Diocese of San Jose

Established in 1981 from the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Diocese of San Jose covers all of Santa Clara County and its roughly 61 parishes. The cathedral is the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph in downtown San Jose — the building was dedicated as cathedral in 1990 and elevated to a minor basilica in 1995. The area's Catholic history runs much deeper: Mission Santa Clara de Asís was founded in 1777, and the church built for Spanish settlers in San Jose in 1803 was the first non-mission parish church in Alta California.