St. Michael

Welcome to St. Michael's Catholic Church

Tucked into the Santa Cruz Mountains among the redwoods at 13005 Pine Street in Boulder Creek, St. Michael's Catholic Church invites visitors to join its Eucharistic celebrations, where the message of Jesus is alive and proclaimed through worship, education and service to others. The parish describes itself as 'a loving community that strives to be there for each other, and knows no strangers,' welcoming all who come to experience God's presence in the upper San Lorenzo Valley.

Parish Events & Devotions

Beyond Sunday Mass, St. Michael's gathers the community in two regular ways: a hospitality morning every other Sunday after the 10:00 am Mass, and the Lenten Stations of the Cross.

• Hospitality — every other Sunday following the 10:00 am Mass
• Stations of the Cross — Fridays at 7:00 pm during Lent

Sacraments

The parish website lists four sacramental pathways, each with its own preparation timeline. Families and individuals are asked to contact the parish office directly to begin registration and preparation.

• Baptism — contact the parish office one month in advance for registration and preparation.
• Reconciliation (Confession) — contact the parish office one month in advance; also offered before Mass on weekends or by appointment.
• Marriage — contact the parish office six months in advance for registration and preparation.
• Anointing / Visitation of the Sick — contact the parish office for parishioners who are hospitalized, housebound, facing serious or ongoing illness, or scheduled for surgery.

Parish Staff & Volunteers

St. Michael's is a small parish staffed by a Parochial Administrator, a business manager/bookkeeper, and lay volunteers who keep the ministry schedule, website, bulletins and Facebook page running.

• Parochial Administrator: Rev. Roy Margallo — (831) 335-4657
• Business Manager & Bookkeeper: Stephanie Hohmann
• Parish Office: (831) 338-6112
• Ministry Scheduling and Website: Rodney Metoyer
• Bulletins and Facebook: Kimberly Cakebread
• OCIA and Religious Education: Rev. Roy Margallo
• SCC / Respect Life: Ann Horton — (831) 338-1013

Councils, Committees & Ministries

The parish lists a wide range of lay ministries and councils. Anyone interested in helping is invited to contact the parish office.

• Lectors
• Sacristans
• Ushers
• Eucharistic Ministers
• Music Ministry
• Altar Society
• Religious Education
• SCC / Respect Life (Ann Horton)
• OCIA – Order of Christian Initiation for Adults

Early History of Catholicism in Boulder Creek

Before there was a church, Catholics in Boulder Creek gathered in homes. Beginning in the 1890s, Rev. Father Michael A. McKey, S.J., based in Santa Clara, rode the train into the Santa Cruz Mountains on weekends to celebrate Mass and bring the sacraments to the small mountain community. The land on which the church sits was originally part of a holding owned by Samuel H. Rambo — logger, businessman, Santa Cruz County Supervisor, State Senator and first head of Big Basin Park — and in 1897 prominent Boulder Creek businessman Henry Lewis Middleton donated two adjoining lots on Pine Street as the site for a new Catholic Church. The Mountain Echo reported on December 25, 1897 that 'Lots upon which to build a new Catholic Church have been donated by one of our leading business men and the work of building the same will probably begin some time next month … Some $1,200 has been subscribed towards its erection.'

• 1890s: Masses celebrated in homes by Fr. Michael A. McKey, S.J.
• 1897: Henry Lewis Middleton donates two lots on Pine Street
• May 1899: Parishioners choose the name St. Michael's, after the Archangel Michael

Building the Original Church

Construction began in mid-November 1899 under carpenter Mr. Potts. The Mountain Echo of November 18, 1899 described it as 'Gothia (sic) style of architecture … a handsome structure' of about 30,000 feet of lumber, at a total cost of about $2,500. The nave measured 28 by 55 feet with a 16-by-18-foot sacristy. Painting by G. E. Fail and Frank D. Fumagelli of Los Gatos was underway by February 1900. The church was officially dedicated in 1901 by Most Reverend William Riordan, the second Archbishop of San Francisco. Middleton donated an altar in 1904, and in 1906 the congregation dedicated a 612-pound bell cast by the Andrew Meneely Bell Company of West Troy (now Watervliet), New York — a bell that still stands behind the current rectory.

• 1899: Construction begins on Knob Hill
• 1900: Painting completed
• 1901: Church dedicated by Archbishop William Riordan
• 1904: Altar donated by H. L. Middleton
• 1906: 612-pound Meneely bell dedicated (still on parish grounds)

The Years Before a Resident Pastor

For years after the 1901 dedication, the parish had no resident priest. Fr. McKey continued to travel by train up the mountain to celebrate Mass. In 1907–08, at his request, a chapter of the Sisters of the Holy Family from San Jose began the long weekend train trip to Boulder Creek to teach catechism to the parish's children. In April 1909 Fr. McKey celebrated two Easter Sunday Masses to an unusually large congregation; The Mountain Echo praised the 'beautiful' decorations. By August 1909 he had been reassigned, ending more than fifteen years of missionary service.

• 1907–08: Sisters of the Holy Family begin weekend catechism classes
• April 1909: Two Easter Sunday Masses celebrated to an unusually large congregation
• August 22, 1909: Fr. McKey's final Sunday in Boulder Creek before reassignment

Contact & Visit

Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Michael's by phone, email or in person at the parish office on Pine Street.

• Address: 13005 Pine Street, Boulder Creek, CA 95006
• Phone: (831) 338-6112
• Fax: (831) 217-5007
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://www.stmichaelschurchbc.org/
• Facebook: facebook.com/stmichaelsbouldercreek
• Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9:00 am – 11:00 am