ST. SIMON PARISH
1860 Grant Road, Los Altos, CA 94024
PHONE: (650) 967-8311
FAX: (650) 967-8876
rectory@stsimon.org
About St. Simon's Parish
History
- In 1955, Archbishop John
J. Mitty appointed Fr. James L. Spooncer as the founding pastor of Saint
Simon Parish. Groundbreaking for the Church was held on April 22,1956
and construction was completed in April, 1957. A convent, rectory
and Saint Simon School were added over the course of the next seven years.
- Monsignor Ludwig Andre who
was our pastor from September, 1989 to July, 2002, recognized that Saint
Simon's infrastructure had changed little in more than twenty years and
set out to revitalize and expand the Parish. In May, 1996 a Parish Center
was added. Remodeling of the Church followed and was completed on
June 1, 1999. Monsignor Andre retired in July, 2002 after 14 years
of dedicated service to our parish! Our parish was then guided by
our Pastor, Father Tony Mancuso. He brought to this parish a new
set of dynamics, including the introduction of the Dominican sisters of
Mission San Jose to add new life to our Adult Ministry as well as our children's
ministries! Father Tony was recently succeeded by Father Warwick
James. Father Warwick James is an experienced pastor and we are looking
forward to his guidance as the shepherd of our parish! Congratulations
Father Warwick and welcome!
- Currently, we have over 1900
families in our parish. Many and varied groups bring this parish to life:
- St. Simon School (a Blue RibbonSchool of Excellence) est. 1961
- St. Simon Preschool of Religion
- Parish Life Group
- Religious Education for public school children
- Catechumenate process for those who wish to become Catholic
- Bible studies
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Legion of Mary
- and many others
It is our vision that
through our celebration of the Eucharist, the reception of the sacraments,
prayer,and the use of our facilities, we will become a real Eucharistic
community of love, realizing that we are the people of God. We hope you
will be proud to be part of St. Simon Parish!
What St. Simon Offers You
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- A place to worship God in a community of believers
- A supportive and loving environment which enables us to live out our Christian
values and beliefs
- A place where adults can have their faith nurtured through a variety of
programs, services, and organizations
- Involvement in our Parish Life Group activities
- A parish school where your children can receive a quality education which
emphasizes Christian values and beliefs
- A place where your young child's faith is nurtured through a variety of
religious education programs
- A caring community that is interested in improving the quality of life
for the needy in our own community and outside of it through our participation
in St. Vincent de Paul projects and the Alpha-Omega program for the homeless
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Who is St. Simon?
- Did you know that our Church was named after Simon, the Apostle, also known
as Simon the Zealot?
- St. Simon was surnamed the "Zealot" for his rigid adherence to Jewish law
and to Canaanite law.
- He evangelized or preached in Egypt, Cyrene, Mauritania, Ethiopia, and
Persia.
- It is also believed that St. Jude (Patron Saint of those in Need) traveled
throughout Mesopotamia, Libya, and Persia with St. Simon preaching and
converting many people to Christianity.
- He was originally a fisherman prior to becoming an apostle.
- He was one of the original followers of Christ. Not to be confused
with Simon Peter!
- His feastday is on October 28th.
- His apostolic symbol is a fish lying on a Bible.
Check out these websites for more information about our patron
saint, St. Simon:
Who is St.Jude?
- St. Jude, known as Thaddaeus, was a brother of St. James the Less, and
a relative of Our Saviour.
- St. Jude was one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus.
- Ancient writers tell us that he preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria,
Idumaea,Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia.
- St. Jude was also a fisherman and is generally believed to have been partnered
with St. Simon as they evangelized in the Middle East.
Check out these sites about St. Jude:
Pastoral Team
Please download the Pastoral Team Directory (pdf).
DIRECTIONS
From North
- Highway 280 South to Magdalena Exit, left under freeway onto
Magdalena Avenue, right on Foothill Expressway, left on Grant Road, the
Church will be on the left side of the street.
- Highway 101 to Highway 85 South, To El Camino/Grant Road Exit, continue
down Grant Road to Foothill Expressway, the Church will be on the right
side of the street.
From South
- Highway 280 North to Foothill Expressway/Grant Road Exit, right
on Foothill Expressway, right on Grant Road (3rd stop light), Church on
left.
- Highway 101 North to Highway 237 West which becomes Grant Road, continue
to Foothill Expressway, Church on the right.
St. Simon Church photo by Fr. Joseph Thannickal Photo collage by Kelly Koken © Copyright 2000-2006 by St. Simon's Church and by
parishioner KellyKoken. All rights reserved.