Hallmark Events of the Catholic Church in the East Bay

1772 Spanish Franciscan Friar Juan Crespi celebrates the first Mass in East Bay, near the swamp that becomes Lake Merritt.

1797 Mission San Jose is founded in present-day Fremont. The mission becomes renowned throughout California for its music, written for, played and sung by native converts.

1853 Pope Pius IX establishes the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which includes what is now Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

1850-1900 Immigrants from Ireland, then Portugal, Germany, and lastly Italy settle in the East Bay, making up the bulk of its Catholic population.

1900-1945 The population becomes more broad-based as African Americans migrate from the South to Oakland, especially for the war industries. During World War II, the U.S. bracero program attracts many Mexicans to the East Bay. At the end of the war, over a dozen priests, some survivors of Dachau prison, escape communist regimes and begin more than 40 years of service in the East Bay.

1962 Pope John XXIII founds the Diocese of Oakland, comprising Contra Costa and Alameda counties, naming the central Oakland church St. Francis de Sales as the Cathedral. Bishop Floyd Begin is named to lead the new Diocese.

1965 The Second Vatican Council, which emphasized participation by the laity and outreach toward other faiths, culminates in Lumen Gentium, which begins "Christ is the Light of all nations". This document is to be the eventual inspiration for the name, The Cathedral of Christ the Light.

1965-2000 Immigrants from Central America, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, and Africa arrive in significant numbers.

1977 Bishop Begin dies and Bishop John Cummins is appointed second Bishop of Oakland.

1989 The Loma Prieta earthquake irreparably damages St. Francis de Sales Cathedral.

2000 Parishioners, priests, and Diocesan leadership formally discuss a new Cathedral, reaching a consensus to go forward with planning to build a Cathedral Center.

2003 Bishop John Cummins retires and Bishop Allen Vigneron is named third Bishop of Oakland.

2005 Ground-breaking ceremonies are held and construction begins on the Cathedral Center of Christ the Light.

2008 Dedication and consecration of The Cathedral of Christ the Light will be held on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 2pm.