A Brief History of Church of the Assumption
Established in 1951 Assumption Parish was established in 1951 by Archbishop John J. Mitty of the Archdiocese of San Francisco to serve approximately 1,200 families.
Reverend Thomas J. Browne was appointed as the founding pastor and served from 1951 to 1979. The parish was originally part of a 22-acre tract purchased for a diocesan high school. Five acres were selected for the church site at Fulton Street and Evergreen Avenue, with the remaining land later sold for housing.
Father Browne arrived in San Leandro on January 17, 1951, and within three weeks the parish was fully functioning.
The first Mass was celebrated on February 11, 1951, at the Bal Theatre on East 14th Street.
Soon after, the Sisters of the Holy Family began providing religious instruction, with early classes held in private homes. The church building was completed in 1953.
Assumption Parish was also among the first in the world to honor the Assumption of Our Lady following the 1950 infallible definition of the dogma by Pope Pius XII, a distinction that remains central to our parish identity.