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

Email:

info@holyspiritfremont.org

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.”
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