Overview
The Mission Alignment Process (MAP) This page is to hold all updates for our Berkeley Catholic Parish Cluster. Down below there are updates specifically for our Cluster of Parishes which are Saint Joseph the Worker, Saint Ambrose & Saint Augustine. The following message is from the Diocese of Oakland Website. If you have any questions, the point of contacts for our Parishes are down below. We thank you all & God Bless
Mission: From the Diocese of Oakland: The following paragraphs from Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel), an apostolic exhortation published by Pope Francis, encapsulates well the spirit of our Mission Alignment Process: "I dream of a 'missionary option,' that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself... "... The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. ... We must admit, though, that the call to review and renew our parishes has not yet sufficed to bring them nearer to people, to make them environments of living communion and participation, and to make them completely mission-oriented." (No. 27, 28) -- The MAP (Mission Alignment Process) began in 2021 to address a growing gap between the mission of the Church and the operational realities of our parishes. The challenges of declining participation in parish life - sacramentally, financially and ministerially - are not unique to the Diocese of Oakland. Dioceses throughout the United States are impacted with similar challenges.
Services offered
- Catholic Mass
- Baptism
- First Communion
- Marriage
- Requesting Sacramental Certificates
Get involved
AMB is blessed to have many volunteers help in and around the Parish. All volunteers and staff must complete a mandatory Safe Environment Course. If you wish to become a volunteer please contact the Parish Office to inquire.
Leadership
Rev. John C. Prochaska -Pastor of Saint Joseph the Worker, and Parochial Administrator of Saint Augustine & Saint Ambrose Parishes - Vicar for Priest Diocese of Oakland Rev. Alberto Perez-Aguayo - Parochial Vicar Deacon Ralph Nagel - Permanent Deacon Deacon Rey Gonzalez - Permanent Deacon Alan S. Bautista - Parish Administrative Assistant & Safe Environment Coordinator
Donating
Information for 2026 Saint Ambrose Parish was able to raised $21,271.46 (202.59%) of our goal of $10,500 for the Bishop Ministries Appeal! Thanks to your generosity our Diocese is able serve the Faithful. This year our goal is the same of $10,500. We will have a Second Collection on March 14-15, 2026 for the Bishop's Ministries Appeal. Checks should be made payable to "Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland". If you wish to pay online click the link down below to be redirected to the Diocese of Oakland website. If you are not able to donate on the weekend of March 15 that is okay. Please contact the Parish Office to see how you can donate. Please look down below for facts and a short video on how the Bishop's Appeal helps throughout the Diocese! To donate online please click the following link: https://oakdiocese.org/bma-one-time-gift Please make sure you select "St. Ambrose, Berkeley" to receive credit to our goal of $10,500. Once more thank you for your generosity!
History
"Saint Ambrose Parish was established in 1909 by Archbishop Patrick Riordan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. It was named after Ambrose of Milan, a fourth century nobleman who converted to Christianity and became a Bishop and Doctor of the Church. Upon his conversion, Ambrose gave away his wealth to the poor. He became known as a great preacher and prolific writer, and was instrumental in the conversion of Saint Augustine of Hippo. The original church was a wood-framed building with a shingle exterior, which stood at the intersection of Gilman Street and Stannage Avenue, the site of the current rectory. The parish's first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Day, 1910. The current church building, at the intersection of Gilman Street and Cornell Avenue, was completed and dedicated in 1952. December 7, 1952, the date of the dedication of the new church building by San Francisco Archbishop John Mitty, held a threefold significance. In the year 374, this had been the date on which Ambrose of Milan was baptized into the Catholic Church. In 1909, in celebration of Saint Ambrose's feast day, the original church building was dedicated by Archbishop Riordan. And perhaps most prominent in the minds of its parishioners this date recalled the Japanese attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, only eleven years earlier. The new building has withstood over fifty years of earthquakes, floods, and even vandalism. It has also seen great changes in the membership of Saint Ambrose Parish, as the ethnic and cultural makeup of the entire Bay Area has changed in dramatic ways over the past half-century. The parish became a part of the Diocese of Oakland when it was established in 1962 by Pope John XXIII." -Excerpt from "Saint Ambrose Ministries Guide Centennial Year Inaugural Special 2009"
Location and service area
1145 Gilman St
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