Our Lady of Peace Church

 

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Raul A.

Mountain View, CA

As a Catholics we have the best place to renew our soul's on a daily basis... not just because doors are always open but it does embrace the multicultural people of the Silicon Valley... a place where messages on the entire mass are very direct and called, a place where rosaries can be expressed on a different dimension, a place were Confession is well understood and approach before Mass, a place  where their gardens bring the child's of all ages.
If you are looking to get a tune up and feel healthy in your heart...come a see Our Lady of Peace.

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Elite '08

105

275

Jeannette S.

Santa Clara, CA

I have been a parishioner for as long as I can remember.  They have daily mass several times a day, and more than other churches on Sundays.  This is a very traditional church, which is rare these days, and since I grew up with this style of mass I prefer it to the more contemporary masses.  The Latin and Gregorian music that can be heard/sung at some of the Sunday masses makes the experience more spiritual.

What I love about this church is that it is open 24/7 and when there's no mass or other service going on, you can just meditate in front of the altar in peace and quiet!  The outdoor Marian statue is also a good place to meditate amidst the busy-ness of the valley represented by the cars speeding by on 101.

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M V.

Santa Clara, CA

This place is like an Oasis in the midst of Silicon Valley. I owe so much dues to this church because it is where I was able to spiritually grow. The best part is they have perpetual adoration (24/7). I love to come here when it's quiet and I can just pray in front of the blessed sacrament. It's really a home away from home for me. I especially love to walk around the shrine as I recite the rosary. It is truly a beautiful church.

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Rachel R.

Santa Clara, CA

I've had many experiences here, some good, some bad. I agree that this church is very traditional and old fashioned. But the latest experience I had at this church completely made me not want to come here anymore and I am a pretty patient person. I'm not the type of person to be so harsh with my judgments, but this was awful. My husband and I wanted to have our baby daughter baptized here. So we went to the office/rectory on a friday afternoon and was told that we would have to call for an appointment. OK, no problem. I called that following monday, and was told that we would have to go to the office/rectory and make an appointment. Ok, fine, maybe it was a misunderstanding the first time. So a couple of days later, my husband and I return and make an appointment. We attend the appointment, and I soon as we arrived and were seated, I knew, something was off. First, the father we had an appointment with was half an hour late. The receptionist/office assistant tried to pass us off onto another father, whom we overheard say he DID NOT want to see us. WTH? Fine, we'll wait. Half an hour late already, the father (who I will not name because I am not that mean) comes in, and asks us into his office. He holds the door open until my husband politely says he will and the father stares at us so hard as if to see if he can see our thoughts. Ok, I think, what was that about. Anyway, we sit down as follows:

Father: Why would you like your child to be baptized?

Me: Well, me and my husband were both baptized catholic and we would like our child to grow up in this religion. I know what it is like to be confused with religion as my parents are two different religions, and I don't want that for her.

Father: (nods head and stares at application) I see here that you were not married in church. You both know that you are living in sin, right? Even though you are married, it does not count because it did not happen in church. So you are sinners.

Me: (Hubby and I look at each other incredulously) Ok...

Father: You obviously don't care enough about baptism, you are raising your child the wrong way.

(At this point, I do not want to talk anymore.)

Hubby: We do care.

Father: Then you must be married in this church.

Hubby: (looks at me with a "WTH" expression) Ok....

Father: Here, let me introduce you to Barbara, our wedding coordinator, and you can get married in the church.

Hubby: (thinking, WTH!?!?!) Ok....

So we walk out into the lobby, he calls Barbara, and makes us an appointment for the marriage interview. What the hell? We came here for a baptism interview, now we have to be married again? She hands me this sheet of information for weddings and classes that we need to take in order for us to be married in church. I glance at it, each class is $130 each! Two classes! Barbara then looks at my baby sitting in her stroller quietly, and tells her "We're gonna get your mommy and daddy married so they aren't living in sin anymore". What?!?!?! Don't tell my daughter that! The father had told her we were married! I thought maybe this was only his opinion, but apparently not! They give us a date for the baptism and we leave, but not until the Father smiles (for the first time) and says "Don't be mad, ok?" As my husband and I walk out, we talk. Of course we're mad. First you say we are sinners, you tell us we are raising our daughter wrong, and now you are forcing us to be married in your church, AND we have to pay $260 for classes on top of that??? We came here to have our daughter baptized, not get married! We're already married! My husband was soooo mad, and we have both decided to go to another church that is friendlier and not judgmental at all. This was such a bad experience, and it happened at a church. What the hell kind of Father/Priest calls you a sinner to your face and tells you that you are raising your child incorrectly? Needless to say, I don't think we'll ever be patronizing this church again, which is such a shame since I used to go here with my grandma, RIP.

I should have listened to my husband's cousin, my best friend, and my other cousin when they said they also had bad experiences here too. You get one star for my previous experiences here with my grandma, but that's it!!!!

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Frank C.

