St. Martin of Tours Parish sits at 200 O'Connor Drive in San Jose, part of the Diocese of San José, where daily Mass has been celebrated for decades and the parking lot fills with neighbors on the third Friday of every month for a free food box. The parish runs a parish school that opened in 1955, a year-round formation program for children and adults preparing for the sacraments, a homebound ministry that brings Communion to shut-ins and nursing home residents, and one of the more active coat drives in the area. Weekday Masses and the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass are livestreamed through Zoom and Facebook.
Mass and Reconciliation at 200 O'Connor Drive
The Mass schedule is built around a daily 8:00 AM liturgy, with Sunday adding two later Masses to accommodate families and the working week. Monday and Tuesday feature a Communion service only, while Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday offer a full Mass. Each weekday liturgy is livestreamed, and recordings remain available on Facebook afterward.
Saturday evening brings the vigil Mass at 5:00 PM, and three Sunday Masses follow at 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM, and 5:00 PM. Reconciliation is heard every Saturday at 4:00 PM, before the vigil Mass, or by appointment with a priest. On Holy Days of Obligation, the church adds liturgies at 8:10 AM and 7:00 PM, and communal Reconciliation Services are celebrated during Advent and Lent each year.
Mass intentions can be requested online for a customary offering of $10, and online giving is available through the parish's giving portal.
The Story of St. Martin of Tours
The parish takes its name from a fourth-century saint whose legend has shaped the identity of the parish's outreach. According to tradition, on a bitterly cold day St. Martin, then a Roman soldier, met a poor man shivering at the city gate, clothed only in rags and begging for help. With nothing but his weapons and his military cloak, Martin drew his sword, cut the cloak in two, and gave half to the man while wrapping himself in the other. That night, Martin dreamed of Christ wearing the very half of the cloak he had given away, saying, "Martin, still a catechumen, has clothed me with this cloak." The image has become a lasting symbol of charity and mercy, a reminder that when we care for those in need we serve Christ himself. The parish's annual coat drive is named for that same cloak.
The parish's deeper local roots go back to pioneer Martin Murphy, who built a chapel in the South Valley (now San Martin) around 1853, naming it after his patron saint. That historic building later moved to Mayfair to serve as Our Lady of Guadalupe. The current San Jose parish developed separately, establishing its own presence and a parish school that opened in 1955.
Sacraments at St. Martin of Tours
The parish prepares members for the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, from Baptism through Anointing of the Sick.
Infant Baptism is offered for children up to their seventh birthday. Parents and godparents are required to attend a virtual baptism preparation class on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:00 PM, and a copy of the child's birth certificate is submitted along with the registration form. Children older than seven follow the children and teen track of OCIA. Private Baptisms are typically scheduled on Saturdays at 10:00 or 11:00 AM and are not celebrated during Lent.
First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are prepared through a year-long process beginning in second grade. Children enrolled in St. Martin of Tours School prepare in their religion classes, while children in public, private, or homeschool settings attend Wednesday afternoon sessions through the Children's Catechetical Ministry. A required parent orientation opens the year, followed by Family Faith Nights and the celebration of First Reconciliation in December before First Communion in the spring.
Confirmation preparation begins in seventh grade and is offered through both the parish school and the parish youth program. Candidates use Anointed in the Spirit as their primary resource, choose a saint for a project, complete a discipleship experience in the parish (such as serving as an usher, lector, altar server, or Food Box volunteer), and prepare to celebrate the sacrament with the bishop at a date assigned by the Diocese of San José.
Marriage preparation asks couples to meet with a parish priest at least six months before the wedding. The recommended program is Catholic Engaged Encounter, a full weekend experience led by two married couples and a priest. The parish also welcomes couples preparing at another church and helps forward completed paperwork. Funerals are typically celebrated Monday through Friday at 10:30 AM, with a suggested offering of $300 that does not include music, flowers, or a visiting priest's stipend. Anointing of the Sick is available by calling the parish office.
Faith Formation from Children to Adults
Three programs carry the parish's catechetical work.
The Children's Catechetical Ministry (CCM) welcomes children in kindergarten through sixth grade for weekly Wednesday sessions from 4:00 to 5:15 PM, with classes running from September through May. Children enrolled in St. Martin of Tours School receive faith formation through their religion classes instead. Both tracks include Family Faith Nights, sacramental preparation experiences, and a year-end celebration.
Children's Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) brings children ages 4 through 11 out of Sunday Mass to hear the Scripture readings at their own level. After processing from the church to the Community Building for the proclamation of God's Word, the children return to the church for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) welcomes adults who are unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or baptized Catholic but seeking to complete their Sacraments of Initiation. Sessions meet on Sundays after the 10:30 AM Mass, from about 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM, in the Parish Office Conference Room. A separate children and teen OCIA track meets at the same time in Bailey House. The journey includes liturgical rites throughout the year and culminates in the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.
