Saint Columba Catholic Church
From Without Works by Amity Armstrong and Lemuel Gonzalez
May 27, 2026 · 5 min · Season 7
About this episode
The episode discusses the history and community impact of Saint Columba Catholic Church, highlighting its diverse parishioner demographics and social justice initiatives.
Show Notes Lemuel: I am Lemuel Gonzalez, repentant sinner, and along with Amity Armstrong, your heavenly host, I invite you to find a place in the pew for today’s painless Sunday School lesson. Without Works. **Amity: ** Saint Columba Catholic Church was founded in 1898, the result of a collaboration between Sacred Heart Church, Oakland and Saint Joseph the Worker Church in Berkeley. The founding pastor was Father Martin Whyte, formerly Assistant Pastor of Sacred Heart. The original population of St. Columba Catholic Church was about 100 mostly Irish families. Following the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 the parish became 35% Italian, while the Irish population decreased to 20%. In the two decades after that earthquake, the number of African American parishioners grew. On September 1, 1981, Father Paul Ross Vassar was assigned as pastor. His 13-year tenure was highlighted with a vision for liturgy that reflected the African American Catholic experience. Fr. Vassar initiated the St. Columba Annual African American Celebration, in conjunction with African American History Month (February), drawing nationally renowned African American speakers. Part of that celebration was – and…
People in this episode
Hosts: Lemuel Gonzalez, Amity Armstrong
Topics covered
- Catholic Church history
- African American Catholic experience
- social justice advocacy
- community celebration
- church demographics
Keywords
- Saint Columba
- Catholic Church
- Father Vassar
- African American celebration
- social justice
- church history
- community
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Saint Columba Catholic Church, Sacred Heart Church, Saint Joseph the Worker Church, Rawn Harbor Workshop Choir Experience
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