St Joseph Basilica

I would give this church 0 stars if i could. Reverend George Alengadan literally cancelled a pre planned wedding i had. He was upset i did not want to use him, but preferred another individual with close ties to the church. Literally took my wedding off the calendar with 4 months left. Iv been going to St Josephs for years, and iv never had to deal with any problems with until this man came. He then tried to call the church across town and attempted to convince the reverend not to marry me and my wife. Literally the worst individual iv ever met, and advise anyone not to deal with this man.

I’ve been a member of the St. Joseph community for over 40yrs. I’ve seen 6 different pastors but the one constant is the welcoming family of parishioners. We are a warm & generous family of God. Our mission statement says it all «To live as Jesus teaches».

Attacked by church goers! these people discriminated me and my daughter… first it was one man then it turned into 30 people who were supposed to be going to mass, ending up running me and my daughter out of the parking lot for at least a block… unbelievable! a dedicated catholic all my life… this was very sad to see. my 8 yr old daughter was truly frightened :(

I sometimes go to Corpus Christi Catholic church in Oakland but my faith and devotion stays with St Joseph’s in Alameda. This Basilica is very beautiful inside and the church is packed at the 9:00 and 11:30 mass. Parking can get very tight in the lot for those who arrive late but fortunately their is street parking. Father George, from Ireland via India replaced Father Fred and his sermons did not miss a beat. This church and community is very strong in Alameda. The Christmas and Easter mass are second to none.
Plus this church has a school, grades K-​12. Home to the St Joseph’s Pilots, multiple state champions and Jason Kidd. The sun always shines over St Joseph’s.

Awesome Sunday evening service!

I love this church and the community. You will find a home when you come to St. Joseph’s. When you become a parishioner, I highly recommend checking out the different ministries. There is an opportunity for anyone who wants to serve. If my schedule permitted me to do, I would definitely be a lecturer however I found something that fit what I can do at this point in time — Ministry of Little Things which are mini projects/​events that I can sign up for to help with.
Mass Schedule
Weekdays: 8:00am (Wednesday: Communion Service Only)
Saturdays: 8:00am, 5:00pm (Vigil)
Sundays: 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 7:00pm
Confessions — Saturday: 3:30pm — 4:30pm or by appointment
Eucharistic Adoration: First Fridays

Father Fred is amazing. He always says something inspiring, and doesn’t waste a SINGLE WORD. They are short, sweet, to the point, and hits you in the heart. I need to take public speaking classes from him.
The 7 o’clock mass is nicer though. The choir is hip… it is small, but there are 3 percussionists! They sound great, and choice of music was great and energizing.
I finally found my parish!!!

Father Fred is awesome. He takes no shit from anyone. Want to clap after the choir sings? Do it at the end of mass. Cell phone go off? Don’t even try it!
Besides his old school ways, FF also gives a mean (in a good way) homily. He always has something great to say about the soul and the spirit, and isn’t pushing too hard. It’s a great place for a relapsing Catholic to ease back in.
The community is great, too, with bake sales, plays at the school, and other organized events. They participate in AIDS ride, which I thought was really awesome for the church to join and support.
Only problem — sometimes the choir makes me laugh. Bongos? Really? Pick your mass. 7pm on Saturday seems to be hippie time. Not that I have anything against hippies, I’m a deadhead afterall, but leave it out of mass. I want the full, strict, chant it all out mass. Preferably in Latin.

–i used to go here during my «i’ll be in oakland this weekend» days
–the first time i came, i cried… the priest during that mass, fr. rich delivered such a powerful homily. from then on i knew i’d be back
–it never failed, fr. rich was so great at what he did he drew plenty of people close to the faith. for someone just visiting i enjoyed it very much
–the church itself is old… like in historical beautiful old
–parking can be somewhat challenging when you come late, it’s in a nice neighborhood
–you know… i may be the biggest foul mouth you’ve met but i love my god, i thank him for everything i have (an awesome family, great friends, a profession i love and a job i enjoy, a car, some talents, good health, my shoes, bags, sunglasses, watches lol etc) all the challenges i go thru (money, relationships, what to wear when to wear lol, my lack of cooking skills etc.) and all he asks is for an hour… an hour during sunday for you to be with him and praise. how hard is that?
–prayer can be made anywhere and anyplace i believe that too but church is church. period, no erase. lol
–one day during mass fr. rich announced a potluck for his going away party so i asked one of the parishioners where he’s going, she mentioned some assignment/​budget issue. i was sad.
–so back at aptos one work day i see him on the paper, announcing his leaving also that… he is out as being gay and once an alcoholic
–i loved him even more! i cried and could not help but write the columnist about my experience with fr. rich… she wrote back too!
–AH TO BE HUMAN AND A SINNER…