Pastoral Care for the Homebound and Grieving
The pastoral care ministries keep the parish connected to members who can no longer attend Mass in person. Parish priests celebrate Mass once a month at several nursing homes in the area, and a team of volunteer Eucharistic Ministers visits homebound parishioners, offering friendship, prayer, and the chance to receive Holy Communion. Volunteers must be at least 18 and have completed the diocesan safe-environment training. More volunteers are actively being recruited.
For those grieving a loss, the parish maintains a directory of free and low-cost grief support groups across Santa Clara County, including GriefShare meetings at multiple San Jose churches, the Bill Wilson Center's Centre for Living with Dying in Santa Clara, the Hospice of the Valley Center for Grief and Loss, Kara in Palo Alto, the Compassionate Friends, and parish-based programs such as Seasons of Hope and Hope & Healing Connection Circle.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets shawls that are blessed by a priest and given freely to anyone facing grief, illness, aging, or a difficult chapter in life. A note attached to each shawl reads: "This shawl was made for you by the members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry of St. Martin of Tours. You were being prayed for as it was being created. The prayers were that our Heavenly Father would give you blessings of courage, strength and hope."
A Food Box on the Third Friday
On the third Friday of each month, from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, the parish parking lot becomes a food distribution site. Anyone in the area experiencing food insecurity can pick up a box filled with fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, bread, dry goods, and canned food. No registration or ID is required. Volunteers begin sorting and setting up at 3:00 PM, and the work wraps up within a couple of hours. The program is a particularly good fit for individuals, families, or community groups who want to give back together; no advance sign-up is needed.
A small reserve of shelf-stable food is also available through the parish office for emergencies. The parish connects visitors with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, and the county Social Services Agency when more sustained help is needed.
Coats for the Cold and Help for Farmworker Families
Each fall the parish runs a coat drive, gathering hundreds of coats for the clients of the Food Box Program, Watsonville farm workers, and local homeless shelters. The drive is named for the half-cloak St. Martin gave the beggar at the gate, and the donated coats are a direct continuation of that gesture.
The parish also partners with Farmworker Families, an outreach that builds awareness of the living and working conditions of farmworkers and their families. Donations of food, clothing, shoes, and coats are collected year-round to support their work.
Liturgical Ministries
Volunteers keep the parish's worship running. Altar Servers, who must be in fourth grade or older and have received First Communion, assist at every Mass under the guidance of coordinator Rhoeda Farolan. Lectors proclaim the Scripture readings to the assembly, and adults or teens who have been confirmed are eligible after training. Eucharistic Ministers distribute Holy Communion as part of what Pope Pius VI once called "an important office of immense love." Ushers and Greeters, led by coordinator Rena Galimba, welcome worshippers, take up the collection, help direct the flow of communicants, and distribute bulletins. Liturgical musicians, including singers, instrumentalists, and sound board operators, are always welcome.
Parish Groups and Community Life
Beyond the staffed ministries, several parish-run groups give members a way to gather around shared interests. The Women's Alliance brings women together around three pillars: service, spirituality, and social connection. The Men's Club supports the parish through fundraising, sponsors the annual parish Festival, and hosts Sunday morning donuts and hospitality after the Sunday morning Masses.
Branch 391 of the Italian Catholic Federation meets on the first Tuesday of each month for dinner and fellowship, supporting both parish and community causes. St. Martin of Tours sponsors Boy Scout Troop 390 and several Girl Scout troops, where scouting members focus on values, education, faith formation, citizenship, and friendship. The Women's Ministry Book Club meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month to discuss an inspirational or spiritual book. Cursillo, a lay movement in the Catholic Church, offers its weekend experience for those seeking deeper community, under the motto "Make a friend, be a friend, and bring a friend to Christ."
St. Martin of Tours Parish School
St. Martin of Tours Parish School has been part of the parish community since 1955. Led by Principal David Cortese, the school educates students in a Catholic environment, and its second graders participate in sacramental preparation as part of their religion classes. The school's confirmation program prepares seventh graders for the sacrament during the school day. School families are also active in the parish's sacramental and faith-formation programs.
Pastoral and Finance Councils
The parish is guided by a Pastoral Council chaired by Laura M'Guinness, which develops the parish mission, sets priorities, and works with parish groups on implementation. A Parish Finance Council chaired by Tim Maloney advises the pastor on temporal goods in accord with Canon 537 and diocesan norms. A Spirituality Council envisions adult faith formation beyond sacramental preparation, organizing retreats, parish missions, Advent and Lent reflections, and study of Church documents such as Laudato Si.
Leadership and Staff
Father Celso Singson serves as pastor, with Deacon Thien Bui assisting in ministry. Ed Ibarra is the catechetical director overseeing faith formation and sacramental preparation. Aevanne Ni Sheoighe coordinates the homebound ministry and parish outreach. David Cortese leads the parish school.
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and can be reached at (408) 294-8953 or parishoffice@stmartin.org. Sunday Masses and weekday Masses are livestreamed through Zoom and Facebook, with recordings remaining on Facebook afterward.