San Francisco, CA

Awesome, holy, respectful, beautiful Catholic Church.  It's packed because the message given from the pulpit is clear and solid.  I think it's sad that people think it's backwards to actually preach what the Church teaches (i.e. what is in the Cathecism, taught by the Magesterium).  The priests here are awesome.  It's an oasis in the middle of Silicon Valley.  

I, for one, am tired of homilies at other churches that don't challenge at all, or if they do, I'm not sure how to rise to challenge (i.e. to 'be Church', etc).

Thank God for this Church!

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Stef g.

Saratoga, CA

Awesome HOLY Catholic Church.  We are so blessed to have the ability to attend Adoration 24 - 7.  And you can always go for confessions before any of the masses.  For the folks that don't like traditional HOLY churches there are plenty in California to choose from.  Thank you for OLP!  Oh and BTW I'm a whitey and I enjoy attending with my latin brothers and sisters as well as my wonderful Filipino family.  We are all God's children no matter what heritage we come from that is one of the gifts our faith gives us....

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Elite '08

67

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Eugene F.

Campbell, CA

I'm not going to knock on this place because any place that people can celebrate their faith and maintain their spiritual well-being is ok with me.  

However, I know that this church is not for me.  I've only been here once for a Simbang Gabi (a Filipino traditional morning mass 9 days before Christmas) at 5:00am, and it was a very different experience, albeit a time warp one,  for me from the churches I have attended in the past.

As other Yelpers noted:
-  they still use the paten and the communion rail
-  no women are allowed past the communion rail
-  no women are allowed to be communion ministers, lectors, or altar servers
-  the place is packed at every service

In short, I know that this place isn't for a Catholic like me, and I'm cool with it.

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John S.

Mountain View, CA

This is a traditional church. If someone doesn't like it, they should probably go to another church. Obviously, this place is packed so these people can't all be wrong. This isn't an Americanize Catholic church. This church had a latin mass until a while ago.

This is a good place to go to if you need to pray at any hour of the day. The church is always open. There's seating in front of the Mary Statue in the parking outside. It's a good place to reflect.

As for the church being too 1968, it would be hard for someone to gauge that is they weren't even alive in 1968.

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Jennifer H.

San Jose, CA

EVERY--- THING  about this CHURCH is BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL...The people are so caring and supportive...I'm blessed to have been guided to such a wonderful place of prayer and guidance

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Elite '08

314

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Kathleen M.

San Jose, CA

Has Our Lady of Peace heard of Vatican II? I was shocked to see people receive Communion on kneelers at the front of the church. And then there are older women who cover their heads during Mass. What is this - 1968? I've never seen any of this before in my 32 years.

Not only that but as others mentioned, there are no altar girls and the priests wear super traditional frocks. I find the giant statue of Mary off-putting, but some are more into saints than others ("others" being me).

The crowd here is mostly Mexican and Filipino with some Whiteys sprinkled in for good measure. There's an overflow room where I think the Mass is translated into Spanish, too.

I'm not too fond of the priests here. The Irish one in particular likes to bring up the conservative beliefs of the church that I don't agree with, and is a bit too fire and brimstone-y for my taste.

If you're going to a Catholic church in the area I highly recommend St. Clare's in Downtown Santa Clara. Our Lady of Peace is my least favorite church in the Bay Area, but it's always the most packed with people. Some people out there like to pretend it's still 1968 I guess.

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Elite '08

77

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Sharon T.

Santa Clara, CA

my favorite church of choice when i was young... only because you weren't restricted to being indoors - stuck inside a claustrophobic pew set behind adults that would give you the evil eye for not being able to stay still... their PA system allowed me to listen in on their services, and being able to enjoy that while outside in all of god's glory was freeing.  esecially while rolling down that hill on the green with other frollicking children... ah, memories...

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Elite '08

26

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Michelle N.

Union City, CA

As another reviewer noted, Our Lady of Peace is one of the landmark Catholic churches in the Silicon Valley because of the huge statue of Mary that is easily visible from the 101 and surrounding area roads and its proximity to the Yahoo! offices. The church is cared for by the religious family of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (also known by the acronym IVE for Instituto del Verbo Encarnado, the Spanish name of the Order.) There are three IVE priests on site as pastor and associate pastors. This was the first church I have attended where the priests can still be seen wearing traditional cassocks as well as the more conventional black slacks and black shirts with the roman collar. There is also a convent on church grounds, run by the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara. Interestingly, the Sisters wear blue habits instead of the traditional black.

The church structure is humble, in an older style and mostly wood. The pews are well maintained but worn and the confessionals small. The church grounds are quite impressive. Aside from the statue of the Blessed Mother viewable from the freeway, there is a smaller statue in the meditative garden close to the convent. There's also a wide expanse of well maintained grass and walking pathways near the larger statue of the Blessed Mother. If you want to visit as a tourist, it is a great place to take photos.

