A Parish That Speaks Two Languages
St. Sebastian Catholic Church sits on Covert Lane in Sebastopol, a small town in the apple country of western Sonoma County. The parish describes itself as dedicated to the Universal Call to Holiness through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments, and as founded on proclaiming the truth of the Gospel that has been handed down from the Apostles to the Holy Father and the Bishops for the past two thousand years. That two-thousand-year inheritance is not an abstract idea here. It shapes the way the parish publishes its schedule, the way it prepares couples for marriage, and the way it welcomes visitors who arrive not knowing whether the next available Mass will be in English or in Spanish.
The bilingual character is the most distinctive thing about St. Sebastian's. The Mass schedule lists every liturgy in both languages side by side, the Saturday and Sunday bulletins are produced in both tongues, and the parish secretary is accustomed to taking calls in either. Father Mario Valencia, the pastor, preaches in both languages throughout the week. The result is a parish in which a Spanish-speaking family, an English-speaking retiree, a mixed-language couple, and a visitor from out of town can all find a place.
The Weekday Rhythm of Mass
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the church opens at noon for the daily Mass in English at 12:00 pm, with the same hour repeated in Spanish on the schedule as Martes & Jueves 12:00 pm. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the daily Mass moves earlier in the morning at 9:00 am (Miércoles & Viernes 9:00 am). The same priest typically celebrates both languages on a given day, and the Holy Rosary is prayed in the church immediately after every daily Mass.
These weekday Masses give working parishioners a way to center their week without rearranging a workday. The Tuesday and Thursday noon schedule suits people who can step away from a job in Sebastopol or nearby Santa Rosa. The Wednesday and Friday morning Mass suits retirees, parents of school-aged children, and anyone whose day begins early. The schedule is intentionally simple, and it has been stable for years.
Saturdays and Sundays: Four Masses Across Two Languages
The weekend schedule reflects the bilingual character of the parish more clearly than any other part of its life. On Saturday evening, the Vigil Mass is celebrated at 5:00 pm in English, and a second Vigil Mass follows at 7:00 pm in Spanish (Sábado 7:00 pm). On Sunday morning, the English Mass is at 9:00 am and the Spanish Mass (Misa Dominical) is at noon (Domingo 12:00 pm). The Sunday bulletin lists these as Sunday Mass / Misa Dominical, with the times of both given.
The four-Mass weekend is practical as well as pastoral. Families whose adults work different shifts, couples who want to attend Mass together but pray in different languages, and visitors from neighboring towns in western Sonoma County can usually find a liturgy that fits their circumstances. Confessions are heard between the two Vigil Masses on Saturday, at 6:00 pm, which makes it possible for a person to go to confession and then stay for either Mass without driving home and back.
Confession on Saturdays and Adoration on First Fridays
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered every Saturday at 6:00 pm (Confesiones: Sábado a las 6:00 pm). It is a half-hour window that falls neatly between the Vigil Masses, and it is the only regularly scheduled time for confession each week. The sacrament is available in both English and Spanish, and the priest is prepared to hear penitents in either language.
Once a month, on the first Friday, the parish extends its devotional life considerably. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament begins at 9:30 am and continues throughout the day until Benediction at 8:00 pm. The parish describes this as an opportunity to silently adore Jesus Christ present in the Holy Eucharist. The same devotion is offered in Spanish as Exposición del Santísimo Sacramento, with Bendición con el Santísimo at 8:00 pm. For worshippers who work during the week and cannot easily come to daily Mass, the long stretch of silent prayer on First Friday is a way to set aside an hour or two in the midst of an ordinary day.
The First Friday observance also includes the nine First Fridays devotion that has long been part of Catholic popular piety. The Recollection Day structure turns the first Friday of each month into a mini-retreat for the parish.
Religious Education for Children
Faith formation for children (catequesis para niños) is coordinated by Lulu Tejeda, who can be reached through the parish office. Safe Environment coordination, which is required by diocesan policy for any parish that works with minors, is also handled by Tejeda, who can be reached at stsebastiansafeenviroment@outlook.com. The bilingual character of the parish means that faith formation is available to children whose first language is Spanish as well as to those whose formation is in English.
