaret Mary is a traditional Roman Catholic parish in Oakland, California, located between the Trestle Glen and Glenview neighborhoods on Excelsior Avenue. Founded in November 1922 by Archbishop Edward J. Hanna, it is the only parish in the Diocese of Oakland that celebrates the liturgy regularly in Latin in both the Ordinary Form (Missal of Pope Paul VI) and the Extraordinary Form (Missal of Pope John XXIII, the Traditional Latin Mass), making it a 'parish of intention' or 'magnet parish' drawing Catholics from across several Bay Area counties. Since September 2020 the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP) has maintained an apostolate there alongside the diocesan pastor, offering the Extraordinary Form daily. In 2025 Bishop Michael Barber asked the Institute to depart by April 20, 2025, citing the diocese's own capacity to provide the Traditional Latin Mass.
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Glenn Naguit
- Diocese
- Diocese of Oakland
Why belong here
St. Margaret Mary is the only parish in the Diocese of Oakland — and one of very few on the entire West Coast — that offers the Traditional Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form) every single day, alongside the Ordinary Form celebrated in English and in Latin. The parish is also a faith community rooted in the classical Catholic tradition: Gregorian chant and classical polyphony sung by multiple choirs, a restored Moeller pipe organ, the full set of traditional devotions (First Friday Adoration with the Litany of the Sacred Heart, First Saturday Rosary and Litany of Loreto, Fatima devotions on the 13th of the month, Mother of Perpetual Help, and the Holy Face devotion), and a centuries-old Gothic sanctuary with notable stained glass by Carl Huneke and Lukas Church Art Glass. Despite being 'tiny geographically,' it draws Catholics from across the Bay Area as a 'magnet parish,' with active children's and adult catechesis in both forms, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and the St. Anne's Guild — a vibrant home for anyone seeking a traditional, devotional Catholic life.
Mass times at St. Margaret Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before each Mass (except Monday evenings)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:40 PM
Adoration times
- First Friday: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with recitation or chant of the Litany of the Sacred Heart, after the 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Masses
- First Saturday: Adoration and chanting of the Litany of Our Lady of Loreto after the 10:00 AM Mass
About St. Margaret Mary Parish
St. Margaret Mary is a traditional Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Oakland, located at 1219 Excelsior Avenue on the border of the Trestle Glen and Glenview neighborhoods. Founded in November 1922 by Archbishop Edward J. Hanna, it has served Catholics in the East Bay hills of Oakland for over a century. The parish is best known for being the only parish in the Diocese of Oakland to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form) daily, in addition to the Ordinary Form in English and sung Latin.
History
The parish was founded by Archbishop Edward J. Hanna in November 1922, with Rev. Peter E. Doyle as the first pastor; the first Mass was celebrated in the rectory at 3615 Emerson Street. Under the second pastor, Rev. William J. Quirke (1930), plans were drawn up by the parishioner-architect William Schirmer for a Gothic Revival church and rectory. The cornerstone was laid on March 1, 1931, the first Mass in the new church was celebrated on July 26, 1931 by Rev. Edmond Motherway, and Archbishop Hanna dedicated the completed building on October 18, 1931. The parish was originally part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and was transferred to the newly erected Diocese of Oakland on January 13, 1962. In 1989, under Fr. Vladimir Kozina, daily celebration of the Extraordinary Form resumed with permission of Bishop John S. Cummins. A $1+ million seismic retrofit of the church and hall was completed in 2000, and in September 2020 the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest established an apostolate at the parish.
The 1931 Church Building
The present Gothic Revival church was designed by Oakland architect William Edward Schirmer, himself a parishioner. The original windows were rose quartz; in 1957 Carl Huneke of Century Stained Glass Studio, San Francisco, completed thirteen large stained-glass windows in the nave and sanctuary, with a narthex window of St. Francis Xavier added in 1965. John and Nick Lukas of Lukas Church Art Glass, San Francisco, added the St. Stephen and St. Mary Magdalene window, the narthex window proper, and the choir windows in 1991. A seismic retrofit by Degenkolb Engineers (architect John Haag, contractor Oliver Construction) was completed around 2000 at a cost of more than $1 million, with confessionals and restrooms made handicapped-accessible, sound and light systems improved, and a new upstairs restroom added. The Moeller pipe organ was rebuilt and enlarged in 1988 and underwent major releathering in 2011.
Devotions
St. Margaret Mary maintains a full schedule of traditional Catholic devotions as part of its daily liturgical life. These include First Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the Litany of the Sacred Heart; the First Saturday Rosary after the 8:00 AM Mass and Adoration with the Litany of Our Lady of Loreto after the 10:00 AM Mass; monthly Fatima devotions on the 13th of the month from May through October; the Mother of Perpetual Help novena every Tuesday after the 8:00 AM Mass and every third Saturday after the 10:00 AM Mass; and the Holy Face of Our Lord Jesus Christ devotion on Tuesdays during Lent after the 6:00 PM Mass and outside of Lent on every third Tuesday.
