About Our Pastor: Rev. Mark D. Wiesner

I was born in Buffalo, New York in 1962 and moved to the Bay Area (Concord) with my family in 1969. I attended De La Salle High School, and after graduating from U.C. Davis in 1985 with a degree in Rhetoric and Communications, spent six weeks on a Summer of Service with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Scotland. I worked in the insurance industry for two years before joining the National Evangelization Teams (NET). From August 1987 through August 1988, I traveled with NET conducting retreats for high school students across our country and throughout Australia. While on NET, I contacted the Vocation Director for our Diocese to pursue the possibility of a life of ministry.

Returning from NET, I entered St. Joseph’s College Seminary in 1989 for a year of pre-theology study. In 1990, I entered St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Oakland in my home parish of St. Francis of Assisi, in Concord, on June 10, 1995.

While in the seminary, I joined the United States Air Force as a chaplain candidate. As a chaplain candidate, I was on duty at Barksdale AFB, The United States Air Force Academy, Lowry AFB and Vandenberg AFB. After ordination, I continued my service in the Air Force as an active reserve chaplain at Travis AFB until 2000.

From 1995 through 1998, I was a parochial vicar at All Saints Parish in Hayward. My second assignment was here at CCOP under the watchful eye of Fr. Dan Danielson from mid-1998 until May of 2001. From May 2001 until December 2003, I was assigned to Assumption Parish in San Leandro. After two and a half years as pastoral administrator, I became the pastor of St. Augustine Church in Oakland where I served from June 2006 through August 2012. From there I was off to be pastor at St. Charles until I returned here to CCOP on July 1, 2019.

I have also served as Director of Communications and Media Relations for the Diocese of Oakland. I currently serve on the Presbyterial Council and am a member of the Bishop's College of Consultors.

During the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy held by the church in 2016, I was commissioned by Pope Francis as a Missionary of Mercy. One of my greatest joys in ministry is conducting retreats, parish missions, days and evenings of reflection and teaching scripture. I have discovered, from my earliest days on NET, that I have a missionary heart.

In addition to ministry, I am a trained working voice over artist and have performed on stage since first grade! I have been cast in more than 65 musicals throughout my life. I also thoroughly enjoy travel, movies, and anything else that strikes my fancy on a given day.
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As I mentioned, I am sure that in the years ahead we will get to know each other well. I look forward to working with you to build the Kingdom of God here in the Tri-Valley.​
PREVIOUS PASTORS OF OUR FAITH COMMUNITY
  • Fr. Thomas McNaboe, 1901 - 1906
  • Fr. Joseph McAuliffe, 1906 - 1912
  • Fr. Charles F. Meyers, 1912 - 1918
  • Fr. Thomas O'Malley, 1918 - 1922
  • Fr. Patrick McGrattan, 1922 - 1925
  • Fr. Patrick O'Neill, 1925 - 1927
  • Fr. Phillip Byrne, 1927 - 1928
  • Fr. Timothy Galvin, 1928 - 1931
  • Fr. J. Viladomat, 1931 - 1933
  • Fr. Patrick J. Hennessy, 1933 - 1935
  • Fr. Robert I. Falvey, 1935 - 1938
  • Fr. Thomas F. Byrne, 1938 - 1941
  • Fr. William F. Hennessy, 1941 - 1951
  • Fr. Raymond W. Kenny, 1951 - 1954
  • Fr. Edward P. Higgins, 1954 - 1959
  • Fr. Joseph M. Pier, 1959 - 1965
  • Fr. Edmond Cloutier, 1965 - 1981
  • Msgr. Michael Lucid, 1981 - 1984
  • Fr. Daniel E. Danielson, 1985-2008
  • Fr. Padraig Greene, 2009 - 2013
  • Fr. Paul Minnihan, 2013 - 2018
  • Fr. Mark Wiesner, 2019 - Present