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Catholic life in Palo Alto runs through one parish with three churches, a lively student and faculty community at Stanford and a ring of larger parishes in the towns next door. If you are new to the area, the choice can feel wide: Masses in English, Spanish, Latin, Korean, Tamil and French all take place within about 10 miles of downtown.
This page lists the Catholic churches we could confirm with a current parish website or an official diocesan listing in 2026. Mass times come from those sources as published in fall 2026. Schedules change around holidays, summer and staffing, so treat every time below as a starting point and check the parish bulletin before you go. For other traditions, see our guide to places of worship.
How Catholic parishes are organized here
Palo Alto, Stanford, Mountain View and Los Altos sit in Santa Clara County, which forms the Diocese of San Jose. Menlo Park, Atherton and Redwood City are in San Mateo County and belong to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. That line matters mainly for paperwork such as marriage preparation and school enrollment. You can attend Mass at any parish you like.
The Diocese of San Jose keeps a Mass times directory by city. The version we used was last updated in June 2026. Where a parish's own website gives a different time, we follow the parish site, because it is updated more often.
A few terms help when you read bulletins:
- Vigil Mass. A Saturday evening Mass that counts for Sunday.
- Holy days of obligation. Feasts such as Christmas when parishes add Masses. Times are posted a few weeks ahead.
- Reconciliation. Confession. Most parishes list a Saturday window and offer appointments.
- Adoration. Quiet prayer before the Eucharist, often in a side chapel.
Palo Alto: St. Thomas Aquinas Parish
The parish of St. Thomas Aquinas formed in 1987 when several Palo Alto parishes merged. Today it serves the whole city from three churches. The parish office phone listed by the diocese is 650-494-2496. The schedule below comes from the parish's own Mass schedule page in fall 2026.
| Church | Address | Weekend Masses listed | Weekday Masses listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas Aquinas | 751 Waverley Street, downtown | Sunday 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m. (Thomas Merton Center community) and 11 a.m. Gregorian Mass | Monday to Saturday 12:15 p.m. |
| St. Albert the Great | 1095 Channing Avenue, Crescent Park | Saturday 5 p.m. vigil, Sunday 9 a.m. | Monday to Friday 8 a.m. |
| Our Lady of the Rosary | 3233 Cowper Street, Midtown | Sunday 9 a.m. in Spanish, 10:30 a.m. in English | None listed |
The diocesan directory shows slightly different hours for some of these Masses, including a Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Albert and a noon Gregorian Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas. That is a sign the schedule shifted during 2026. Check the parish site at paloaltocatholic.net before your first visit.
Confession is listed on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas and at 4:30 p.m. at St. Albert. The diocese also lists daily Eucharistic adoration at St. Albert from 9 a.m. to sunset.
The churches themselves
St. Thomas Aquinas is the oldest church building in the city, completed in 1902 in a Carpenter Gothic style at the edge of Professorville. Our page on historic houses of worship tells its story. St. Albert the Great is a mid-century church in a quiet residential area near Channing and Newell. Our Lady of the Rosary, on Cowper Street near Oregon Expressway, is the parish's home for Spanish-language Mass.
Catholic Community at Stanford
The Catholic Community at Stanford serves students, staff, faculty and neighbors. Its Masses take place in Memorial Church, the nondenominational church at the head of the Main Quad. Stanford's Office for Religious and Spiritual Life lists this fall 2026 schedule:
- Sunday: 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in Memorial Church, plus 9 p.m. during the academic year. The 4:30 p.m. Mass is livestreamed.
- Weekdays: 12:20 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in Memorial Church. On Wednesday the 12:20 p.m. Mass moves to the sanctuary on the third floor of Old Union.
Memorial Church was closed to sightseers for maintenance from June 15 to October 31, 2026, but services continued. Our Memorial Church guide covers the building and our religious life at Stanford page covers the wider campus program. Campus parking is free in many lots on Sunday mornings, but read the signs. The Stanford parking guide explains the rules.
Menlo Park
Church of the Nativity
The Church of the Nativity is at 210 Oak Grove Avenue, a short walk from the Menlo Park Caltrain station. Its website listed this schedule in late October 2026:
- Saturday vigil at 5 p.m.
- Sunday at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The 12:30 p.m. Mass is a Traditional Latin Mass.
- Monday to Friday at 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Saturday at 8 a.m.
- Confession on Saturday mornings and afternoons and briefly on Sunday at noon.
The parish says it offers perpetual adoration around the clock. It also notes a single 9 a.m. Mass on federal holidays and that its livestream is temporarily suspended. The office number is 650-323-7914. Menlo Park has other Catholic communities as well. We did not list them here because we could not confirm a current schedule. Our Menlo Park guide covers the town.
Mountain View
St. Joseph
St. Joseph is at 582 Hope Street, one block off Castro Street downtown. Its website lists:
- Sunday at 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. in English. Sunday at 1 p.m. in Spanish. The 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Masses are livestreamed.
