ARTICLES

Church Survey Results

Readers Rate Best and Worst

The results from the Bay Area parish survey we published in October, November, and December issues of the Faith are printed below. Some parishes got more than one vote, but we are listing them no more than once.

MUSIC

Best Parish

1. Our Lady Help of Christians, Watsonville
"Has a Gregorian choir which is beautiful -- when it is allowed to sing (about 4 times a year)."

2. St. Mary's cathedral, San Francisco
"St. Mary's has the best organ, also very professional choir."

3. St. Mary's, Walnut Creek
"St. Mary's has Gregorian chant Mass -- beautiful, reverent."

4. St. Gregory, San Mateo
"Except the 12 p.m. Mass"

5. St. David of Wales, Richmond

Worst Parish

1. St. Bonaventure, Walnut Creek
"St. Bonaventure has a drum-set in a prominent place."

2. St. Julie's, San Jose (Saturday evening)
"Too electric and too loud."

3. St. Paschal's, Oakland
"I quit when they sang Today at the Communion -- haven't returned."

4. St. Mark's, Belmont
"The organist plays with an oom-pah-pah downbeat more appropriate for a baseball stadium or pizza & pipes."

5. Most of them.
"All the lovely, well-known hymns have been omitted."

6. Any parish where Kumbaya is sung.
"In our own parish of St. Jerome, El Cerrito, the music varies. Our pastor is a fine musician. He will sing Agnes Dei in Latin, but at other times, the Lamb of God will be sung to the tune of Edelveiss. I love this tune but not for the Lamb of God."

SERMONS

Best Parish

1. St. Margaret Mary, Oakland

2. Our Lady of Peace, Santa Clara

3. Queen of Apostles, Santa Clara
"Father Jim Misfud tells it like it is. He is a living example of how to practice what you preach!"

4. St. Michael's, Stockton

5. St. Gregory, San Mateo
"A good job generally preaching the gospel."

6. St. Patrick's, Jackson (Father Bland)
"Father Bland is not afraid to express Catholic truths and follow Catholic dogma."

7. Assumption, Pajaro (Watsonville)
"Father Antonio Sanchez preaches in Spanish, but it's solid preaching."

8. St. Dominic's, San Francisco (in the 70s)

Worst Parish

1. St. Joseph, Vacaville
"[The priest] tries to undermine papal authority."

2. St. Francis of Assisi, Concord
"[The priest] is an elitist."

3. St. Luke in Stockton
"No mention ever of confession, penance, or humility."

4. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont
"IHM is heresy."

5. St. Jerome, El Cerrito (in the 80s)
"At one First Communion Mass, [the retired priest] told the congregation that it wasn't necessary to come to Mass every Sunday! He had a devastating effect on the parish."

One reader wrote, "Just about anywhere!"

INTERIOR ART (INCLUDING WINDOWS)

Best Parish

1. Mission Dolores basilica, San Francisco

2. St Peter & Paul, San Francisco
"...is part of the Church of the ages."

3. Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, San Jose

4. St. Michael's, Stockton

5. St. Gregory, Belmont

6. Our Lady Help of Christians, Watsonville
"... is a treasure."

Worst Parish

1. Newman Center, Berkeley
"This is the ugliest church I have ever seen. More like a dungeon than a church!"
"Newman is early Flinstone."

2. St. Joachim's, Lockeford
"No windows, not enough holy pictures."

3. St. Francis of Assisi, Concord
"Anyone up for a swim in the hot tub?"

4. Holy Eucharist, Corralitos

5. St. Mark's, Belmont
"St. Mark's uses a parish hall with moveable chairs without kneelers during Mass. They are in the process of building a new church."

One reader wrote, "One in Fairfield. The name escapes me. I remember it as a gymnasium. They even have a food service window in the back."

Another wrote, "I have not seen any good parishes in this diocese [Sacramento]."

ARCHITECTURE

Best Parish

1. Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Sacramento
"Has the best exterior architecture."

2. St. Catherine's, Burlingame
"Definitely God's house."

3. St. Michael's, Stockton

4. Carmel Mission

5. San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey

6. Our Lady Help of Christians, Watsonville

Worst Parish

1. St. Mary's cathedral, San Francisco
"...is downright ugly."

2. St. Patrick's, Watsonville
"A real disaster -- millions of dollars spent and you can't see, hear, or move about for communion or funerals."

3. St. John the Evangelist, Carmichael
"St. John looks dreadful on the outside."

4. St. Joachim's, Lockeford
"The church was designed after an expensive one in a gambling town and never finished."

Another common answer: "Too many here in the Bay Area. I miss the older churches one finds on the east coast."

More survey results here.

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