St Margaret Mary Church

Beautiful church and service. Took me back to my childhood. If only it were still this way.

As an old Altar boy I love the 1230 Latin Mass here. I love the beauty of the Gregorian Chant and the devoutness of the congregation. Most men wear suits and neckties while the ladies wear mantillas — no shorts or flip flops in sight. All right, I may be a bit biased since I was recruited to carry the canopy on Corpus Christi a few years back and I’m in some of the photos on the web site (I knew the head of the Parish Council). This is what mass used to be like back in the day. It really makes you feel like your communing with God. After Mass they usually have a little get together in the hall. One reason for not giving them a five is that the priests don’t speak latin as well as they used to back in my day. In principio erat verbum …. I have to bribe my family to come here but it’s worth it.
P. S. It’s the 1962 version of the Latin Mass — shorter than the one I learned in 1959 — and the canopy was pretty heavy after a while.

This is the home of the Tridentine Latin Mass for the Diocese of Oakland. For younger Catholics, this is the Mass that predated Vatican II and is still held in Latin. The TLM is adminstered by a group named the Institute of Christ the King whose mission is to return classic beauty to the Catholic liturgy.
With that said, the organ and chant chior was lovely and the Mass was celebrated in a beautiful, refined and sacred fashion. The congregation was mulit-​ethnic and cross-​generational. The old form Mass has a reputation of bringing together close-​minded or cold people, but that does not actually appear to be the case.

Their Sunday 12:30 PM Traditional Latin Mass is the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven!

Beautiful church, Latin Mass, real music (not Protestant folk songs) and a really interesting diverse congregation. As a bad Catholic I don’t go very often but when I do I always go here if I’m in the area.
Highly recommended for non-​Catholics who want a taste of what Catholicism used to be like. HINT: you do not ever have to stand or kneel or go to communion or do anything that you don’t want to and NO ONE will look at you twice. Don’t worry! This is a traditional church not a touchy feely modern one.

I’ve been to St. Margaret Mary Church three times, each when I was in the Oakland area on business, and each time has been wonderful.
I was blessed in that one trip was scheduled across Christmas and I was able to attend Midnight Mass.
The community in this church is wonderful — people greet you as a friend even if it;s obvious that it’s your first time there.
It was clear that all are serious about their faith.
Our country is about freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.
The Latin mass is not for everyone. I grew up with it, served mass in Latin as a young boy, watched the church change to embrace the local language during high school, and even in my 50s I am still undecided if it is a good thing or not. Still, I go out of my way to attend Mass in Latin whenever I can. To me it’s worth it.
Intrebido ad Altare Dei.

One of Oakland’s most beautiful Catholic parishes, St. Margaret Mary’s, located just off the I-​580 (14^th St /​Park Blvd. offramp), is one of a few that still celebrate the traditional Latin-​Rite or Tridenine Mass every day (weekdays at 6 pm) as well as the more contemporary English Mass.
Because it’s the only parish in the Oakland Diocese offering the Traditional Latin Mass and, therefore, draws worshippers from well beyond the immediate area, St. Margaret Mary’s is called a magnet parish. Several choirs serve the church. Fr. Stanislaw Zak is the rector.
The church building was completed and dedicated in 1931 at cost of $ 74,085.
For more information:
Parish Website
Institute of Christ the King

I was the photographer at a wedding held at St Margaret Mary’s. Father performed a full 2 hour mass with some psalms in Latin, as well as the nuptial blessings. It’s a beautiful church and there is ample parking, on the street and next to the church is a 10 spot private parking lot. Right outside of the church is a small courtyard with grass and a side access to the church, that makes for great photos and it mostly in the shade around 4−5pm.

If you’re serious about your Catholicism, it’s worth the drive to St. Margaret Mary. This is the first parish I’ve gone to where the priest actually preaches the fullness of Catholic doctrine, rather than focusing on the «feel good» parts. The Tridentine Mass is gorgeous, though parents with small children should be warned that it is on the long side. The parish is home to a large homeschooling community as well.

We used to come here for the latin masses, which my dad really likes — I did like the latin sung mass — but I couldn’t understand a thing the priest said during the homily.

This is the church I grew up going to. My family always went to the 10:30 Novus Ordo Mass. This is the post Vatican II Latin mass. Going to this mass (and church) gives me a sense of connection to the history and tradition of the Catholic church, while at the same time reflecting the inclusive nature of Vatican II. I am NOT an fan of the Tridentine mass, it’s just not my style.
St. Margaret Mary is certainly and Old-​School church, which, to me, is a good thing.

This is the parish I grew up in. It’s an incredibly beautiful church, both with the old mass and the actual architecture itself. However, it’s the people that attend this church that make me sick. It’s the whole holier-​than-​thou attitude, and I remember so many occasions that they shun and even made fun of new comers. Seriously, if they are indeed such holy and good people, why is it that they cannot even extend a greeting to a young woman with two small children that came to celebrate a Sunday mass and make a new family in the church? Instead she was gossiped about because she had no husband, and she sadly turned away from the church and I never saw her again. Sadly there are hypocrites here, who say one thing, and do another. But that occurs everywhere. I do miss this place, it has such a comforting and inspirational atmosphere, but I do not miss the people. Church should be about you and God, and not about the hype and current gossip going around the parish.

St. Margaret Mary is my favorite Catholic parish in the Bay Area. They are also the only parish to celebrate the Traditional Tridentine Liturgy. The Traditional Liturgy is the Mass as it was celebrated in the Church prior to 1969. I am not going to go into what I perceive as the theological advantages of the Old Mass. There are plenty of discussions of that available elsewhere on the web. Instead, from a purely aesthetic appreciation, the Traditional Mass at St. Margaret Mary’s is the most beautiful that I have ever experienced. Since beauty is a creation of God, and therefore pleasing to God, beauty in the Mass is always a good thing.
The Traditional Mass at St. Margaret Mary’s is celebrated in Latin according to the 1962 Missal. However, after the Scripture readings are read in Latin, they are translated into English. The Homily (sermon) is also given in English and not Latin.
The priest at St. Margaret Mary’s is Fr. Wiener. He is a truly interesting character. A former lawyer, he is a member of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. This is an order of Catholic priests dedicated to preserving the Old Mass with beauty and reverence. Fr. Wiener reminds me of a priest from the Middle Ages. He is no nonesense, traditional and strict in his sermons. He has a thick German accent, is thin and over six foot and would make quite an imposing character if he didn’t ever so occasionally crack dry jokes.
The choir at St. Margaret Mary’s is exceptional. And, personally, I love the smell of incense which is used extensively in the Old Mass.
Before coming to St. Margaret Mary’s, I knew nothing of the Old Mass (I didn’t even know that it existed.) As such, the first few times I came here, it was a bit overwhelming (yet still impressive). If you come here, they have «orders of service» (basically programs) in the back that have English translations of the Mass in them. They also explain what is going on. I recommend those. If you decide to attend the Traditional Mass more frequently, Fr. Wiener sells Missals (complete day by day guides to the Traditional Mass) for $ 30 (half the price that you can buy them for online).
One final note: While the Traditional Mass is conservative, orthodox, and free of the feel-​good pop religion that is to be found in many other parishes (not to mention most Protestant churches), I don’t believe that it is alienating. I’ve brought many friends to Mass with me. Some have been Catholics, others Jews, Unitarians, or even atheists. Some have been conservative politically, others liberal, even one communist. Each of them left with a profound appreciation for the power and beauty of the service which led to great conversations and discussion.
This is a great Parish. Dominus tecum.