We are so glad you're on our website, and we hope to meet you soon. Below is information that should answer some immediate questions you might have. Feel free to browse around the rest of the website to learn more about us! We’d love to meet and tell you more. Please reach out to our Director of Parish Operations, Christa Fairfield at cfairfield@stbonaventure.net or our Pastor, Fr. Lawrence D'Anjou at frdanjou@stbonaventure.net .
What is special about St. Bonaventure?
St. Bonaventure Catholic Community is an engaged, collaborative, welcoming and diverse faith family.
Being a place of welcome is central to the identity of St. Bonaventure and something its parishioners care deeply about. Pope Francis has written that “the thing the Church needs most today is to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful...I see the Church as a field hospital after a battle.” The St. Bonaventure community has always had a similar desire to make this parish a place of welcome, particularly for those at the margins of society or of the Church and meeting people where they are is core value for the community.
Perhaps because it is a place of welcome, St. Bonaventure has become a very diverse parish. A parish that once served the needs of descendants of Italian, Portuguese, and Irish immigrants now serves large Hispanic and Filipino communities as well. Young families with children worship side by side with seniors at liturgies that range from quiet and contemplative to joyful and enthusiastic. We see wide diversity in parishioners’ income, family circumstances, level of catechesis, spirituality, and political views.
St. Bonaventure’s high degree of parishioner engagement gives it the reputation as “the parish that never sleeps.” On any given day or evening, one will find parishioners attending different events in the church, parish hall or our ministry center. All of these events occur because the parishioners and staff of St. Bonaventure are willing to give their time to make them happen.
Given the high degree of parishioner engagement, St. Bonaventure has a strong culture of collaboration. This culture can be seen in the way that individual ministry teams relate to one another and in the relationship between the parish staff and the broader community. St. Bonaventure has developed a number of structural mechanisms to support and reinforce this culture of collaboration and trust
What can I expect on the weekends?
We invite you to join us at one of our six Masses on Saturdays and Sundays.
Saturday 5:00 p.m., Sunday 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:45 p.m (Spanish) and 5:00 p.m.
Each of our Masses has a unique spirit and feeling.
The Sunday 7:30 a.m.is a silent step into the morning with a contemplative feel and without music.
Arrival at the 9:00 a.m. Mass will usher you into a space full of joyful spirit and friendship. It is more contemporary in it’s feel with a focus around the family. This Mass offers the Children’s Liturgy of the Word for children in 1st through 5th grade.
The Saturday evening and Sunday 11am have a more traditional feel with a quieter, prayerful energy.
And our Sunday evening is our “youth mass” highlighting praise and worship music.
Hospitality is served on most 1st weekends of the month at all Masses except the Sunday 12:45 pm and Sunday 5pm.
Is there a program for my children during mass?
Yes. At our Sunday morning 9:00 a.m. Mass, we offer Children’s Liturgy of the Word for children Grades 1st – 5th grade. There is no need to register for this, as the children follow the group as they are invited forward prior to the First Reading.
For more information on programs for certain ages, please click the links below.
Pre-School
1st – 5th Grade
Junior High
High School
How do I get more information on Baptisms, Funerals or Weddings?
We want to be part of the preparation and celebrations in all the moments of your life. We have programs and staff ready to help you.
Baptism -Babies
Baptism- Children
Baptism- Teens
Baptism- Adults
Funerals
Weddings
How do I get information about 1st Communion or Confirmation for my child, teen or myself?
Preparing our children for the sacraments is a fundamental ministry of the parish. We have programs for every age group. For more information, please follow these links.
1st Communion
Teen Confirmation
If you have been away from the Church for a while or would just like to grow in your faith journey, we would love to have you with us. You and your family would be a gift to our community.
If you are not Catholic, but open to looking into the Catholic Church, please know how happy we would be to answer your questions and share the gift of our faith.
To learn more please visit these links:
Adult Confirmation
Adults Becoming Catholic
Completing your Sacraments
How do I get involved?
At St. Bonaventure, everyone is invited into an active participation in the life of our parish. There are many ways to get involved. Here are three of them:
If you have been away from the Church for a while, we would love to have you with us. You and your family would be a gift to our community. If you are not Catholic, but open to looking into the Catholic Church, please know how happy we would be to answer your questions and share the gift of our faith.
If you would like more information about our parish family, please feel free to contact any of our Parish Staff at 925-672-5800 or contact our Christa Fairfield directly at cfairfield@stbonaventure.net.
If you would like to register in our parish please fill out a parish registration form and drop it off at either church office. If you prefer, you can mail it to Virginia Teran or email it to vteran@stbonaventure.net.