The origins of our parish are as humble as the birth of Christ. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church began in the heart of Carmel Valley Village in a local barn. Until 1947, Catholics from the area went to the Carmel Mission or other nearby churches to worship and celebrate Eucharist. Some dedicated Catholics, including Charlie Allaire, Leo Weber, and Mary Lou Berta asked Msgr. Michael O’Connell, the pastor of Carmel Mission, to send a priest here to celebrate Mass. When the pastor heard how many Catholics lived here, he decided to a have a priest celebrate Mass each weekend. But there was no church… and so the first Mass was celebrated at the De Amaral barn.
In the same year, under the leadership of Msgr. Michael O’Connell and his Associate Pastor, Fr. Kelly, efforts were made to find some property and to raise funds for a church. The three-acre site on El Caminito was purchased for a permanent church and included an old stable which was known as the Lang dairy farm. The barn was transformed into a church using only volunteer labor supervised by Harry Downie, the Curator of Carmel Mission. Part of the barn was also used as a temporary rectory (priest’s quarters).
At that time, part of the interior featured an elongated trough where cows drank their well water. The church was fairly small and could accommodate fewer than one hundred worshippers. The first Mass in this newly transformed barn/church was celebrated on Pentecost Sunday, 1947.
Four years later, in December 1951, the first priest was appointed in residence. On March 11, 1953, the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was formally established by the Bishop of the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno, A.J. Willinger, and served 65 local Catholic families.
A separate rectory was later built and the entire property landscaped. The original rectory became the parish hall. Fr. Ignatius Loughran was appointed Administrator and later Pastor of the newly established parish.
In 1973, the church was enlarged and remodeled with a new redwood structure which involved extending the original foundation. Under the guidance of architect Ron Cantrell of Sacramento, the parish hall was renovated, a kitchen added and the redwood building was completed.
During the building process, Masses were held in the non-denominational Carmel Valley Community Chapel. On July 1, 1973, a special Mass and reception was held to thank the Community Chapel congregation for their help and hospitality.
The new church building and facilities, including the towering wooden cross, was rededicated by Bishop Harry Clinch on Saturday, December 1, 1973. Fr. Douglas Keating, the pastor, and Fr. Ignatius Loughran, a former pastor, concelebrated the solemn Dedication Mass.
Some of the new church revisions included the addition of two statues on either side of the altar. Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Joseph are hand-carved of linden wood from Italy. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel (where our current tabernacle is located) was added as well. The mosaic icon of “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” was designed by local Carmel artist Geza St. Galy. The icon is located on the wall to the right of the tabernacle and close to the perpetual candle. The redwood church structure receives sunlight through the added windows and a skylight above the altar. The west window next to the west church entrance was made from a former door of the original church.
In February 1987, Frank & Neeta White donated the Carrara marble statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Carved in Italy, the sculpture was set on a masonry pedestal by Angelo de Maria in front of the church.
Fr. Scott McCarthy created a unique design for sanctuary accoutrements. A beautifully hand-carved altar, lectionary, and presider’s chair were built by John and Patricia Shubeck. Fr. McCarthy also purchased the house and property adjacent to the current rectory and church (7 El Caminito Road) with the intent of building a new church.
In 2008, Fr. Joe Occhiuto repainted the interior of the church; he also added storage sheds and divided the office area into three usable spaces. In June 2009, two parishioners, Antoinette and Tom Cox, painted the mural featuring the angels bearing incense behind the tabernacle.
In January 2010, Fr. Emil Robu installed new woven tapestry Stations of the Cross. Made in Italy, the stations are 15” x 22” each and were blessed on Ash Wednesday of the same year.
On Sunday, June 6, 2010, Bishop Richard Garcia celebrated the Mass of Confirmation during which heblessed a bronze memorial plaque in honor of Fr. John McSweeney. It reads: “In Memory of Fr. John McSweeney September 6, 1921 – March 30, 2010. Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 1974 – 1993.” The plaque is located adjacent to the mosaic icon of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the tabernacle area.
In 2011, the rectory received new double pane windows and its interior was painted. In 2012, the entire parking lot was repaved and the grounds were landscaped and upgraded. In 2013, the exterior of the church and all facilities were painted. Courtesy of a very generous donor, just before Ash Wednesday of the same year, a beautiful paved patio was installed in memory of John Francis Sweeney. We also added two additional sliding doors to the parish hall.
In 2014, parish projects included reroofing of the church and the installation of a new awning to cover the patio area between the church and hall.
Starting with Fr. Scott’s tenure and continuing through Fr. Emil’s, planning began for a major building project that might have included a new church. A Site Committee of parishioners interested in exploring what might be possible, and a new Building Fund, were both established. Over the years, several architects were hired to create conceptual plans, none of which were judged to be financially feasible. Under Fr. Dennis Gallo, in 2017 the Site Committee began to focus on more modest project concepts, and in fall of 2018 Fr. Dennis initiated a Capital Campaign with the objective of providing additional funding for a major renovation of the church, conference rooms, and hall. This ultimately would include enclosing an open patio between the existing church and hall structures, as well as bringing the whole facility up to contemporary building codes. By this time, the previously established Building Fund had accumulated a substantial balance. Thanks to the generosity of the parish community, the three-year (2019-2022) Capital Campaign was a great success, with the combined funds enabling the building project with no long-term debt.
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and indoor church services were halted. Outdoor church services resumed under a large tent in the parking lot three months later, with volunteers ensuring pandemic restrictions were adhered-to and that the outdoor tent was beautifully and reverently decorated. The requirement to hold services outside turned out to be a blessing-in-disguise, given the pending renovation project!
In June 2020, the extensive construction and interior renovations were finally begun. Work progressed quickly concluding with the dedication of the new hall by Fr. Dennis in early July 2021. Parish volunteer labor also completed the refinishing and reupholstering of the church pews, which would have otherwise been unaffordable.
Also, during spring 2021, a team of parish volunteers and Fr. Dennis undertook a project to establish a COVID Memorial Garden in the empty space between the rectory garage and the church parking lot.
In March 2022, the original towering wood cross was substantially renovated and converted to a bell tower, with a functioning 18” brass bell, custom-made cross, and night-time illumination. Most recent work in 2023 has included re-sealing and re-striping of our parking lot, substantial trimming of trees on the parish property, and exterior painting of the rectory and its garage.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us!
Succession of Parish Priests
| 1953 – 1958 | Rev. Ignatius Loghran |
| 1958 – 1961 | Rev. Timothy Cummins |
| 1961 – 1967 | Rev. James Voylko |
| 1967 – 1969 | Rev. Vincent Cowan |
| 1969 – 1974 | Rev. Douglas Keating |
| 1974 – 1992 | Rev. John McSweeney |
| 1993 – 2004 | Rev. Scott McCarthy |
| 2004 – 2009 | Rev. Joseph Occhiuto |
| 2009 – 2016 | Rev. Emil Andrew Robu |
| 2016 – 2021 | Rev. Dennis Gallo |
| 2021 – Present | Rev. Jhonnatan Carmona |
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