Diocese of San José in California Diœcesis Sancti Josephi in California Diócesis de San José en California Giáo Phận Thánh Giuse tại California | |
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 Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country |  United States |
| Territory | County ofSanta Clara |
| Ecclesiastical province | San Francisco |
| Headquarters | 1150 N. First St., San Jose CA 95112 |
| Statistics | |
Population
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| Parishes | 52 (including missions) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | January 27, 1981 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph |
| Co-cathedral | Saint Patrick Proto-Cathedral |
| Patron saint | Saint Joseph Saint Clare of Assisi[2] |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Oscar Cantú |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Salvatore Cordileone |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Andres Cantoria Ligot |
| Map | |
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| Website | |
| dsj.org | |
TheDiocese of San José in California (Latin:Diœcesis Sancti Josephi in California) is adiocese of theCatholic Church in Santa Clara County in California in the United States. It is asuffragan diocese of the metropolitanArchdiocese of San Francisco. The mother church is theCathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose.
Thepatron saints of the Diocese of San José in California areSaint Joseph andClare of Assisi. The diocese serves 525,000 Catholics, encompassing 54 parishes, missions, and pastoral centers, eight preschools, 26 TK/K-8th grade, 28 elementary schools and one high school, three college or university campus ministries, one of which part of a Catholic university, and several Catholic cemeteries. They also partner with two independent Catholic elementary schools, five independent Catholic high schools, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, and Villa Siena Retirement Community.[3]
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The first Catholic presence in the present-day San Jose area, then part of the Spanish province ofAlta California in New Spain, was theMission Santa Clara de Asís, built in 1777. The missionaryJunipero Serra established the mission on theGuadalupe River to minister to theOhlone Native Americans.[4]
San Jose de Guadalupe Church was dedicated in San Jose in 1803. It was the first church built for Spanish settlers in Alta California, as opposed to mission churches established for evangelizing Native Americans.[5] In 1840, the Vatican moved Alta California, now part of theRepublic of Mexico, into theDiocese of Alta and Baja California.
After theMexican-American War ended in 1848, Alta California became an American territory. In 1850, the Vatican transferred the new State of California from its Mexican diocese to the new AmericanDiocese of Monterey.[6]Santa Clara College, the first higher education institution in California, was founded in 1851 by Franciscan Fathers in Santa Clara.[7]
In 1853, the Vatican moved the northern half of Santa Clara County into the newly erectedArchdiocese of San Francisco. In 1922, the Vatican transferred the southern half of Santa Clara County from the Diocese of Monterey to the Archdiocese of San Francisco.[6] Saint Clare Parish was established in 1925 as the successor to the Mission Santa Clara de Asís.
The Diocese of San José in California was erected in 1981, taking Santa Clara County from the Archdiocese of San Francisco.[8] Auxiliary BishopPierre DuMaine of San Francisco as the first bishop.[9] TheSaint Patrick Proto-Cathedral was designated as the diocesan cathedral.
The1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in Northern California caused $22 million in damage toSt. Joseph's Cathedral.[10] The earthquake also caused one death and extensive damage toSaint Joseph's Seminary in Mountain View.[11] The diocese decided to closed Saint Joseph's, demolish the building, and sell part of the property. It used the cash proceeds to repair the cathedral. The diocese donated the remaining 138 acres (0.56 km2) to the country to created theRancho San Antonio County Park.[10] Auxiliary BishopPatrick J. McGrath of San Francisco was made coadjutor bishop of the diocese in 1998. After DuMaine retired in 1999, McGrath succeeded him as the next bishop of San José.[12]
In 2017, Hien Minh Nguyen, director of the Vietnamese Catholic Center in San Jose, was sentenced to three years in prison forbank fraud andtax evasion after stealing US$1.4 million in donations to the center.[13][14]
BishopOscar Cantú of theDiocese of Las Cruces was madecoadjutor bishop of San José in 2018 to assist McGrath.[15] Cantú took office after McGrath retired in 2019.
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In 2005, the Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to a $21 million financial settlement to 15 alleged victims of sexual abuse. The plaintiffs were abused by several priests during the 1960s and 1970s when they were minors in the San Jose area, then part of the archdiocese of San Francisco.[16]
In 2018, the diocese released the names of 15 former diocesan priests who were "credibly accused" of sexual abuse of minors. It was also reported that the diocese knew about allegations against these priests and shielded them from potential prosecution.[17]
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As of 2025, the Diocese of San Jose contains 28 Catholic elementary schools, six Catholic high schools with an enrollment exceeding 14,000 students.[19] Most of the primary schools are parochial, or operated by a parish, while all the high schools are operated by either the diocese or by areligious institute.
Santa Clara University is aJesuit-rununiversity at the site of Mission Santa Clara.[20]
As of 2025, the following primary schools are in the Diocese of San Jose:[21]
As of 2025, the following high schools are in the Diocese of San Jose:[21]
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The Diocese of San José in California publishes a quarterly trilingual magazine,The Valley Catholic.
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Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of San Francisco | |
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37°18′07″N121°52′31″W / 37.30194°N 121.87528°W /37.30194; -121.87528