The Thursday Prayer Group and the Daily Rosary
Every Thursday from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, the parish's English-language prayer group gathers in the church to pray for priests. The invitation reads: Our Prayer Group invites you this and every Thursday to pray for our priests in the church from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. The Spanish translation is given alongside it: Grupo de oración en Inglés te invita este y todos los Jueves a orar por nuestros sacerdotes en la Iglesia, de 5:30 a 6:30 pm. The group has been meeting consistently and forms one of the parish's regular small-group offerings. It is open to anyone who would like to join.
In addition to the prayer group, the Holy Rosary is prayed in the church immediately after every daily Mass. The rosary is a regular Marian devotion that ties the weekday liturgies together and gives parishioners a quiet way to extend their time in the church after Communion.
Weddings and Quinceañeras: Six Months of Preparation
St. Sebastian's prepares couples for both Marriage and Quinceañera, the celebration of a young woman's fifteenth birthday, a major Catholic tradition in much of Latin America. The parish requires at least six months of advance contact with the office before either celebration, and full compliance with diocesan preparation requirements for weddings.
For a Quinceañera, the young woman must have received the three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation, or be enrolled in a preparation program that will lead her to receive them. She must also be practicing her faith, which the parish describes as attending Mass regularly. These requirements reflect the parish's understanding of a Quinceañera not as a social event but as a sacramental milestone that marks a young woman's continued growth in the Catholic faith. The parish handles both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking families through the same preparation process, and most Quinceañeras are celebrated within the regular Sunday Mass or the Saturday Vigil Mass in Spanish.
The People Behind the Parish
The pastor is Rev. Mario Valencia, P.A., who serves as Priest Administrator. He can be reached at extension 103 of the parish phone number, or by email at frmariovalencia@outlook.com. Father Valencia is the celebrant of the regular Masses and the spiritual leader of the parish community.
The parish secretary, Rosy Viramontes, is the first point of contact for most parish business. She fields calls about Mass intentions, sacramental preparation, office appointments, and general inquiries, and she can be reached at extension 101 or at rosyv.stsebastian@outlook.com. Religious education for children and Safe Environment coordination are both handled by Lulu Tejeda, who can be reached through the main parish line.
The parish also maintains a 24-hour emergency phone line for cases of imminent death, where a priest is needed for the Anointing of the Sick or Last Rites. In those circumstances, the caller dials the main parish number and selects extension 105. The line is for sacramental emergencies only and is not a substitute for regular parish business.
Office Hours and Practical Information
The parish office is open on Monday from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm, on Tuesday from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm, on Wednesday from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm, and on Thursday from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm and again from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The office is closed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The parish fax line is (707) 823-1098.
Online Giving is available through ParishSoft. The giving portal accepts one-time and recurring contributions. Bulletins from 2020 onward are archived and can be downloaded. The parish also maintains a monthly calendar of events, a News section with announcements about retreats and feast-day celebrations, and a Reflections archive of past Sunday homilies.
Mass Streaming Live and a Bilingual Digital Presence
For parishioners who cannot attend in person, the parish livestreams Mass on YouTube and Facebook.
Beyond the livestream, the parish maintains a Spanish-language Marian song contest in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a podcast on Spotify called Saboreando la Verdad hosted by Father Mario Valencia, and a Reflections archive of weekly Sunday homilies written in both English and Spanish. The homilies draw on the day's Gospel readings from Matthew's Gospel and frequently reference Jesuit writers such as those at Loyola Press and the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales. Recurring themes in the parish's reflections include the Kingdom of Heaven, the mercy of God, the cost of discipleship, the meaning of forgiveness, and the place of the Eucharist in the life of the believer.
Mission and Identity
The parish's statement of identity is rooted in the universal Catholic Church and in two thousand years of tradition. St. Sebastian Catholic Church is dedicated to the Universal Call to Holiness through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Sacraments. Our parish is founded on proclaiming the truth of the Gospel that has been handed down from the Apostles to the Holy Father and Bishops for the past two thousand years. The parish takes its name from St. Sebastian, an early Christian martyr whose feast day is January 20 and who is traditionally depicted as a Roman soldier pierced with arrows.
The parish's mission is not complicated. It is to celebrate the Mass faithfully, to administer the sacraments, to form children in the faith, to walk with couples preparing for marriage or for a Quinceañera, to pray for priests, and to keep the doors open for anyone who walks in. The bilingual character of the parish, the First Friday hours of Adoration, the Thursday prayer group, and the daily rosary together form the practical shape of that mission. Anyone who arrives at 7983 Covert Lane will find a church that is at once traditional and contemporary, English-speaking and Spanish-speaking, ancient in its roots and present in its ministry.