November 19, 2007   •   VOL. 45, NO. 20   •   Oakland, CA

St. Mary’s Center closer to its goal of
buying St. Joseph-St. Andrew Church
 

Theresa Haney, a participant at St. Mary’s Center, waits on one of the benches brought to the center from its previous site, the parish hall of the now demolished St. Francis de Sales Cathedral. A center client had painted the bench as a statement about homelessness. ST. MARY’S CENTER PHOTO

By Carrie McClish
Staff writer

Nearly a year after successfully completing a move to a former west Oakland Catholic church, officials at St. Mary’s Center have announced that the non-profit organization is making steady progress towards its goal of buying and developing the property at San Pablo Avenue and Brockhurst Street.
The site had been the home of St. Andrew-St. Joseph Parish until the parish merged with St. Mary-St. Francis de Sales Parish in August 2006 to become the Catholic Parish of Christ the Light.

At that time, St. Mary’s Center signed a five-year lease-purchase agreement with the Oakland Diocese, agreeing to pay the diocese $1 per month with the option to buy the property at below market rate. As part of the agreement, the parish soup kitchen was demolished to make way for parking, and the rectory, parish hall and early childhood center underwent renovations.

The center has renovated the three buildings and added fresh paint and landscaping to create a bright and welcoming facility for senior services, a community center, and a pre-school. There are private counseling offices, showers for residents of the winter shelter, a commercial kitchen for the food program, and a larger community center.
The $1.7 million cost for the renovation was paid for by donations from individuals, foundations, businesses, and community organizations.

If you would like to help   Contributions to St. Mary’s Center can be sent to 925 Brockhurst St., Oakland, CA 94608. If the contribution is for the purchase of the property, please note “Capital Campaign” on the memo line. For a gift of stock or through a credit card, contact Carol Johnson, executive director, at (510) 923-9600, ext. 223.

St. Mary’s Center needs to raise another $1.3 million to complete its purchase of the properties, develop a courtyard and parking, and establish a maintenance reserve fund. Once the purchase is complete, the center plans to demolish the vacated church, which had been leased by Covenant House as a shelter for homeless teens. Covenant House moved its operations during the summer to a site at Oakland’s Jack London Square.

Katrina Brekke-Miesner, the center’s capital campaign coordinator, said that when St. Mary’s Center signed the agreement with the Oakland Diocese, the diocese listed the property at $3.2 million “with the caveat that they would match up to $1.5 million of what we raised and give it at the time of the purchase by reducing the purchase price to $1.7 million. Our fundraising has met and exceeded the challenge, qualifying us for the reduced price.”

The campaign has received a commitment from the state to contribute a $1 million grant towards the purchase of the property. But the grant will only be available once the other money is secured for the purchase, she added.

If all goes according to schedule, by April 2008 the center will have enough money to purchase the property, move on plans to construct the courtyard, and open the reserve fund. By April 2009 the organization plans to have the money to purchase the pre-school.

Once those goals are met The Center hopes it will be able to develop affordable housing for the elderly.

Since moving to its new site, St. Mary’s Center has scarcely lost a beat in serving the at-risk community. Carol Johnson, executive director, said the organization has begun to build relationships with seniors in their new neighborhood, including those who live at St. Andrew Manor across the street from the center.

After an initial dip following the move, the number of participants is now holding steady, she said.

The center organized a local observance of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Oct. 17. Several hundred people joined the seniors for a procession from the center to Oakland City Hall, where the demonstrators urged the federal government to make the eradication of poverty a national priority.

In recognition of its work that includes addressing issues of poverty and hunger in Oakland, St. Mary’s Center received a special Honorary Mention Global Citizen certificate from the United Nations Association — USA (East Bay) last month. Being acknowledged by the local United Nations group was a “thrill,” Johnson said.

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