Saint Jarlath Catholic Church

2620 Pleasant Street
Oakland

The parish of Saint Jarlath was established March 10, 1910.  The first masses were said in a rented hall over a nearby firehouse. The Pastor for the first 45 years of the Parish was Rev. Patrick M. McHugh.  A shingle church building at the corner of Fruitvale and Montana Streets was ready for mass on Christmas Day 1910.

The school was opened on August 11, 1930.  The concrete and steel building faced with brick was designed by architect George McCrea and built by general contractors, Mealey and Collins.

Ground was broken for the new church in October 1952.  The building was designed by architects Paul A. Ryan and John Michael Lee of San Francisco.  It was built of steel reinforced concrete with brick that matched that in the school.  General contractors were Carrico and Gautier.  Landscape design was by J. Vendes Mann of Oakland.  It was dedicated on September 25, 1954.

Carl Huneke, Century Stained Glass Studio created and installed the beautiful stained glass windows during the years 1953 through 1964.  In all, there are 88 stained glass windows in Saint Jarlath Church.

The combination of architecture, stained glass, and interior details make Saint Jarlath Church one of the most beautiful churches in the Bay Area.