About St. Thomas the Apostle · Oroville, California
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church is a culturally-mixed, roughly 800-family parish serving the greater Oroville area of Butte County, California, from its 1857 roots as a gold-rush mission to today's full parish with an elementary school and a sister mission in the foothills. The parish is part of the Diocese of Sacramento (since 1886) and ministers in both English and Spanish, including a Saturday evening Spanish Vigil Mass. It is staffed by Fr. German Ramos (Parochial Administrator and Dean of the Sutter Buttes Deanery), two deacons, and a large lay ministry corps, and partners with the parish school and mission church of St. Anthony of Padua in Challenge to reach the surrounding foothill communities.
- Established
- 1857
- Patron
- St. Thomas the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. German Ramos (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sacramento (parish since 1886; parish is in the Butte County / Sutter Buttes Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Thomas the Apostle is a long-standing, multigenerational parish where English- and Spanish-speaking families worship side by side, with a Saturday Vigil Mass in Spanish and a robust Hispanic devotional life (Guadalupana Society, Adoración Nocturna, Spanish Charismatic Prayer Group 'Caminando con Dios,' Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia). Parishioners can grow in faith through OCIA, children's faith formation, and a parish school that has been WASC-accredited since 1981, while serving neighbors through ministries to the sick, the St. Anne's Creative Hands group, the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Ladies Relief Society, and a parish-wide fellowship coffee hour — making it a true community of worship, formation, and outreach for the greater Oroville area.
Mass times at St. Thomas the Apostle
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM (per diocesan directory listing)
Adoration times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM (preceding the Vigil Masses)
- First Friday 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM (per parish listing)
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Thomas the Apostle is a Catholic parish in Oroville, California, in the Diocese of Sacramento. Its mission statement calls the community, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to be a visible sign of Christ's presence through Scripture and Sacraments, Worship and Prayer, Spiritual and Academic Education, Evangelization and Witnessing, Service and Charity, Fellowship, and Community. The parish family includes St. Thomas the Apostle in Oroville and the mission church of St. Anthony of Padua in Challenge, and together they seek to share the love of God with the greater Oroville community and throughout the world.
- Parish Family: St. Thomas the Apostle (Oroville) + St. Anthony of Padua (Challenge)
- Diocese of Sacramento, Butte County / Sutter Buttes Deanery
- Pastor: Fr. German Ramos (Parochial Administrator; also Dean of the Sutter Buttes Deanery)
History of the Parish
Catholic life in Oroville traces to the gold rush: in 1855, Archbishop Joseph Alemany of San Francisco bought land at Pine and High Streets for $250, and the parish was formally established in 1857, becoming part of the Diocese of Sacramento in 1886. The 1855 gold discovery brought the first wave of growth; the construction of the Oroville Dam in the late 1950s and 1960s brought the second, swelling both the parish and the parish school. The school, opened in 1955 with the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, became the first in Oroville to earn WASC accreditation in 1981 — a mark it still holds.
- 1855 — Archbishop Joseph Alemany purchases land at Pine & High Streets for $250
- 1857 — Parish of St. Thomas the Apostle established
- 1886 — Joins the Diocese of Sacramento
- 1950 — Franciscan Sisters of Atonement arrive to teach religious education
- 1955 — Parish school opens grades 1–6, staffed by Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart
- 1959 — Oroville Dam boom pushes enrollment to ~240; parish buys additional land
- 1977 — Kindergarten added to the school
- 1981 — School becomes first WASC-accredited school in Oroville
Parish School (St. Thomas the Apostle Parish School)
The parish school sits at 1380 Bird Street, on the same Bird Street campus as the church. It opened in 1955 with grades one through six and four Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, growing to about 240 students by 1959 as Oroville Dam workers moved into the area. A kindergarten was added in 1977, and in 1981 the school became the first in Oroville to be accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), an accreditation it continues to maintain. The principal is Kelly Floyd, and a St. Thomas School Parent Club supports the school community.
- Address: 1380 Bird Street, Oroville, CA 95965
- Principal: Kelly Floyd — [email protected]
- Founded 1955; Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart were the founding teachers
- WASC-accredited since 1981 (first in Oroville)
- Parent Club led by Jessica Madrigal
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently led by Fr. German Ramos as Parochial Administrator; he also serves as Dean of the Sutter Buttes Deanery in the Diocese of Sacramento. Two deacons assist: Deacon Tom O'Connell (retired) and Deacon Jésus Venegas. Lay staff include the parish secretary Martha Orozco, the bookkeeper Shirlee Hale-Morris ([email protected]), and school principal Kelly Floyd. The parish office may be reached at 530-533-0262 or [email protected].
