The History of Mount Carmel Chruch
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church has a wonderful history spanning over 100 years, commencing as St. Mary¹s mission in 1866. It was under the jurisdiction of St. Matthew¹s parish in San Mateo. Irish born Father Denis Dempsey, served the mission church in addition to being the pastor of St. Matthew¹s. St. Mary¹s mission was located near the corner of El Camino and Brewster, near the present Caltrans bus depot. The land was deeded to the church by resident Horace Hawes. A name familiar to most Redwood City residents, Hawes Park was named for him.
Father Dempsey served the mission church until he died in 1881. Father Michael O¹Riordan assumed the care of the mission while he was pastor of Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. Father O¹Riordan founded St. Mary¹s Academy in 1885, the school that became Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church was officially founded in 1887, although records are unclear as to the exact date. The first pastor of the new church was Father Daniel O¹Sullivan. Born in County Kerry, Ireland he served as pastor for nine years.
The second pastor, Father John Conlan, also came to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel from Ireland, in 1896. In poor health, suffering with tuberculosis, he welcomed the assistance of Father Michael Kerns. 1905 saw the English Father Henry Kirk White as the third pastor of Mt. Carmel who resigned from the pastorate in 1907. Rumor has it that the 1906 earthquake had something to do with his resignation. He traveled through the United States and eventually returned to England.
Except for Father White, all of Mt. Carmel¹s pastors had been born in Ireland. The next pastor was Irish as well though born in Massachusetts. Father John Sullivan came to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in 1907 and remained until his death in 1920.
Father Cornelius Kennedy, a native of San Francisco, became the fifth pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in 1920, serving for seven years. During his tenure, the mansion at 600 Arguello St. was donated for a convent for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who taught at the parish school. Also during this time, the church located on Brewster St., was turned so that the front was on El Camino Real. It remained there until 1937 when it was razed to accommodate the widening of El Camino.
In 1927, Father John P. Cavanagh arrived to serve as pastor for 34 years! Early on, Father Cavanagh had the opportunity to purchase the land where the present day church and school are located. He was permitted to select the street number for the future church. He chose 347 Grand St., three representing the Holy Trinity, four representing the Four Evangelists, and seven for the Seven Sorrows of Our Blessed Mother. In 1932, the new school was built and two years later the church on El Camino was moved to the school auditorium. It served as the church until 1952 when the present church was erected. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated by Father Cavanagh on Oct. 5, 1952. Father Cavanagh died in 1961 in the rectory he built. He was remembered by many as a much loved pastor who quietly helped many local families and helped educate many children whose families were unable to pay the school tuition. The school gym/large hall bears his name, “Cavanagh Hall.”
The seventh pastor assigned to Mt. Carmel was Monsignor Joseph Munier. Of French ancestry, he was a native San Franciscan. He served Mt. Carmel from 1961 until 1979. Outstanding in the ecumenical work of fostering ties with other religions in the area, it was also under his direction that the inside of the new church was completed. He retired in 1979 to Santa Cruz becoming active in the hospice movement. In 1993 Monsignor Munier died at the age of 84.
Father Robert Coffey came to Mt. Carmel in 1979 and served until 1983 when he died suddenly on a trip to Connecticut which was to continue on to Europe. During his brief tenure, Father Coffey contributed much. He initiated a drive to have a pipe organ installed in the church. He was also responsible for outstanding musicals performed by Mt. Carmel students.
The untimely death of Father Coffey brought Monsignor Richard Knapp to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in 1983 to serve as pastor for seven years. He changed the interior of the church and moved the altar to be more centralized as it stands today. After leaving Mt. Carmel in 1990, Monsignor Knapp was assigned to St. Raphael Parish. He has since retired and resides in Marin County.
In 1990 another Father Kavanaugh came to Mt. Carmel. Although spelled differently, it sounds the same. Father John “Jack” Kavanaugh invigorated the school, hiring the first lay principal for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School. Ten years later, Teresa Anthony continues as principal of the school which operates at full capacity. Father Kavanaugh often stopped in the school yard and enjoyed teasing and joking with the children. He took special pride in personally handing out their report cards. Father Kavanaugh retired from Mt. Carmel in 1997 and now resides in San Francisco.
Father Randolph Calvo, definitely not Irish but from San Francisco, is the current pastor at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. He was born in Guam of Spanish and Filipino descent. His family moved to San Francisco when he was a young boy. After studying at St. Patrick¹s Seminary, he was ordained in 1977. Father Calvo spent four years in Rome to complete studies for a doctorate in Canon Law. Before coming to Mt. Carmel in 1997, he served in the Chancery Office of the Archdiocese as head of the Marriage Tribunal. He is very active in guiding the church community and in instituting new plans and policies for the parish. He is assisted by Father Dave Ghiorso, as well as Deacons Paul Moriarty and Tom Boyle. In residence, Father Dominic Desjardins and Monsignor William Roche assist with weekday and weekend Masses. Father Dominic spent many hours researching the history of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in 1987, at the time of the Church Centennial celebration. Fr. Calvo left our Mount Carmel Church in June of 2006 when he was appointed Bishop of Reno, NV.
Father John Balleza joined the community as Administrator in July of 2006 and in July of 2007 was appointed the eleventh pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Today, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church remains vital faith community. It has been supported and served by many generations of Redwood City families. Initially, they were Irish and Italian immigrants but now many ethnicities, particularly from Mexico, Central and South America and Asia, are included. The diverse population unites to form a parish committed to sharing the teachings of Jesus and spreading His message to the community of Redwood City and beyond.