Music and the Choirs
Music is drawn from the classic Catholic tradition: Gregorian chant and classical polyphony are sung alongside modern music in the classic style. The parish maintains several choirs, including the main parish choir, the children's Choir of the Angelus, the Pacific Collegium Choir, and the women's Sacred Heart Choir. The Sunday 10:30 AM Mass is typically sung as a Latin High Mass. The instrument supporting the schola is a pipe organ built by Moeller, which was rebuilt and enlarged in 1988 and received a major releathering in 2011.
Faith Formation and Sacraments
The parish offers catechesis in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms. Children's Education (catechism for First Confession and First Communion, and youth Confirmation preparation) is coordinated by Rosemary Gutierrez ([email protected]), with classes beginning in the Fall. Adults seeking First Holy Communion or Confirmation, or those entering the Church through RCIA, may register through the parish office ([email protected]).
Parish Ministries and Groups
Parish life includes a number of long-standing groups. The St. Vincent de Paul Society serves those in material need. The St. Anne's Guild cares for the church and sponsors parish social events including the St. Patrick's Day Dinner and Oktoberfest. There is also a Men's Group (St. Joseph), which gathers for formation dinners such as those held in Fr. Kozina Hall. Parish communications are handled through Flocknote email and text messaging, and the Oakland Apostolate of the Institute of Christ the King also uses Flocknote (ickspoakland.flocknote.com).
Institute of Christ the King Apostolic Presence
From September 2020 until April 2025 the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP) maintained an Oakland Apostolate at St. Margaret Mary under Canon Benjamin Norman to serve the local community of the faithful attached to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. The Institute hosted weekly online catechism classes for youth (Tuesdays at 4:00 PM) and adults (Saturdays at 2:30 PM), a monthly blessing of sacramentals, and organized a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City (October 6–11, 2025 was the planned date). On March 2025 Bishop Michael Barber, S.J., announced that the ICKSP would depart St. Margaret Mary effective April 20, 2025, citing the diocese's own ability to provide the TLM.
Diocese of Oakland
Since January 13, 1962, St. Margaret Mary has been a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, which covers Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The diocese was erected by Pope John XXIII; its first bishop was The Most Rev. Floyd Begin (1962–1977), succeeded by Bishop John S. Cummins (1977–2003), then Bishop Allen Vigneron (2003–2009, now Archbishop of Detroit), Bishop Salvatore Cordileone (2009–2012, now Archbishop of San Francisco), and the current ordinary, Bishop Michael Barber, S.J. (2013–present). The bishop's seat is the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, which replaced the former Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales (demolished after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake). The Diocese remains a suffragan of the ecclesiastical Province of San Francisco.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Peter E. Doyle1922–1930
Founding pastor; offered first Mass in the rectory at 3615 Emerson St.
- Rev. William J. Quirke1930–1936
Second pastor; planned and built the present church and rectory. William Schirmer, architect; Thomas F. Furlong, general contractor.
- Rev. Edmond Motherway1931
Celebrated the first Mass in the new church on July 26, 1931.
- Msgr. Emmett O'Conner1936–1968
Third pastor; brought the Holy Family Sisters to teach catechism. The future Bishop John S. Cummins resided at the parish during his pastorate.
- Msgr. James Quirk1968–1975
Administrator
- Rev. Kenneth Cabral1975–1984
Administrator
- Rev. Vladimir Kozina1984–1994
Fourth pastor; resumed the daily Extraordinary Form of the Mass on September 10, 1989 with permission of Bishop Cummins. The parish hall is named Fr. Kozina Hall in his honor.
- Rev. George D. Sullivan1994–1998
Administrator
- Rev. Paul J. Schmidt1999–2004
Administrator
- Rev. Stanislaw (Stan) ZakDecember 2004 – October 2014
Fifth pastor; led the 90th Anniversary Mass and Gala, November 10, 2012, with Bishop Emeritus Cummins.
- Rev. Rafal DudaOctober 2014 – November 2015
Administrator pro tem.
- Rev. Glenn NaguitNovember 9, 2015 – present
First appointed Administrator in 2015, then returned as the seventh Pastor on August 1, 2022 after a stint as Administrator.
- Rev. Kenneth NobregaJuly 1, 2021 – 2022
Sixth Pastor; preceded current pastor.
- Rev. Canon Benjamin NormanSeptember 2020 – 2025
Representative of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest; departed by April 20, 2025 per Bishop Barber's request.