History of Church of the Transfiguration

Formation of the Parish
The Church of the Transfiguration was formed by the Diocese of San Francisco on April 10, 1961. It had a humble beginning. The first Mass was offered on Sunday, April 16, 1961 in the garage attached to the “Little Brown House” at the end of a dirt road leading up from East Castro Valley Boulevard. It was presided by the founding Pastor, Msgr. Charles Hackel. There were no chairs and there were less than 20 people in attendance. Word of the new Parish quickly spread and the following Sunday, the garage overflowed with parishioners, some sitting on donated folding chairs, but most standing outside the open doorway in the yard.

Mass was held outdoors in the summer of 1961 with old pews generously donated by St. Mary’s of Los Gatos.  The men began to clean out the old abandoned dog kennels which were overrun with filth and fleas. With the start of autumn, Mass was held in these kennels. The “Little Brown House” is now the Rectory.

Around the same time, the hill was leveled and the construction of a new building began. The original intention was to utilize this new building as a temporary church and later convert it to a grammar school. This was completed by Easter 1962. The Easter Vigil Mass of 1962 was celebrated in this building. This building became the current Hall with classrooms for CCD. The storage closet in the middle of the current hall is where the old confessionals were.

The first Mass in the current church building was celebrated on December 22, 1979. Since its formation 64 years ago, the Church of the Transfiguration has grown into a thriving, diverse and inclusive Parish.

The Church Mural
The Mural in the Church of the Transfiguration was painted by Hungarian born Isabel Piczek. At the age of 14 she was warned that Communist officials would soon come to take her from her family, eliminating any chance to pursue her dreams.  With short notice, few belongings, no identification papers and no destination, Isabel and her sister, Edith, secretly escaped from Hungary. That was the beginning of an extraordinary journey that would take them both across Europe, to Rome, Canada and eventually the United States. The two sisters “painted” their way across war-torn Europe. Arriving in Los Angeles in 1955 they soon purchased property in Echo Park where for the next 60 years they created colossal sized works which are installed in churches, cathedrals, and buildings around the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Piczek

The Meditation Garden
(Right of Rectory when you face the Cross)

The Meditation Garden was one of Fr. Mario Borges’s many projects. The envelopes requesting offerings for this went out to Parishioners in June/July 2008. It was completed in 2009.

The Meditation Garden consists of three special areas, connected by a pathway:

• St. Francis of Assisi
• Bill’s Gazebo and Children’s Garden (Dorothy Giammona sponsored this)
• The Calvary Garden.

St. Francis of Assisi, the patron Saint of the environment and of peace, are on the upper area of the Meditation Garden. A path leads to Bill’s Gazebo and Children’s Garden. The Children’s area is whimsical, with animals that welcome all children to play. The path then leads across a bridge to the final area, the Calvary Garden. The Cross is the first thing one sees while exiting the Church and the last, while exiting the Church grounds.

The bronze statue of Jesus was ripped off the Cross and stolen in May 2015. It was around 100 lbs and was probably stolen for scrap metal. It was replaced a few months later.

Entrance Gates to the Church
This was built for the Golden Anniversary of the Parish. The envelopes requesting offerings for the re-designed entrance went out to Parishioners in September/October 2009. It was ready in 2011 in time for the Golden Anniversary.

Triangular stained glass with Dove of Peace above the Altar
Donated by Laura Catrina in memory of her husband.
Designed by Fr. Mario Borges

Pastors/Parochial Administrators
Msgr. Charles Hackel – Pastor
Msgr. Julius Bensen – Pastor
Fr. John Crumlish  – Pastor
Fr. Mario Borges – Pastor
Fr. Mario Borges – Pastor & Fr. Terence O’Malley – Parochial Administrator
Fr. Mario Borges – Pastor
Friar Raphael Zwolenkiewicz OFM Conv. – Pastor

Photo taken by Rich Cooper