WATSONVILLE—Parishioners celebrated the 150th anniversary of St Patrick’s Catholic Parish on Oct. 11 in a ceremony that drew members from across the Pajaro Valley to celebrate an institution whose community roots go back hundreds of years.
The first recorded Catholic religious ceremony in the Pajaro Valley occurred on Oct. 11, 1769 in a campsite not far from Pinto Lake.
That’s where Father Juan Crespi offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to sick men who were members of a scouting party led by Don Jose de Ortega.
Crespi was one of the Franciscan fathers who accompanied Gaspar de Portola in his quest for the Bay of Monterey.
One century later, in 1869—around the time of Watsonville’s founding —St. Patrick’s Church became its own parish.
Before that, Catholics in the area worshipped in Valley Church, which was built in 1861. But with a growing population, the church became too crowded.
And so, led by Father Appolinarius Roussel, Watsonville residents received permission from their Bishop to form their own parish.
They celebrated mass in the old Maher Hall until 1864, when construction began on Patrick’s Church. It was completed in 1874, and remained a mission of Valley Church until 1869.
In 1902 the church took its present form when famed architect William Weeks designed and built it for $35,000. It has since been rebuilt after the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes, keeping its original look each time.
“It’s been a home away from home for my family,” said James Van Lanen, who owns Van’s Shoes in Watsonville.
Van Lanen said he remembers attending early morning mass so his father Raymond Van Lanen could open the family shoe shop.
After that, he would quiz the family about what the priest said.
“So we had to pay attention and repeat it over breakfast,” he said.
Van Lanen said he was married in the church and was baptized there as well.
“It’s where all the big events happened,” he said.
