| Jurisdiction: | Diocese |
| San José in California | |
| Latin: | Diœcesis Sancti Josephi in California |
| Local: | Spanish; Castilian: Diócesis de San José en California Vietnamese: Giáo Phận Thánh Giuse |
| Coat: | Coat of arms of the Diocese of San José in California.svg |
| Coat Size: | 150px |
| Country: |  United States |
| Territory: | County of Santa Clara |
| Province: | San Francisco |
| Headquarters: | 1150 N. First St., San Jose CA 95112 |
| Population: | 1,918,044 |
| Population As Of: | 2017 |
| Catholics: | 633,000 |
| Catholics Percent: | 33.0[1] |
| Parishes: | 52 (including missions) |
| Denomination: | Catholic |
| Sui Iuris Church: | Latin Church |
| Rite: | Roman Rite |
| Established: | January 27, 1981 |
| Cathedral: | Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph |
| Cocathedral: | Saint Patrick Proto-Cathedral |
| Patron: | Saint Joseph Saint Clare of Assisi[2] |
| Bishop: | Oscar Cantú |
| Metro Archbishop: | Salvatore Cordileone |
| Map: | Diocese of San Jose in California map 1.png |
The Diocese of San José in California (Latin: Diœcesis Sancti Josephi in California) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Santa Clara County in California in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Francisco.
The mother church of the Diocese of San José in California is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose.
The patron saints of the Diocese of San José in California are Saint Joseph and Clare of Assisi. The diocese serves approximately 600,000 Catholics in 54 parishes and missions, three university campus ministries, and 34 schools.[3]
The first Catholic presence in the present day San Jose area, then part of the Spanish empire, was the Mission Santa Clara de Asís, built in 1777. The missionary Junipero Serra established the mission on the Guadalupe River to minister to the Ohlone 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 California, as opposed to mission churches established for evangelizing Native Americans.[5] In 1840, the Vatican moved California, now part of the Republic of Mexico, into the Diocese of Alta and Baja California.
After the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, all of California became an American territory. In 1850, the Vatican transferred California from the Mexican diocese to the new American Diocese 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 erected Archdiocese 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. Saint Clare Parish was established in 1925 as the successor to the Mission Santa Clara de Asís.
Pope John Paul II in 1981 erected the Diocese of San José in California, taking Santa Clara County from the Diocese of San Francisco.[8] He named Auxiliary Bishop Pierre DuMaine of San Francisco as the first bishop of the new diocese. Saint Patrick Proto-Cathedral was designated as the diocesan cathedral.
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in northern California cause $22 million in damage to St. Joseph's Cathedral.[9] The earthquake also caused one death and extensive damage to Saint Joseph's Seminary in Mountain View.[10] The diocese decided to closed Saint Joseph's, demolish the building and sell part of the property to a developer. It used the cash proceeds to repair the cathedral. The diocese donated the remaining 138acres to Rancho San Antonio County Park.[9] John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop Patrick J. McGrath of San Francisco as coadjutor bishop of the diocese in 1998 to assist Dumain. After Dumain retired in 1999, McGrath automatically succeeded him as the next bishop of San José.[11]
In 2017, Hien Minh Nguyen, director of the Vietnamese Catholic Center in San Jose, was sentenced to three years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion after stealing US$1.4 million in donations to the center.[12] [13]
In 2018, the diocese, with McGrath's approval, paid US$2.3 million for a 3,269 square foot, five-bedroom home in Silicon Valley to serve as McGrath's retirement residence. McGrath explained that the money for house came from a fund that was dedicated only for housing expenses for retired bishops.[14] [15] However, facing criticism about the purchase, McGrath said a day later that the diocese would sell the house and he would retire to a parish rectory instead.[16] [17] Pope Francis appointed Bishop Oscar Cantú of the Diocese of Las Cruces as coadjutor bishop of San José in 2018 to assist McGrath.[18]
As of 2023, Cantú is the current bishop of San José, having taken office immediately after McGrath retired in 2019
In 2005, the Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to a $21 million 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.[19]
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 the allegations against these priests and shielded them from potential prosecution.[20]
In 2019, California State Attorney Xavier Becerra subpoenaed personnel records from the diocese. This was in preparation for a new California law that temporarily removed the statute of limitations on sexual abuse lawsuits.[21] [22]
Thomas A. Daly (May 25, 2011 – May 20, 2015), appointed Bishop of Spokane
Richard John Garcia, appointed auxiliary bishop of Sacramento in 1997, appointed Bishop of Monterey in 2006
In terms of student population, the diocese is the second largest education provider in the county, trailing only San Jose Unified School District. 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 a religious institute.
Santa Clara University is a Jesuit-run university at the site of Mission Santa Clara.
See main article: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California.
| Notes: | Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected |
| Year Adopted: | 1981 |
| Escutcheon: | The diocesan arms consists of three mountains, a diagonal band of Latin crosses, a rose and a carpenter's set square. |
| Symbolism: | The crosses symbolize the California missions, including Santa Clara de Asis. The rose represents Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe) and the carpenter's square represents St. Joseph. The mountains symbolize the Santa Clara Valley. |
The Diocese of San José in California publishes a quarterly trilingual magazine, The Valley Catholic.