ST. MARTIN’S EARLY HISTORY:
The Rt. Rev. Karl Block, then Bishop of California, started plans for St. Martins in July 21, 1955. The Rev. Henry A. Dick was chosen vicar and the church was a start to an entire community that was looking for a better life as well as housing post WWII. Henry Doelger turned his dreams into reality by building, not just a block of homes, but an entire planned community, buying up all the land to the west and with the city of Daly City, which was called Westlake. At that time there was a large number of Episcopalians and St. Martins was the center of that community. St. Martins had its groundbreaking ceremony in September 6, 1957. Although the church had grown successful, twenty years later the children who grew up they moved away to college, got married and settled into different places causing membership to reduce. St. Martin’s church could no longer support itself and therefore had to seek assistance from the Diocese, turning the church into a mission with a dying congregation.
ST. BARNABAS, A FILIPINO MINISTRY IS BORN:
St Barnabas’ story traces its history to 1905. Under the supervision of Fred T. Foster it moved its building by oxen to the Excelsior District of San Francisco in 1911. After WWII, the demographics of San Francisco began to change into an ethnically diverse city. As the city changed, St. Barnabas, too, became a reflection of the demographics of its neighborhood. It had one of the most multicultural congregations in the Diocese: African Americans, Asians, Latinos, Europeans, and White Americans all called the small mission church home.
As early as 1969 St. Barnabas had a strong Filipino presence; and upon the retirement of The Rev. Angus Dunn, the first official ministry to Filipino-Americans in the Diocese of California began, at St. Barnabas. With the combined assistance of the Episcopal Asian American Ministry and the support of the Filipino members of St. Barnabas, the Rev. Sancho A. Gaerlan was called from Texas and installed as the First Filipino Vicar in theDiocese of California. St. Barnabas would become the headquarters of the Filipino Ministry in the Diocese.
Under Fr. Gaerlan’s Leadership, the congregation of St. Barnabas focused on making the Diocese aware of the cultural diversity within it, building community, and on raising children with positive Filipino and Christian values. He was a visionary who was determined to have Filipinos seen and heard through out the Diocese. From the Diocesan convention, annual picnic, acolyte festival, walk-a-thon, the Filipino’s of St. Barnabas had an unmistakable presence in food, culture and spirit, inviting all those through the door regardless of race. St. Barnabas sponsored a youth summer school and Filipino cultural days at Grace Cathedral together with Canon Kip. Fr. Garlan retired in 1986 due to poor health and later moved to the Philippines where he continued his ministry until he passed away in 1994.
In 1987, The Rev. Vito Q. Villalon succeeded Fr. Gaerlan as the second Filipino Vicar of St. Barnabas. He was dedicated to address the need for cultural relativity and sensitivity in a worship community of Filipinos. He introduced native Filipino Christian traditions such as the “Novena to the Santo Nino (Holy Child)”
In 1991, acknowledging that Filipinos in the United States constitute the second fastest growing ethnic minority, the Diocese approached Fr. Vito about moving the Filipino Ministry from is location in San Francisco to St. Martin Episcopal Church in the Westlake District of Daly City. Demographics facilitated this move. Back then in 1991 Filipino’s comprised 35% of the population of Daly City; and the city had the largest concentration of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. Under Fr. Vito’s leadership, the Filipino Ministry was able to orchestrate its move from San Francisco to Daly City.
Holy Child & St Martin (HCSM) – Two churches become One:
In May 1993, a “hello and goodbye” took place with The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing, as celebrant The Rev. Vito Villalon became the first Vicar of HCSM. It was born out of the “mutual yoking” by St. Martin Episcopal Church, a congregation with a building, but with a very few Caucasian members; and the Filipino congregation meeting at St. Barnabas, a congregation with members but who were about to lose their place of worship.
The Filipino Ministry left St. Barnabas and moved to St. Martin’s. This union gave birth to what is now “Holy Child and St. Martin Episcopal Church”. It is with this theological view that Holy Child comes before St. Martin as the Holy Child represents Jesus and St. Martin as Jesus Christ’s faithful Saint. Its formation was an affirmation and recognition of the growing Filipino American community in Daly City and in the greater Bay Area. Fifty-three Families from both St. Martins and St. Barnabas congregations were charter members of Holy Child and St. Martin. In 1996 The Rev. Villalon resigned and in October 1997, The Rev. Bayani Rico, from Toronto, Ontario was called to be the second vicar of HCSM.
Fire! A truly un-welcomed word here at HCSM! In March 2005, portions of the church caught fire resulting in massive fire and water damage to the main church building. During this time, for almost two years until the departure of Fr. Bayani in June 2007 the congregation celebrated its Sunday services downstairs in the Parish hall.
In October of 2007, Due to health reasons, The Rev. Bayani Rico made an unprecedented announcement that he is resigning from Holy Child and St. Martin after 10 years or service and is called to serve as the Rector of Church of the Ascension in Vallejo where he currently lives.
The Rev. Stina Pope who was then the assisting priest, was appointed by the Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, Bishop of California as the Interim Vicar of Holy Child and St. Martin. Membership slowly declined as well as its financial status inspite the efforts of Rev. Pope to keep the church alive. Holy Child and St. Martin can now only afford a 50% salaried priest.
In 2008, a search committee was formed in search of a new vicar. In October that year, Holy Child and St. Martin and the Bishop Committee elected The Rev. Leonard B. Oakes as the third Vicar of HCSM. The Rev. Leonard Oakes sacrificed his full time nursing profession to accept the call and was installed by the Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus and started duty on November 1, 2008. Membership and pledges slowly increased and after a year being a vicar, HCSM was able to offer 80% to 100% salaried priest to attend to all the church programs. God continue to bless HCSM!
HCSM Today:
We are a community of warm and loving people. We come to HCSM because we want to worship God and be in the company of friends. We are of diverse culture and family backgrounds: with ages ranging from infants to early centenarians, Filipinos, Peruvians, European-Americans, African-Americans, Fijians, Koreans and Cubans. We have great hopes for our children and our children’s children – to continue a tradition of fellowship with each other, with God; and to expand our community.
We continue to grow in the knowledge and love of God by reaching out to individuals and families in and around our geographical ministry. We also reach out across the streets of San Francisco serving the real homeless people living on cardboards and strollers by providing them food and clothings. Through our Health and Wellness program, we opened our doors to the community offering free blood pressure monitoring, Health education, distributing bread and pastries to the less fortunate, the uninsured and jobless in the community. We have increased our collaborations and networking with different health and community organizations. By doing these, HCSM believes that we are spreading the love of God in every person in the vineyard we are entrusted to take care.
HCSM within the Diocesan Vision:
Every challenge creates an opportunity. The Diocese of California recognizes the unique history and gifts of HSCM and hopes to expand Multicultural ministry based on our example and leadership. This, coupled with the challenge of smaller membership and limited financial resources, means that our congregation and our vicar will be invited into active partnership with nearby and similar congregations in the Diocese of California. Area Ministry—our diocese’ particular manifestation of geographically cooperative ministry shared by clergy and laity—requires an especially creative and collaborative working style.
The vicar who brings these gifts to our community will have a chance to reshape ministry—not only at Holy Child St. Martin’s, but indeed throughout the diocese of California—in ways that hearken back to the ancient catholic concept of parish, while simultaneously engaging in a forward-looking, future-oriented strategy of Christian mission.
(Excerpt from the 2008 Church Profile and some updates)