St. Francis Catholic Church, the 127-year-old historic landmark and community center in the Mendocino County hamlet of Hopland, is being sold by the Diocese of Santa Rosa.
The move dashes hope of residents that the beloved Catholic church might reopen after being shuttered since the COVID pandemic.
St. Francis Church has a century-long presence in the heart of Hopland. It is an iconic all-white wood frame church nestled against the hills on the western edge of town within walking distance of the local Post Office and hostoric/restored Thatcher Hotel.
The planned church sale saddens but was expected by local supporters who have long felt St. Francis Church has been treated as a “stepchild” by diocesan officials.
For decades under the auspices of the St. Francis Guild, the historic church has had to rely on the generosity of community leaders and established local families to maintain the church constructed in 1897.
Generations of Hopland area families have gathered there for Sunday services since then for family weddings, and celebrations in honor of those who passed.
Katie and Dino Gibson, a fifth-generation Hopland resident, are the last local couple married at St. Francis. Family and friends packed the church for their wedding that took place on New Year’s Eve, 2019.
“It was very emotional and moving for us. Dino’s ancestors donated land in the 19th century so the church could be built where it has stood ever since. His grandparents were married there,” recalled Katie Gibson.
Katie Gibson said she grew up in neighboring Cloverdale in Sonoma County, where her family has lived for generations. “We are seeing this happen there with the little church at Asti,” she said.
“Family history, traditions, and our communities are still so important. We are going to miss our shared experiences at St. Francis,” said Gibson.
The loss is deepened for the Gibsons, other Hopland families, and church regulars by the possibility that cherished St. Francis relics and artwork will be removed and eventually end up somewhere else if diocesan officials approve. The artifacts include stained glass windows, statues, and pews.
“It is heartbreaking for all of us,” said Bard Zensen, a St. Francis Guild board member.
Zensen wrote in a Nov. 26 letter to guild board directors that as sad as that situation might be, “At least some things would be preserved in a suitable setting.”
Zensen said while St. Francis and an adjoining guild hall have been closed since the first outbreak of Covid, “The Guild Board of Directors have continued to meet and take care of expenses and maintenance” of the facilities.
Zensen said the Guild board struggled to find a priest in the diocese who might be willing to come to Hopland even if only for monthly services, but those efforts failed.
The prospect of a diocesan sale of the church property makes the situation hopeless, said Zensen. It was only then that disheartened guild directors decided to dissolve the volunteer organization and notify church officials that continued expenses and upkeep of St. Francis was now their sole responsibility.
Zensen said the decision was made “in great frustration and with heavy hearts.”
“It is so sad,” said Pat Hartley, an Ukiah resident and former treasurer of the Hopland church guild.
Hartley said, “St. Francis has a long history, and now it is all gone except for our memories.”
Hartley said the historic church’s legacy will live on through a newly created Hopland Fund at the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, where the Guild’s remaining money was transferred instead of into diocesan coffers.
“It allows the opportunity for the fund to earn some money and eventually use the proceeds to specifically benefit members of the Hopland community,” said Hartley.
Hartley and other church supporters said they felt the end was near when the church was never reopened after the pandemic eased, diocesan financial support withered, and the local effort to recruit a priest to celebrate Mass even once a month received no support at the diocesan level.
This past week diocesan representatives declined to discuss specifics of their plan for the Hopland church.
The Rev. Moses Brown, the diocese’s Vicar General, rebuffed written inquiries. “I have no comment at this time,” said Brown.
Diocesan attorney Reed Moran of Santa Rosa said it was “too early” to discuss any details.
The planned sale was confirmed, however, in a Nov. 19 letter from Bishop Robert Vasa, according to Rev. Peter Reddy, pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Ukiah. St. Francis is considered a mission church under the oversight of the larger St. Mary’s.
“I received information and the decision of the diocese on selling the property in Hopland,” according to a note Reddy shared with the St. Francis church guild members.
Reddy told the guild that diocesan lawyer Moran has been “appointed to oversee selling the property with cooperation of the Finance Committee of Ukiah.”
The Hopland property sale is part of an overall review of diocesan-held properties that might be sold as part of a bankruptcy reorganization. In early 2023, the diocese filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection, after Bishop Vasa cited more than 130 sexual abuse claims that have been filed against priests and others, most of them dating to the 1970s and 1980s, but some after state lawmakers enacted a three-year window for sexual abuse victims that expires in January, 2026.
Moran this week suggested a sale of the Hopland church and property will take time.
“The Hopland church is in a pool of properties the diocese owns that are being evaluated for sale,” said Moran.
Moran said, “We haven’t had the time to look at them individually in depth.”
So it’s essentially a liquidation sale to pay for sexual abuse claims?
Too bad. The irony is pretty thick here.