Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph
Diocese of San Jose
San Jose
TZuccaro@dsj.org +14082838100
The story of the parish of Saint Joseph begins in 1777 when Franciscan missionaries established Mission Santa Clara de Asis and the adjacent Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe became the first civil settlement in Alta California. As the Pueblo de San Jose grew, the need for a local church apart from the Mission grew as well. The first church, located at the corner of San Fernando and Market Streets, was a small adobe building dedicated in 1803 to Saint Joseph, making it the first parish in California. Over the years, several earthquakes and a fire destroyed the first four structures. Then in 1876, on March 19, the Feast of Saint Joseph, the parishioners laid the cornerstone for the fifth and present church building. Pope John Paul II established the Diocese of San Jose on January 27, 1981, and on November 4, 1990, the diocese's first Bishop, R. Pierre DuMaine, dedicated Saint Joseph Church as the Cathedral of the Diocese of San Jose. In 1997, the Vatican granted basilica status to the Cathedral, which is now named the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph.