History

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Building a Shrine

Shrine 300

Statue of Our Lady Of Peace

Noteworthy of mention is the fact that the Shrine is the only major Marian Shrine on the West Coast between Our Lady of Sorrows Shrine in Portland, Oregon, (over 700 miles to the north), and the famous Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, (over 2,300 miles to the south).

We invite you to visit our serene and peaceful place of worship and experience the tender gaze and maternal solicitude of our Blessed Mother.

Located at the intersection of Freeway 101 and Great America Parkway, the parish of Our Lady of Peace was established in 1961 in a rural community, amidst acres of orchards and fields—“out in the boondocks,” as its first Pastor, Father Joseph G.Sullivan, fondly remembered.

Fifty years later, the parish is surrounded by Silicon Valley’s corporate giants, Mission College, an ethnic variety of restaurants, Great America Amusement Park, and, recently, Levi Stadium—home of the SF 49’ers.

The Legacy of Msgr. John J. Sweeny

MsgrSweeny

Msgr. John J. Sweeny

The growth we witnessed from its beginning can be attributed to the power of the Rosary, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the tremendous gift of having Perpetual Adoration all day long and all year long, for which our parish is renowned.
Surely none of these would have been possible without the passion of Msgr. John J.Sweeny, who served as a Pastor from 1969 to 2002. It was he who established First Friday All Night Vigils on October 3, 1969, Perpetual Adoration on August 15, 1976, and on October 7, 1983, erected the beautiful 32’ stainless steel statue—a shrine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary built by sculptor Charles C. Parks, and dedicated by Bishop Pierre Dumaine of the Diocese of San Jose. The newly proclaimed St. John Paul II deigned to bestow a special blessing for that occasion.