OAKLAND (CA)
The Oaklandside [Oakland CA]
May 1, 2026
By Azucena Rasilla
Declining attendance was also a major factor in the decision to close churches including Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Paschal Baylon.
The Oakland Diocese of the Catholic Church will close 13 churches — 7 in Oakland — due to declining participation and an ongoing financial crisis linked to sexual abuse cases dating between 1960 and 1990, some of which resulted in lawsuits and multi-million dollar jury verdicts.
In a letter dated April 28, released to its parishioners and the media, Oakland Bishop Michael C. Barber wrote that attendance at masses across the diocese’s region — Alameda and Contra Costa counties — has fallen since the early 2010s, meaning less participation in the sacraments and lower Catholic school enrollment. “We are also at an all-time low of priests assigned to our 80 parishes, and the average age of our priests continues to climb,” he wrote.
The list of closures includes churches in Oakland, including Our Lady of Lourdes across the street from Lake Merritt. Parishioners from the church gathered last September to organize ways to save the church from closing. At the time, parishioners told The Oaklandside that the diocese had said little to them about its final decision.
The Diocese has faced hundreds of lawsuits in recent years, filed by the survivors of clergy sexual abuse. In 2023, Bishop Barber announced a bankruptcy plan that involved paying $165 million to survivors while looking at potentially closing churches with declining attendance.
The Diocese put together a “Mission Alignment Process”, which looked at data to identify which parishes were struggling the most. The plan also included a survivors’ fund worth up to $198 million. A survivor’s group called the plan a “sham of an offer.”
In his letter issued on Tuesday, Barber explained that the diocese is still currently seeking approval of its bankruptcy plan from a federal judge. “Regardless of that outcome, we must face the realities described above and proceed with these closures.”
Another church on the list is St. Paschal Baylon, near Golf Links Road, led by Father Jayson Landeza. Landeza also leads St Lawrence O’Toole, both part of Divine Mercy Parish.
Landeza addressed parishioners from St. Paschal in an email dated April 29, writing, “because of decisions that have been made regarding this property, we now face the painful reality that this site will be sold. I know that this news brings sadness, disappointment, anger, and confusion. Those feelings are real, and they deserve to be acknowledged. This is a loss, and it is right to grieve.”
The diocese has a Frequently Asked Questions section addressing how the sale of the churches, and subsequent release of funds will be addressed. The FAQ says that the sale of the properties will be “unique to each site,” that there’s no exact timeline yet, and “Bishop Barber will work in collaboration with the “receiving” pastor(s) on the disposition of the sale of church property.”
Barber said in the letter that he will “provide welcoming accommodation of all affected parishioners at another convenient location.”
Azucena Rasilla, The Oaklandside’s arts and community reporter, joined the newsroom in June 2020. A bilingual journalist from East Oakland, she has reported on Oakland arts, culture and community for over a decade. She regularly hosts Oaklandside Culture Makers, a quarterly live event that highlights Oakland creatives. She started her career at the East Bay Express and her work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, Eater and Curbed.