Name of Church Church of the Assumption

Address 546 Berding Street, Ferndale, CA

Phone number (707) 786-9551

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Church-of-the-Assumption/100064836364113/ 

Mass times Sundays, 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.  Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. in the chapel, which is part of the rectory.

Confessions Before Sunday Masses and by appointment.

Names of priests Fr. Mario Laguros, pastor.  Father is a mission priest, and originally from the Philippines.

School No.

Special parish groups and activities Annual bazaar, CCD classes.  The Latin mass community has adult and youth faith formation, a  schola cantorum, women’s altar sodality and a variety of special events, such as a Corpus Christi procession, epiphany party and Mother’s Day Tea.

Parking There is both street parking and a lot behind the church.

Additional observations  The Church of the Assumption in Ferndale is part of the Diocese of Santa Rosa in Humboldt County in Northern California.  Ferndale is a small, quaint Victorian village (population 1400), with one main street through the town on which the church is located.  (It is a tourist town, with quaint bed & breakfasts, shops and museums.  It is a favorite site for movies; Dustin Hoffman’s 1995 movie Outbreak, for example, was filmed in the town.)  Dairy has been a big industry, and as many of the farmers were Catholic, the parish was established to serve them in 1879, and the church built in 1896.  It is a beautiful, traditional church.  It has a traditional altar and art, including colorful stained glass windows and statues.  It has old-time confessionals, and a traditional ambo/pulpit and wooden pews.  The historic church is undergoing renovations.

The Church of the Assumption is home to the Latin Mass Society of the North Coast. Visiting diocesan priests celebrate the old Latin Mass at irregular intervals, depending of the availability of priests.  Check the Society’s website for upcoming dates: https://tlmnorthcoast.com/.  Anywhere from 50 to over 100 attend the Latin masses; the pastor is very welcoming to the community.  The parish is at the far, northern end of the diocese; Santa Rosa, where the bishop is located, is a four-hour drive away.