St. John Vianney Catholic Church

6^th stop on our Visita Iglesia 2014 (11^th and 12^th station of the cross)
The church was open and they were doing a church wide station of the cross. The place was packed! We went to the corner as to not distract the whole parish community and recited our stations of the cross.

We recently joined the parish and have felt very welcomed. Mass is always enjoyable and upbeat. We also recently attended their May fiesta and it was so nice to new and familiar faces. They have carnival rides, chicken bbq on Sunday, and many other food options. The only down side was that there were little to none vegetarian options (but then again how many festivals/​bbqs have grilled veggies or garden burgers).
They also had live music which was a nice treat.
Overall, it was a wonderful event in our neighborhood and we are definitely planning on attending next year.

Very nice catholic church. They are active with the community and have annual events

I come here for the May festival and it is so much fun! The booths, the games, the activities, the food, etc are so much fun and definitely come try it out if you have not yet. Definitely a neighborhood gathering. Bring your kids aged 1 – 99!

Been going to this church most of my life and never had issue until today; they failed to pass along instructions to the priest scheduled to perform services for my brother-in-law’s vigil/​rosary service… thankfully we had someone in the family, a very long time parishioner, to get up and say the Rosary for our services. If you use St. John Vianny for an important event in your life, you may want to double check with the priest yourself to confirm.

SJV mixers 97 – 98 were things I looked forward to, toward the end of my middle school career.
The hall seemed so much bigger back in those days.
I recently came here for a friends funeral and for the funeral of my favorite teacher of all time. (Sucks that I’m usually just coming here for funerals –_​-​)
The ambiance here is calm anytime of the day, it’s an old school look inside the church. Pews and all…
The choir is old people, nothing too fancy.
Parking sucks, and it’s small so be prepared to stand.
Overall, It’s nice. Three stars.

I’ve been to this church since 1990 and its so convenient since its literally a 5 min drive from my house. Great catholic church, the place is remodeled so convenient for everyone.

Great Catholic church. Lots of wonderful parishioners and a great school too. Summer Fiesta is so much fun too!

My Ratings:
Location — 4 Stars
Service — 4 Stars
Parking — 3 Stars
Choir — 4 Stars
My Opinion/​Story:
I hardly come here but on the days that I do, I like the sermon and service provided. The choir is pretty good as well. I really can’t complain much about a church otherwise, I’ll go to hell. =)

i love this place! but i am based, i am a graduate of SJV!
yeah VIKING ALL THE WAY!
but seriously,
school wise– i loved it, i loved the small classes, the religious education, and mostly the diverse students!!!
church wise– i really loved Father John Pedigo, but hes been gone a wile, and to be honest i haven’t gone to church there in a long time, so i don’t know who is presiding the masses now a days, but i also did my confirmation there and i LOVED IT
you really get a sense of community in the classes, and its laid back, you learn a lot, and the retreats are the best!
i went to be a confirmation leader for 2 years! GOOD TIMES!
the school and church do need to updating though!

My daughter had attended SJV and we are so pleased not only with the academic program but also with the dedication, devotion and love
Sister Michael Ann and her staff had given the students and their families. We consider SJV as our second home. Thank you Sister Michael Ann for a well rounded education and the support you give the families.
Marita M.

This is one of the best churches around!
The school is awesome, even though I may be biased because i’m an alumni. I must say that they prepped me for high school in a way that I was able to handle the catholic high school, and not be phased about how hard it was.
The people here are also awesome… my parents are super involved with the filipino community here and I must say, those are some OUTGOING people!
The priests are awesome too! I’ve been through a number of pastors and associate priests, and most of them became really good friends of the family!
All in all A GREAT PLACE to celebrate your faith!

I LOVE SJV and I miss, miss, miss, singing in REVELATION CHOIR! After having my daughter I’ve had to attend the earlier Mass because of my daughter’s eating and sleeping routine. I want to eventually get back to singing someday, and of course I’m sending my lil mama to SJV when she starts school!

I agree with Enrique C. to a certain extent that yes, this is a very tight knit community, however I not once felt out of placed or unwelcomed. What upset me the most about this church is that they have one of the best youth and young adult choirs around, but barely anyone in the congregation sings with them. I don’t know if the congregation is intimidated by the choir’s awesomeness, maybe the congregation just wants to sit back and really enjoy the songs or maybe the congregation is just being lazy (no offense). This choir really moves you to sing, so go for it!
Asthetically, the church is traditional — pews in rows. The parking lot can be a bit of a problem for a church of this size — I recommend coming early if you want lot parking on the school yard but there is also street parking as well.
I’ve also attended mass here in Spanish and while I don’t speak the language, as a Catholic you can still understand what is going on because it followed the same liturgical format.
For anyone in the Alum Rock area, I highly recommend this church — it’s great!