First of all, on behalf of the Chinese Community, we would like to congratulate St. John the Baptist Church, El Cerrito celebrating 100th Anniversary on June 24, 2025. May God bless all the priests and all ministers from St. John The Baptist Church and keep them in all their righteous endeavors.
We wish St. John The Baptist Church a happy centennial anniversary and much blessings from the Lord. May our good
Lord leads St. John The Baptist Church in the next phase of service as it touches lives near and far away where the Lord has purposed to reach, God bless St. John The Baptist Church abundantly.
In 1985, a group of Chinese parishioners from St. John the Baptist Church celebrating the Lunar New Year Mass. Let we take this opportunity to acknowledge Fr. John Blaker, Fr. John Maxwell, Fr. Joseph Tran, Sr. Mary Soong, Nancy Woo, Gary Tang, Christine Hickey, Homer Teng, Ancelle Nguyen, Mary Dong, Joseph Guo, Helen Guo, Frank Lin, Alice Lin and Olivia Wong contributed generously financially to help planned the Lunar New Year Mass and arranged all the flowers for the event. It was the beginning for the Chinese / Asians parishioners participating at St. John the Baptist Church. We are appreciated the above parishioners spent their time, treasure, and efforts to plan the Lunar New Year mass along the Lunar New Year reception after mass.
Fig. 1 – Lion Dance at the end of Lunar New Year mass in 2005.
Fig. 2 – 2003 Lunar New Year mass church decoration.
Fig. 3 – 2003 Lunar New Year Mass as Fr. John Maxwell was the celebrant.
Fig. 4 – 2003 After Lunar New Year Mass.
Fig. 5 – 2003 Lion Dance after mass.
ss
Fig. 6 – 2005 Lunar New Year Mass Reception with Fr. John Maxwell.
Fig. 7 – 2006 Lunar New Year Mass choir.
Fig. 8 – 2006 Photos with Lunar New Year Committee Members.
Thirty years ago, a group of Catholics from Taiwan, came to Bay Area (in the East Bay in Berkeley, Albany, and El Cerrito) and settled down with their families. In order to keep our faith, we established the Catholic Chinese Community.
In 1997, one of the parishioners, Alice Lin was hoping to have a Mandarin mass in the parish at least once a month, so native Mandarin speakers can have at least one Mass in their native tongue. She approached Fr. John Maxwell starting Chinese Mass at St. John and he was very supportive and that was how it got started. He loved to showcase the different ethnic groups in the parish and celebrating the Lunar New Year was a great way to embrace that diversity. St. John The Baptist Chinese Catholic Community was officially established in 1997 with the main mission of participating in Sunday Mass together in Mandarin.
Under Oakland Diocese, four Chinese locations in Fremont, Oakland, Union City, El Cerrito was formed as a faithful group as a Chinese Pastoral and Cultural Center (CPCC).
Below is a list of previous assigned priests, who have been the chaplain ministries for Chinese Community at St. John in the past thirty years!
1981-2007 吳天福神父 (Fr. Thomas Ng) served as pastor
2007-2019 陳峰神父 (Fr. Paul Chen) served as pastor
2019-2021 满而溢神父 (Fr. Michel Marcil SJ ) served as pastor
From time to time, we have invited Chinese speaking student priests that studied at Jesuit School of Theology to serve our Mass and to be our spiritual director. In 2022, Dioceses under Bishop Michael Barber instructed the four groups to officially register under a local church and that is how St John The Baptist became our parish. We hope to continue to grow the community.
During all these years, our Chinese Community has been continuing to follow the faith of Catholic Christian at St. John The Baptist Church. Following are the some events which took place at St. John The Baptist Church and Fr. John Maxwell Conference room.
We had Chinese speaking priests baptizing couple Chinese parishioners. We held a Spiritual Conference at Fr. John Maxwell conference room. Birthday’s celebration at Fr. John Maxwell conference room after mass, etc.
Fig. 9 – Baptism photo.
Fig. 10 – Month of August birthdays celebration at Fr. John Maxwell conference room after mass in 2022.
Fig. 11 – Bishop from Taiwan celebrated mass at St. John in October 2010.
Fig. 12 – Group photos after Spiritual discussion with Fr. Francis Ching at Fr. John Maxwell conference room in 2022.
Fig. 13 – Spiritual discussion with Fr. Francis Ching at Fr. John Maxwell conference room in 2022.
Fig. 14 – Baptism in Easter Vigil in March 2024.
Fig. 15 – Palm Sunday in April 2022.
Fig. 16 – Group photo after mass in June 2024.
Fig. 17 – Group photo after mass with Deacon Thomas Croteau (he was ordained as Fr. Thomas Crotrau) in October 2021.
Fig. 18 – Mass in 2024.
Fig. 19 – Mass in 2021.
Fig. 20 – Mass in March 2024.
Fig. 21 – Mother’s Day photo in May 2024 with Fr. Ivan.
Fig. 21 – Fr. Ivan’s farewell reception in June 2024.
Fig. 22 – Fr. Ivan’s farewell reception in June 2024.
Fig. 23 – Group photo with Fr. Chrisanttus in August 2024.
Our mission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Through time to time, the Chinese Community has gone through from different generation. Beside Mandarin speaking mass on monthly basis at 1:00pm, we also add one bi-lingual English mass once a month which is on the first Sunday of each month and for the rest of the Sundays of the month will be Mandarin mass.
St. John’s parish knows about the Mandarin community through the Lunar New Year celebration. Without the Lunar New Year Mass and celebration, the Mandarin community will remain a self-isolated group, socializing only among themselves and disconnected with the main parish.
Lastly, special thanks for Lulu Hsia, Anna Wu, Olivia Wong and all other Chinese parishioners to provide the historical information and photos for me to put together the history for the Chinese Community at St. John the Baptist Church.
Editors: Anna Wu and Bessie Lai February 2025