About us

History of Holy Spirit Church

Holy Spirit Church is a local landmark located in the center of Fremont. Originally named Holy Ghost Church, it has brought worshipers together for the Sacraments since 1886.

The cornerstone was laid on March 28, 1886 by Bishop Eugene O’Connell of Grass Valley, assisted by Fr. Montgomery and Fr. Governo. The cost of the building at that time was $12,000. Holy Ghost Church was dedicated on Sunday, October 17, 1886 by Vicar General Fr. John J. Prendergast. Two homilies were preached… one in English by Fr. Prendergast and one in Portuguese by Fr. Governo. The City of Centerville, at the time, was primarily Portuguese, and the area consisted mostly of farms and orchards. Later, the church was renamed Holy Spirit Church and five surrounding districts were combined and named Fremont.
“When you walk through fire…” (Isaiah 43:2)

In 1919, the wooden church burnt to the ground, when a candle, that was left burning after a funeral, fell over.  Over the next six years, parishioners donated money, hauled sand and gravel from the local quarries, and gave their labors to erect a new stucco church building.  From an aerial view, the building was the shape of a cross.    

Growing in the Spirit…

As the population in Fremont grew, so did the needs of Holy Spirit Church. In 1965, a large extension (the North nave) was built that extended behind the altar area of the old church. The new sanctuary area, in the middle, was redesigned to serve the two naves. A new marble altar was donated and placed in the sanctuary between what is now commonly called the All Saints (old) side and the St. John (new) side of the Church. Within the walls, nearly 1,000 people can be seated.

Features of the Church…

Behind the Altar of Repose is a 15-foot wide mosaic mural of people young and old offering gifts to Christ.  The mosaic was designed and installed by Isabel and Edith Piscek.

The pipe organ was rebuilt around 1960 by Schoenstein & Sons and uses 868 pipes and two manuals.

Located in the South bell tower is a large bell forged in Portugal.  It survived the 1919 fire and was reinstalled in the new church bell tower.  Located in the North bell tower is a large speaker that tolls the Angelus and other electronic and taped music.   The electronic bell system by the Schulmerish Carillon Company was installed in 1978.

Where are we?

Get in touch

Address:

37588 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94536

Phone:

(510) 797-1660

Contact us

Have a question or comment? Let us know and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

    Our Team

    Fr. Ken Sales

    Pastor

    frken@holyspiritfremont.org

    Fr. Ken joined Holy Spirit parish on July 1, 2017. “The priest …… has to be the sharer of secrets, the carrier of burdens, the fountain of consolation and the pillar of strength. Solitary, he is called ‘father’ by thousands; poor, he enriches the lives of thousands; unimportant, he does things each day whose importance cannot be told in any tongue on earth … he is never too busy to hear another’s sorrows; often too busy to realize his own burdens.”
    -anonymous-

    Fr. Edilberto Castanas

    Parochial Vicar

    freddie@holyspiritfremont.org

    Fr. Eddie joined Holy Spirit parish in November 2021.

    Fr. Hoa Binh Ha

    Parochial Vicar

    frbinh@holyspiritfremont.org

    Fr. Binh joined Holy Spirit parish on July 1, 2023.

    Fr. Frank Kuwornu

    Priest-in-Residence

    frfrank@holyspiritfremont.org

    Deacon Chuck Glover

    Liturgy

    dcnchuck@holyspiritfremont.org

    Deacon Steve Lewellyn

    RCIA

    dcnsteve@holyspiritfremont.org

    Deacon Bernard Liwanag

    Ministry to the Sick & Homebound

    dcnbernard@holyspiritfremont.org

    Deacon Tim Roberto

    RCIA

    dcntimothy@holyspiritfremont.org

    Sr. Annette Burkart

    Spiritual Direction

    marieannette.burkart@sndden.org

    Sr Karen Pozniak

    Spiritual Direction

    karen.pozniak@sndden.org

    Robert Alberto

    A/V Supervisor

    robert@holyspiritfremont.org

    Donald “D.J.” Albright

    Maintenance

    DJ@holyspiritfremont.org

    Mario Castellanos

    Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry

    mario@holyspiritfremont.org

    Ricardo Catapang

    Parish Office Assistant

    ricardo@holyspiritfremont.org

    Dee Francisco

    Faith Formation Administrative Assistant and Communications

    dee@holyspiritfremont.org

    Eric Hom

    Business Manager

    eric@holyspiritfremont.org

    Michele Javier-Poma

    Communications

    michele@holyspiritfremont.org

    Rosalyn Jose

    Director of Faith Formation & Evangelization

    rosalyn@holyspiritfremont.org

    Sahaya Josephine

    Parish Office Secretary

    josephine@holyspiritfremont.org

    Frances (Fran) Marron

    Faith Formation Administrative Assistant

    frances@holyspiritfremont.org

    Holly Marsh

    Holy Spirit School Principal

    holly@holyspiritfremont.org

    Paul Orella

    Director of Sacred Music

    paul@holyspiritfremont.org

    Peter Scampavia

    Facilities Scheduling and Safe Environment

    peter@holyspiritfremont.org

    Cecelia Tarrant

    Holy Spirit Preschool Director

    cecelia@holyspiritfremont.org

    Amy Wilhelm

    Assistant Director of Faith Formation

    amy@holyspiritfremont.org

    Pastoral Council

    From left to right: Vinitha Sequiera, Indian Society; Mary Marcellus, Table of Plenty; Ex officio member Jeff Van der Sluis, Parish Buisness Manager; Justin Ma, Liturgy; Catherine Weeks, Stephen Ministry; Chris Carvalho, Council Secretary; Cynthia Eugene, St. Vincent de Paul;Alan Visitacion, CYO; Melissa Pastor, Filipino Society; Dan Custodio, Council Chairperson; Ex officio member Fr. Ken Sales, Pastor.

    Not pictured: Ex officio member Holly Marsh, School Principal.
    Minutes 11.28.2023Minutes 09.26.2023Minutes 07.25.2023Minutes 05.23.2023Minutes 04.04.2023Minutes 10.25.2022Minutes 08.23.2022Minutes 06.28.2022Minutes 04.26.2022