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The
need for a new parish was answered on May 25, 1965 by Bishop
Floyd L. Begin who appointed Fr. Louis Dabovich a priest from
Yugoslavia as the 1st Pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd. He
served for 32 years and stayed in the parish until his death in
2001. The parish owes its inception and its original foundation
to the devotion of the Italian population in Pittsburg. A former
furniture store was leased and transformed into the first
church. The first mass was celebrated on July 4, 1965 and we
became affectionately known as "The Supermarket Church."
On
September 6, 1970, our present church and rectory were completed
and officially dedicated by Bishop Begin. The church sits on the
former Camp Stoneman, a United States Army military facility
located in Pittsburg. It served as a major staging area for the
Army in World War II and the Korean War. Named after George
Stoneman, a cavalry commander during the Civil War, the camp was
activated in 1942 and decommissioned as a military post in 1954.
Our
present parish hall was completed in April of 1980 and was
officially dedicated by Bishop John Cummins and named after the
beloved Fr. Louis Dabovich. This hall is still one of the
biggest halls and event centers in Pittsburg and well-known for
hosting crab feeds, quinceañeras, wedding banquets, dinner
dances, parties and other religious and civic events.
During the course of the years, we have established many
ministries to carry on the work of Christ some of those are St.
Vincent De Paul, RCIA, Altar Guild, Women's Guild Ushers,
Lectors, Faith Formation, Music, Eucharistic Ministers, Grief
Support, Youth Ministry, Religious Education, Pastoral Council,
Finance Committee, Altar Servers, CYO, Ushers’, Spanish -
Cameroon/French - Nigerian - Filipino - We have become a very
diverse community to name a few.
In
January 2023 due to severe storms the Prayer Park was severely
damaged and renovations have currently begun 2025.
In
February of 1997, Fr. Helmut Richter was named Pastor, replacing
Fr. Dabovich after his retirement. He would become the second
Pastor in the history of our parish. Under the leadership of Fr.
Helmut, the parish Ministry Building was erected in 2000. Today
the Ministry Building houses all of the parish offices and is
used as a meeting space by many ministries and community
organizations. Father Helmut's vision of a Spiritual Garden was
realized in 2002. The beautiful recreation and prayer garden was
built through the hard work and generosity of many parishioners,
benefactors and people in our community. Currently, this garden
has the Stations of the Cross where people can pray their
devotions and is used by ministry groups and parishioners to
host wedding banquets, parish events and fundraisers.
In
June of 2011 with the guidance of Fr. Helmut and approval of
Bishop Salvatore Cordileone (now Archbishop of San Francisco),
the renovation of the church sanctuary and worship space were
completed through the extraordinary generosity of the Seeno
Family in honor of Albert III and Rose Seeno. The interior was
beautifully remodeled and the exterior painted. As of today, we
have 2,400 to 2,800 faithful both young and old attending our
Sunday Masses.
Upon
the retirement of Fr. Helmut in 2012, Archbishop Alexander
Brunnet, the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese appointed
Fr. Rolando Bartolay as the Parish Administrator and with the
appointment by Most Reverand Bishop Michael Barber, named
Fr. Carl Arcosa as the Parish Administrator in September 2013.
In 2018 Fr. Thi Van Hoang was named by Most Reverand Bishop
Michael Barber to be a Parochial Administrator. Fr. Thi has
accomplished several things during his 7 years with Good
Shepherd. The siding of all the buildings was repaired and
painted. The Good Shepherd and Mary statues in front of the
church was a community under taking. He was also responsible for
the beautiful mural in the Parish Hall. Fr. Thi transferred to
St. Joseph Mission San Jose in Fremont in the summer of 2025.
He was replaced by Fr. Peter Lawongkerd, our current Parochial
Administrator.
Our
Youth Ministry performed its 32nd Annual Passion Play, an
extraordinary performance with a cast and crew of nearly 80 of
our talented youth. The Good Shepherd Passion Play performance
continues to be very popular and has been featured in the media
many times over the years. For 32 years it has been a labor of
love with impressive production values. With the support of all
our Pastors and Parish Administration.
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