- Rev. German Ramos — Parochial Administrator ([email protected])
- Deacon Tom O'Connell (Retired)
- Deacon Jésus Venegas
- Martha Orozco — Parish Secretary
- Shirlee Hale-Morris — STAP Bookkeeper ([email protected])
- Kelly Floyd — School Principal ([email protected])
Faith Formation for Children & Adults
Faith Formation at St. Thomas the Apostle equips parishioners of every age to live as disciples of Jesus — promoting knowledge of the faith, the meaning of the liturgy and sacraments, moral formation, Christian prayer, community life, and a missionary spirit. Children's Religious Education assists parents in helping their children develop a personal relationship with Jesus while learning Catholic beliefs, prayers, and identity. For adults, the parish runs the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) — a journey of inquiry, catechumenate, purification and enlightenment, reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, and mystagogia — meeting Tuesday evenings from 7:00–8:30 PM in the Parish Office Conference Room.
- Children's Faith Formation — Steve Hutton ([email protected])
- OCIA — Lianna Bazzani ([email protected]); Tuesdays 7:00–8:30 PM, Parish Office Conference Room
- Baptism Preparation — through the Parish Office ([email protected])
- Sacrament of First Penance and First Eucharist
- Sacrament of Confirmation (with Confirmation Sponsor Requirements)
- Open to non-Catholics, those unbaptized, and baptized Catholics seeking Eucharist/Confirmation
Parish Ministries
The parish maintains a wide range of lay ministries, organized under Faith Formation, general Ministries, and Organizations. Liturgical ministries include altar servers, Eucharistic ministers, lectors, ushers, music ministry, and the liturgy committee; pastoral ministries include marriage preparation, ministers to the sick/homebound, consolation/funeral ministry, and prayer chain. Fellowship and outreach are served by the coffee hour, St. Anne's Creative Hands, the garden volunteers, and the Teen Ministry. The website is maintained by an editorial volunteer (Heidi Anderson).
- Altar Servers — Marisha Steele
- Eucharistic Ministers — Mary Haloski
- Lectors — Mary Haloski
- Music Ministry — Rhonda Williams (Coordinator) and Bronwyn Eisermann (High Mass Choir Director)
- Ushers & Security Team — Arthur Johnson
- Marriage Preparation Advocate — Martha Toete
- Ministers to the Sick / Homebound — through Parish Office / Fr. Ramos (530-533-0262)
- Consolation Ministry (Funerals) — Maria Johnson
- Fellowship & Coffee — Marth Roz
- St. Anne's Creative Hands — Zooba Zwicker
- Teen Ministry — Elizabeth Gusman
- Garden Volunteers — Teresita Woods
- Prayer Chain — Maeva Barickman
- Website Editor — Heidi Anderson ([email protected])
- Bulletin Editor — Claire Clark ([email protected])
- Catholic Media — Dominic Chiricosta
Parish Organizations
Alongside its ministries, the parish supports several long-standing organizations that bring parishioners together around shared devotion, fellowship, and service. The Altar Society cares for the sanctuary and linens; the Catholic Ladies Relief Society #12 is a long-running women's charitable society; the Guadalupana Society gathers parishioners around devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe; the Knights of Columbus serves as the parish's fraternal Catholic men's organization; and the St. Thomas School Parent Club supports the parish school.
- Altar Society — Jan Jensen
- Catholic Ladies Relief Society #12 — Jane Starling
- Guadalupana Society — Celina Sanchez & Henry Sanchez
- Knights of Columbus — Henry Sanchez
- St. Thomas School Parent Club — Jessica Madrigal
Mission Church: St. Anthony of Padua, Challenge
St. Thomas the Apostle shares pastoral care of the foothill community of Challenge, California through the mission church of St. Anthony of Padua. The mission serves parishioners in the rural communities east of Oroville and is governed locally by a Parish Council and cared for liturgically by the Altar Society.
- Address: 10184 La Porte Road, Challenge, California 95925
- Office: 530-675-9553
- Parish Council: Peter Garcia, Mary Lou Lauck, Gene Weckman
- Altar Society: Jan Jensen
Visiting & Contact Information
Visitors and parishioners can reach the parish office at 530-533-0262 (fax 530-533-1148) or by email at [email protected]. The office is open Monday through Thursday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and Friday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. The church and school share the Bird Street campus, which offers ample parking. Sick calls, home visits, and Mass intention requests can be requested through the parish office.
- Address: 1330 Bird Street, Oroville, California 95965
- Phone: 530-533-0262 | Fax: 530-533-1148
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–12 PM; Fri 9 AM–12 PM and 1 PM–3 PM
- Ample on-site parking on the Bird Street compound