About St. Patrick (Murphys) · Murphys, California
St. Patrick Church in Murphys, California is a historic Roman Catholic mission church located in Calaveras County, in California's Gold Country. It is administered as a mission of St. Patrick Parish in Angels Camp and belongs to the Diocese of Stockton. The brick Gothic Revival church was built between 1858 and 1861 by Gold Rush-era miners and remains an active worship site celebrating Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. The parish family also includes St. Patrick in Angels Camp, Our Lady of the Sierra in Arnold, and St. Ignatius of Antioch in Copperopolis.
- Established
- 1858
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. John Peter Pragasam
- Diocese
- Diocese of Stockton
Why belong here
St. Patrick's in Murphys offers a small, rooted Catholic community in the heart of California's Mother Lode, sharing its worship, clergy and faith-formation programs with three sister churches across Calaveras County. Parishioners join a worshipping community centered on the Eucharistic Lord, with Sunday Mass right in Murphys, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation), children's faith formation, a Catholic preschool, and a St. Vincent de Paul outreach. The historic 1861 Gothic Revival brick church — built by Gold Rush miners and still in use — gives the parish a tangible connection to 165 years of Catholic life in the Sierra foothills.
Mass times at St. Patrick (Murphys)
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Patrick, Murphys
St. Patrick's in Murphys is a Roman Catholic mission church in Calaveras County, California, administered from St. Patrick Parish in Angels Camp. The parish family describes itself as 'a worshipping community centered on the Eucharistic Lord, seeking to follow Christ's call to holiness, and proclaiming the truths of the Catholic faith.' The Murphys church shares one pastor, one set of faith-formation staff, and one bulletin with its three sister communities: St. Patrick (Angels Camp), Our Lady of the Sierra (Arnold), and St. Ignatius of Antioch (Copperopolis).
History of the Church
The present brick church was begun in 1858 by the pastor Rev. Father J. Motter and dedicated by Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany on November 3, 1861. It replaced an earlier church that had stood near Dr. Jones's apothecary and was lost to fire. The construction was paid for by gold dust donated by the local miners, and the bricks were made from a clay deposit on the nearby Big Trees road. The church sits on a knoll in the pines above the old Gold Rush town of Murphys, next to the Pioneer Cemetery dating to the 1850s.
- Built 1858–1861, dedicated November 3, 1861 by Archbishop Joseph Adoc Alemany
- Built by Rev. Father J. Motter, 'The Church Builder of Calaveras County'
- Construction paid for by gold dust collected from miners
- Bricks made locally from clay on the Big Trees road
- Land donated by Dr. Jones
- Gothic Revival style; locally made brick
Pastoral Staff and Coordinators
St. Patrick Parish in Angels Camp and its missions — including St. Patrick's in Murphys — are led by one pastor and a shared pastoral staff that serves all four worship sites.
- Rev. Fr. John Peter Pragasam — Pastor
- Deacon Couple Jared and Tara Hungerford
- Cindy Ryan — Office Manager
- Claudia Belmessieri — Bookkeeper
- Brigid Ramirez — Bulletins
- Kasey Musachia — Church Coordinator, St. Patrick's Murphys
- Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Sister Worship Sites in the Parish Family
Murphys worshippers can also attend daily and Spanish-language Masses at the other churches of St. Patrick Parish. All four sites share one pastor and one parish staff.
- St. Patrick, Angels Camp — 820 South Main Street: Sun 10:15 a.m.; Sat 7:00 p.m. (Spanish); Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m. (except 3rd Mondays); 2nd & 4th Wed 6:00 p.m. (Spanish); Sat 8:30 a.m.
- Our Lady of the Sierra, Arnold — 1301 Linebaugh Avenue: Sat Vigil 5:00 p.m.; Sun 10:00 a.m.; First Friday 11:00 a.m.
- St. Ignatius of Antioch, Copperopolis — 411 Main Street: Sun 8:30 a.m.
Faith Formation and Catholic Preschool
Faith formation at St. Patrick Parish is shared across all four worship sites and serves children, adults, and preschoolers in the Calaveras County foothills.
- Children's Faith Formation (Brendan Wicke)
- Order of Christian Initiation for Adults / OCIA (Rainer and Hedi Hedi Blankenhorn)
- St. Patrick's Catholic Preschool (Director: Winslow Steigerwald) — https://www.stpatrickscatholicpreschool.org
Ministries and Outreach
The parish supports a Catholic preschool, faith formation for children and adults, a Hispanic ministry that periodically offers a healing Mass, and outreach to those in need through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The parish also maintains a cemetery ministry led by Sue Ten Eyck.
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Hispanic Ministry (healing Mass 6:00 p.m. on designated Thursdays)
- Family Holy Hour Adoration
- Pioneer Cemetery (adjacent to the church)
Contact and Parish Office
The parish mailing address and office is in Angels Camp; the pastor and office staff serve all four worship sites, including St. Patrick's in Murphys.
- Parish Office: P.O. Box 576, Angels Camp, CA 95222
- St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, 809 South Main Street, Angels Camp, CA 95222
- Phone: (209) 736-4575; Fax: (209) 736-2217
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Father J. Motter1858–1861 (builder of the present church)
Known as 'The Church Builder of Calaveras County'; began the present edifice in 1858, financed by miners' gold dust; the church was dedicated Nov. 3, 1861.