Holy Rosary Catholic Church

The history of the Catholic Church in Yolo County began in 1821 when a priest from Mission San Francisco de Solano baptized an infant in this county.

It was not until 1869 that the first Mass was celebrated in Woodland in the home of Peter Fitzgerald.

A year later in 1870, Holy Rosary Parish was founded.

During the 131-year history of the parish, five different churches were constructed.

The first Catholic Church in Woodland was built in 1870 on a two-lot piece of property on Main Street between Walnut and Elm. The Very Reverend Jacob Croke dedicated this church on the first Sunday of October 1870. During that winter, the church suffered cracks in the foundation from heavy rainstorms.

In 1874, Father Patrick Gallagher purchased three lots on Main and Walnut Streets and built the third church. The history of the second church is unclear. At the same time, churches were built in Davisville (now Davis) and in Knights Landing. A priest would celebrate Mass in each of these churches on designated Sundays.

In 1883, Father John McGinty arrived in the parish. He purchased land on West Street to serve as a Catholic cemetery. This is the present St. Joseph Cemetery. In May of 1884, he purchased five acres of land on Main Street for $250 and built Holy Rosary Academy. Sisters from Notre Dame, Indiana came by train to the teachers of this new school. Two years later, Woodland became part of the newly formed Diocese of Sacramento. Previously, all of Northern California was part of the Diocese of San Francisco.

In 1911, Father Michael Wallrath became pastor of Holy Rosary Parish. With $7000 in the parish coffers, he moved the old church to the north corner of the parish property on Court and Main Streets where it served as the parish hall. The fourth church was built on Main and Walnut at a cost of $25,000. This church was ornate and beautiful. An Irish artisan was hired to paint scenes from the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary in the arch above the altar. People came form far and wide to the dedication ceremony. The Southern Pacific Railroad even offered a discount fare from San Francisco in order to come to the dedication.

This beautiful church was to last only a short time and within a decade it was condemned because the roof was declared structurally unsafe. Since the community loved this church, the demolition crews found it difficult to participate in the dismantling of the church. In 1925, the parish hall was built by Father Thomas Horgan and Mass was celebrated there for many years.

The fifth and current church was built by Father John Tumulty and was dedicated on October 2, 1949 by Bishop Robert J Armstrong. The church was constructed for a cost of $215,700. Its floor plan is in the shape of a cross. The church also suffered from structural problems and water leaks almost from the beginning of its existence. However, the church has served the Woodland community well for the past half-century. The dome over the old altar has been painted a number of times and only recently restored. The church has been re-roofed only once, in 1996. The south wall has been sealed and yet water still seeps in during winter storms with strong south winds.

Because of the growing shortage of clergy, the community is planning to build a new church to accommodate 1200 people on the California Street parish site. The parish is just beginning the construction of a twenty thousand square foot Community Center next to the parish school. We anticipate the completion of this building in June 2002. Once this building has been paid for, the parish will move forward to Phase III of its development, the construction of a new church. We anticipate this construction to begin sometime around 2007.

The parish has seen many changes over its 130-year history. We are privileged to be part of the ongoing history of the People of God in this City of Woodland. May the generations to come be blessed by this long and fruitful legacy. May those generations add new and exciting chapters to the ongoing story of this parish.