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While our local Catholic Church certainly has an institutional face – seen in our many charitable organizations, parishes, schools, hospitals, and other good works – it is first and foremost a 450,000-member family of believers.

Our shared mission is to facilitate and cultivate an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ and His Church. Through our works of charity, preaching the Gospel, standing up for human dignity, prayer, and worship, we share His presence with our neighbors today.

Archdiocese Facts

Date of Canonical Establishment: July 29, 1853, by Pope Pius IX

Counties: 3 (San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin)

Territory Area: 2,325 sq mi

Catholic Population: 441,736

Patron Saints: St. Francis of Assisi; St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland; St. Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus

Suffragan Dioceses of the San Francisco Metropolis: Honolulu (Hawaii), Oakland (California), San Jose (California), Santa Rosa (California), Sacramento (California), and Stockton (California).

“Where others are drawn by gold, you must carry the cross.”

—Pope Pius IX to Most Rev. Joseph Alemany,
first Archbishop of San Francisco (1853-1884)

The story of the Catholic Church in San Francisco is our story. It began with Franciscan missionaries from Spain. In a fitting paradox, this Gold Rush boomtown was placed under the patronage of the poverello from Assisi who set aside earthly power and riches in order to radically embody the Gospel of Jesus Christ.