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St. Philip the Apostle, Occidental, California

St. Philip the Apostle church is a Roman Catholic church located in Occidental, California. In the late 1800s the Catholic population of the Occidental area was served by the Church of the Assumption in Tomales. With the influx of a large number of Italian and Irish immigrants, there was a growing movement to build a church in Occidental. When the Asti family donated a plot of land to the diocese of San Francisco for a church, Father John Rogers, pastor of Assumption, took on the responsibility of building the church. He hired Shea and Shea, a firm of architects from San Francisco to draw the plans and hired the Neles Brothers from Bodega as contractors. Local workers were hired to do the work and the church was completed in December 1902. It was dedicated by the coadjutor bishop of San Francisco in June 1903…the official opening of the church. St. Philip remained a mission of Assumption for nineteen years. For a short time it was a mission of St. Elizabeth, Guerneville and then was placed under the auspices of St. Sebastian's Church in Sebastopol for forty years. 

St. Philip--a Victorian Gothic style church-- has been restored and lovingly cared for. Today it retains most of the beautiful original woodwork and charming details.

The Story of St. Philip

St. Philip the Apostle
Saint Philip was a born in Bethsaida. When about to set out for Galilee, Jesus met Philip and called him to the Apostolate with the words, "Follow me". Philip obeyed the call. 

Philip was present at the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Before the miraculous feeding of the multitude, Christ turned towards Philip with the question: "Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?" to which the Apostle answers: "Two hundred penny-worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little". 

During the Last Supper, after hearing Jesus spoke of knowing the Father, Philip the apostle requests something that the others are all probably afraid to request: "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus answered, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

The death of Philip occurred in AD80 during the reign of the Roman Emperor Titus (r.79-81 AD). His death occurred due to his preaching and subsequent conversion to Christianity of the wife of the Roman Proconsul. The proconsul sentenced Philip to torture and death and Philip was crucified (the Greeks say head downwards), and then stoned to death. His feast day is celebrated May 3

On Wednesday, 27 July 2011 the Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that archeologists had unearthed the Tomb of Saint Philip during excavations in Hierapolis close to the Turkish city Denizli. 

St. Philip's Weekly Schedule

Sunday
8:00AM & 11:15AM  Mass

Wednesday & Friday
9:00 AM  Mass

Church Location 

(no mail delivery to this address)
3730 Bohemian Highway
Occidental, CA 95465