The parish is quite active and offers various ministries including CCD (including Vietnamese CCD) and the Couple-to-Couple League. There is a very large Learning Center with well equipped classrooms used for the various ministries as well as gift shop. The gift shop is very well stocked and has all types of books, CDs and religious gifts and materials.

Our Lady of Peace is much more conservative and traditional than most other modern Catholic churches in the Bay Area. All the lectors and altar servers are male. There are some women who still observe a very dated original practice of wearing head coverings.It is one of only a handful of churches which still offer the Latin Mass -- Saturday vigil at 7:30PM. The Latin Mass offered isn't always the traditional Latin High Mass (the one that's sung and ALL in Latin where the priest faces away from the parish) but the fact that the parish offers it makes it of note. The church practices Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, it is open literally all day, every day, rain or shine and there is always someone there praying.

In stark contrast to other Catholic parishes which have seen a decline in attendance over the years, Our Lady of Peace seems to have a very good attendance rate at all Sunday Masses with the 12:30PM Mass being the most crowded. (Usually by the time Mass begins, there's plenty of seats but the "late comers" -- ie, come in after Mass has begun -- quickly fill the seats and spill over into the standing room only areas near the confessionals and entrance.)

Holy days of obligation such as Ash Wednesday, the Christmas Eve/Day Masses and Easter Vigil/Day Masses get very full, very quickly. I arrived at 11:00PM for the Christmas Eve midnight Mass this past Christmas and the church was already full and overflow was nearly full! By the time Mass began, the people standing had spilled halfway into the (very cold) meditation garden.

If you're considering getting married at Our Lady of Peace, remember that there is a lot of pre-planning that must take place. Like all Catholic parishes, OLoP requires a 6 month preparation period and attending of the Pre-Cana marriage preparation courses, offered on specific weekends for engaged couples, as well as a Natural Family Planning course. The wedding co-ordinator/marriage counselor is quite nice and helpful.

While very conservative -- and I mean VERY -- the community at Our Lady of Peace is very welcoming. As a lapsed Catholic, I had my own suspicions and trepidations about OLOP but I have found my spiritual home here and am very happy to be a parishioner.I love this parish and haven't found a parish like it anywhere else in the Bay Area.

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thomas c.

Fountain Valley, CA

Looks like a Catholic Church!  Sounds like a Catholic Church!  Ohhh...It is a Catholic Church!

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Matt W.

Berkeley, CA

If you look in the documents of the Second Vatican Council, you'll find that nowhere in those documents are altar girls authorized; likewise, that V2 continues to support the veneration of saints and the complete magisterium of the Church.  I'm not sure I understand slagging the parish off for remaining faithful to the tenets of its religion.  I was under the impression that the Roman Catholic Church's teachings were to be accepted as a unity, not picked and chosen like offerings in a cafeteria.

Perhaps the OP would be happier as a Methodist?

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Elite '08

117

225

Christine E.

Dixon, CA

I would have to agree that OLOP is still pretty traditional and conservative.  I received the Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation here.  I've been going to Sunday mass with my immediate family since I was a little girl.  I definitely appreciate the sense of community in the church.  However, I wish there were more opportunities for females to get involved with mass.  I've tried to volunteer to do readings but didn't receive any kind of positive response.  While I was a college student at Santa Clara University, I was pretty involved with Campus Ministry and would often do the readings at the masses held at the Santa Clara Mission.  I gained a lot from that experience and hoped to contribute the same way at OLOP.  I noticed though that the Knights of Columbus seem to take an active role in doing the readings during mass and I've never seen a female do a reading.  Also, I've attended mass at other Catholic churches where I've seen altar girls.  You won't find that OLOP.  All the altar servers are boys or young men.  Again, this shows how traditional OLOP is.  Of course, nothing wrong with that.  But, it would be nice for female parishioners to make worthwhile contributions during mass, as well.

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brenda b.

San Lorenzo, CA

You've probably driven by this place millions of times but never stopped by.  It has the large statue of  "Our Lady of Peace" (hence the name) that you could see off the freeway, near Great America. In terms of church services, they are pretty conservative.  Sometimes I feel like I've stepped into a time warp because the church has older images and some of the regular parishioners even wear head coverings.  But for some reason, I think that's the big draw to this church because it is ALWAYS crowded.  It's right near Yahoo! and Sun Microsystems, and when I've went to a noon time service, I saw some of those badges on the people.  I guess people like their religions traditional.  Doesn't bother me, but it does spark my curiosity.  My gang of miniature noisemakers and I can usually be found on the outside of the church because one of the drawbacks of traditional churches is that they want children to be QUIET!  Mind you, my children are 3 and 1 years old, respectively.  So I'm usually walking the grounds.  Speaking of which, they are actually quite spacious, and in being spacious, keep my little buggers busy.  For such a small church, the surrounding grounds are HUGE.  You can walk in the grass right in front of the statue, or walk around the area near the church.  Just remember that if your kids make any type of sound, you will be shushed.

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