- Saturday vigil at 5:30 p.m. in English. A 7 p.m. Spanish Mass on the first, third and fourth Saturdays and a 7 p.m. Tamil Mass on the second Saturday.
- Weekdays at 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Confession on Saturday from 4 to 5 p.m. or by appointment.
The diocesan listing also shows Korean-language Masses at St. Joseph. Parking is in the church's underground garage, entered from Castro Street.
St. Athanasius
St. Athanasius is at 160 N. Rengstorff Avenue. The diocese lists Saturday vigil Masses at 4:30 p.m. in English and 6:30 p.m. in Spanish. Sunday Masses are listed at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. in English and 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Spanish. A bilingual Mass is listed on weekdays at 9 a.m. We could not open the parish's own website, so call 650-961-8600 to confirm.
Los Altos
St. Simon
St. Simon is at 1860 Grant Road. Its website was posting fall 2026 events, including a Mass of Remembrance on November 14. The diocese lists Sunday Masses at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 5 p.m., a Saturday 5 p.m. vigil and early weekday Masses.
St. Nicholas and St. William
This parish has two churches: St. Nicholas at 473 Lincoln Avenue downtown and St. William at 611 S. El Monte Avenue. The diocesan listing shows Sunday Masses at both, including a 5 p.m. Mass in French. Daily Masses are listed at St. Nicholas at 8 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. The listing is not fully clear about which church holds which weekend Mass, so check the parish site before you go. Our Los Altos guide covers parking downtown.
Mass in other languages
| Language | Where (as published in 2026) |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Our Lady of the Rosary, Palo Alto; St. Joseph and St. Athanasius, Mountain View |
| Latin (Traditional Latin Mass) | Church of the Nativity, Menlo Park |
| Gregorian chant Mass | St. Thomas Aquinas, Palo Alto |
| Tamil | St. Joseph, Mountain View, second Saturday |
| Korean | St. Joseph, Mountain View, per the diocesan listing |
| French | St. Nicholas and St. William, Los Altos, per the diocesan listing |
Our page on worship in other languages lists services in other traditions too.
Visiting a Mass for the first time
Good to know
- No ticket or registration is needed for an ordinary Sunday Mass. Christmas and Easter Masses fill early, so arrive 20 to 30 minutes ahead.
- Guidelines from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops welcome guests to join in prayer and ask those who are not Catholic not to receive Communion. Staying seated is fine.
- Dress is usually casual to smart casual. The Latin and Gregorian Masses tend to draw more formal dress.
- Silence phones and ask before photographing during Mass.
- Most parishes publish a weekly bulletin online with that week's times, Mass intentions and any changes.
Accessibility and getting there
None of the parish pages we checked gave a detailed accessibility statement. Call the parish office if you need step-free access, a hearing loop or reserved seating. Staff can tell you which entrance and parking spaces work best. Our accessible travel guide covers paratransit and accessible transit in the area.
St. Thomas Aquinas is about half a mile from the Palo Alto Caltrain station. The Church of the Nativity and St. Joseph are both within easy walking distance of their Caltrain stations. Weekend trains run less often than weekday ones, so check the timetable for early Masses.
Christmas, Easter and holy days
Parishes post Christmas and Holy Week schedules in their bulletins about a month ahead. Expect extra Masses on Christmas Eve, including family Masses in the late afternoon. Churches are also crowded on Ash Wednesday. For Christmas 2026 plans around town, see our Christmas Day guide.
Frequently asked questions
What Catholic churches are in Palo Alto?
Palo Alto has one Catholic parish with three churches: St. Thomas Aquinas at 751 Waverley Street, St. Albert the Great at 1095 Channing Avenue and Our Lady of the Rosary at 3233 Cowper Street. The Catholic Community at Stanford also celebrates Mass in Memorial Church on campus.
Is there a Spanish Mass in Palo Alto?
Yes. The parish website lists a Sunday Mass in Spanish at 9 a.m. at Our Lady of the Rosary. St. Joseph and St. Athanasius in Mountain View also list several Spanish Masses each weekend. Check the current bulletin before you go, since times can shift.
Where is the Latin Mass near Palo Alto?
The Church of the Nativity at 210 Oak Grove Avenue in Menlo Park lists a Traditional Latin Mass on Sundays at 12:30 p.m. In Palo Alto, St. Thomas Aquinas lists a Sunday Gregorian Mass. Confirm the hour on each parish site.
Can non-Catholics attend Mass?
Yes. Visitors of any faith are welcome at Mass. Guidelines from the U.S. bishops ask guests who are not Catholic not to receive Communion, while inviting them to join in prayer. Many visitors simply stay seated during Communion.
Do I have to register with a parish?
Not to attend Mass. Registering helps if you want sacraments such as baptism or marriage, or a Catholic school place. Each parish office explains its own process and most have a form on their website.