HISTORY OF ST. CYPRIAN PARISH

In March of 1960, the Archbishop of San Francisco, the Most Reverend John Mitty, purchased acres of Sunnyvale property at the corner of Washington Avenue and Leota Avenue for the building of a church.  A little over a year later, in June of 1961, Saint Cyprian Church became a parish, formed from sections of three older, previously established parishes:   Saint Martin in Sunnyvale, Saint Simon in Los Altos and Saint Joseph in Mountain View.  At that time, the rectory was located at 267 Gabilan Street in Sunnyvale.   Before the completion of the church building, Mass was celebrated in the rectory garage.

Saint Cyprian Parish held a groundbreaking ceremony on January 28, 1962.   That same year, Saint Cyprian Parish celebrated its inauguration with the 1962 Christmas Eve Midnight Mass.  On May 17, 1963, Archbishop Joseph T. McGucken dedicated Saint Cyprian Church, naming Father Thomas C. Reilly as the first pastor.  

In July of 1965, the Bishop appointed Father John T. Gallagher as the second pastor of St. Cyprian.  Father Gallagher directed the formation of the first Saint Cyprian Parish Council and built the current rectory.

During this time, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a gift from the Davila family, was dedicated in September 1967.  This beautiful grotto is located near the present-day rectory.  Father Gallagher also purchased a house on Leota Avenue to serve as a convent.  He invited the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.H.M.) from Immaculata, Pennsylvania to the parish.

In August of 1968, Saint Cyprian School opened its doors with just three grades, adding a new grade each subsequent year.  The Sisters staffed the school and remained until 1999, educating the minds and spirits of Saint Cyprian’s youth.

Father Gallagher passed away on January 28, 1977.  The current tabernacle in church serves as a memory of his dedication to the parish.

Father Patrick Keane succeeded Father Gallagher as the third pastor, serving from 1977 to 1981.  He initiated the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Devotions.

Father James Walsh, the fourth pastor, served from 1981 to 1989.  Father Walsh built the Parish Hall/Gymnasium.  During his pastorate, the parish began holding an annual festival with volunteers from the church and school making it very successful each year.  He also formed the Over 50’s Senior Group which held a monthly Mass and potluck lunch as well as various social events.

Father Lawrence Hendel served as pastor from 1989 to 1996.  Father Hendel remodeled the confessional, redecorated the church and introduced altar serving for girls.  He also hired the current office manager, Jill Snoeberger.

Father Mark Neary was welcomed to St. Cyprian in 1996, staying until 2001.   Father Mark renovated the school building and also introduced the 6:00pm Sunday Youth Mass.  Youth from our parish and school served as lectors, Eucharistic ministers and altar servers at this Mass.

Father Tim Kidney, who was pastor from 2000 to 2004, took on the massive project of renovating the church/school building by combining it with the gymnasium and building new classrooms and meeting rooms around them as well as adding the new   Parish Conference Center in the back of the building.  Father Kidney was responsible  for the installation of the beautiful stained glass windows displayed in the church, completing the entire project with generous donations. 

Father Arthur Yabes was pastor from 2004 to 2014.  In 2005, Father Yabes launched the 12:30pm Spanish language Mass and Ministry for the Latinos of the parish.  Additionally, he created a sacred space for the tabernacle for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  During his time, Fall Harvest Dances and other social events were held.  They were well attended by parishioners and school families.  Father Yabes also hired our current Religious Education and Hispanic Ministry Coordinator, Alde Vera.

In 2008, a generous parishioner donated the funds to finance the installation of solar panels on the church/school building.  They have been used since this time to generate electricity for the church and school and help lower our utility costs.

In 2010, Colleen Vandevoorde, Deacon Jim Doyle, Erica Bucaro & Kenny Mendez formed a youth group for youth in grades 7 – 12 from our parish and school.  As Youth Group Director, Colleen focused on three provisions for our youth:   spiritual growth, service, and socialization.  This youth group ran for almost 10 years until attendance dropped after our parish school closed.

In 2012, citing an overall decline in enrollment in Catholic schools in the Bay Area, the diocese combined St. Cyprian and St. Martin Schools, creating Catholic Academy of Sunnyvale.  Catholic Academy of Sunnyvale combined the best traditions from St. Cyprian school and St. Martin school for five years, while creating new traditions together at the same time.  Sadly, it was announced on June 30, 2017 that the Catholic Academy of Sunnyvale would not reopen for the 2017-2018 school year due to a significant decline in enrollment.  Throughout its years, employees and parents of our school were committed to offering a quality, Catholic education to our students.  

In 2013, Alde Vera began the tradition of celebrating St. Cyprian’s feast day every year with a festival that includes live music, dancing and delicious food to share.  Alde also started the Friday evening Hispanic prayer group that same year.  The group began with six people and has grown to forty to fifty people each Friday.

Father Mike Carson was pastor from 2014-2016.  During this time, he re-started the St. Cyprian Youth Group for students in 7^th to 12^th grade and started our tradition of Soup Suppers on the Fridays during Lent.  He also re-ignited our parish St. Vincent de Paul Society chapter that helps the poor in our parish and surrounding neighborhood.  For years, Fr. Carson took a “working vacation” for a month each summer to work extensively in the Navajo Nation at Christ the King Parish in Shiprock, New Mexico, building up the Catholic community there.  He left St. Cyprian in 2016 when he accepted an invitation to be the Assistant Director of Native American Affairs at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington D.C.  

In 2018, we said good bye to our long time sacristan Greg Barron.  He served as sacristan from the time he was 18 years old until his passing, for a total of 39 years.  For being a modest and quiet man, he was known and loved by hundreds. 

Father Vincent Pineda, who was pastor from 2016 to 2024, re-started the Young Adults group for people 18 and older.  In an attempt to give our senior parishioners a chance to get together to socialize, Fr. Pineda began having Casino Trips twice a year.  Fr. Pineda also began inviting couples to an annual communal wedding, where they prepared together in a retreat and then celebrated their weddings together in the church.  During Father Pineda’s time, he also began gathering people to say the rosary each day in May in honor of Mary and each day in June in honor of Sacred Heart.   This is a family tradition with children reciting the rosary along with their parents.

Covid forced the suspension of gathering for Mass in March of 2020.  In order to bring Mass to parishioners, Fr. Vincent started live streaming Mass in the church on an iPad over the Zoom platform assisted by five parishioners which was the maximum number that could gather together as mandated by the government.  We were able to move the Mass and live stream to the parking area where we celebrated Mass with parishioners attending in their cars and the Mass broadcast local on AM radio.  As restrictions eased, the Mass was moved to the gym and eventually back to the church where we continue to live stream the Mass.

In 2023, Jill Snoeberger organized our first Rummage Sale.  This annual event  brings community members together to volunteer and is a fundraiser for the parish.

Father Robain Lamba is our current pastor, joining the parish in 2024.

Succession of pastors:  Father Thomas C. Reilly (1963-1965); Father John T. Gallagher (1965-1977); Father Patrick Kean (1977-1981; Father Jim Walsh (1981-1989); Father Larry Hendel (1989-1996); Father Mark Neary (1996-2000); Father Tim Kidney (2000-2004); Father Arthur Yabes (2004-2014); Father Mike Carson (2014-2016); Father Vincent Pineda (2016-2024); Father Robain Lamba (2024-present)