PARISH HISTORY

When Saint Lawrence O'Toole–Saint Cyril of Jerusalem Church began in 1911, the area was a vast open tract of land dotted by homesteads and small farms. The Laurel District has urbanized, matured and redefined itself many times in the intervening century.

Saint Lawrence began as a mission to Saint Jarlath parish in the Fruitvale section of Oakland. The first church was built in 1912 in the 3400 block of High Street where it remained until 1957. It achieved the status of an independent parish in 1916 under the leadership of Father John Lally.

Faced with a growing parish following World War II, Msgr. Leo Coghlan bought property further up High Street above MacArthur Boulevard and established a school there in 1949. In need of a larger church and expecting the arrival of the MacArthur Freeway near the old property, the parish dedicated its present church on Thanksgiving Day, 1957. The old rectory was moved up the hill to the site of the present convent. To mark the parish's silver anniversary, Msgr. Thaddeus Tillman built a new rectory and convent in 1967-1968. The convent continues to be the home of Adrian Dominican and other sisters who work in the diocese.

After the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) Saint Lawrence O'Toole embraced renewal. Parish Council, Liturgy Committee, Finance Council and many other groups acknowledged the laity's active ministry in the parish. For the 75th anniversary (1991), Fr. Robert Charm worked with lay leadership to fully reorder the church's liturgical space.
Oakland's Millsmont neighborhood saw the dedication of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem parish in 1926. As the ethnic make-up of East Oakland changed in the second half of the twentieth century, the Catholic Church adapted. Thus, under Fr. John Fernandes, Saint Cyril parish merged with nearby Saint Lawrence in 2001. Saint Cyril's old site is now Saint Andrew Kim Korean Catholic Cultural Center.

Saint Lawrence–Saint Cyril parish prides itself on diversity. Liturgy is celebrated in English, Vietnamese and Spanish. In addition there are large numbers of African-Americans, Filipinos, Pacific Islanders and Portuguese as well as Irish and Italian, among its many ethnic groups. This dynamic mix insures that the community is always vibrant and expresses its faith in creative ways. As the parish looks forward to its next century of serving Christ on High Street, it is grateful to all whose prayers and dedication built a foundation of the Church community it is today.