ORIGINS OF HEART

ORIGNS OF HEART

By Estella Inda

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, roots is defined as “the basic cause, source, or origin of something.” When I think of how this definition applies to east side history, I automatically think of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. At the heart of every community is a place that brings the people together and shapes their journey forward; for those that grew up in the east side neighborhood of Mayfair/Sal Si Puedes, that place is Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

“..roots defined as “the basic cause, source, or origin of something.”

Beginning in the 1920s, large numbers of Spanish-speakers moved into Mayfair/Sal Si Puedes; restrictive housing covenants prevented them from renting or owning properties in most other areas of the city. At that time, there were no places of worship in the Mayfair area that offered services in Spanish. This resulted in some community members holding mass in their homes. By the 1940s, there were only two houses of worship that offered mass in Spanish in Santa Clara Valley, and neither were close to the east side.

“This resulted in some community members holding mass in their homes. ”

As the Spanish-speaking population of the east side continued to grow, so did the need for a church of their own. In the 1950s, the people of Mayfair sent a letter to the archbishop in San Francisco, who oversaw the Catholic institutions in the area. The letter, requesting that a church offering Spanish-language services be established in Mayfair, had over a thousand signatures. Their request was denied; it was the view of the archbishop that the people could simply attend services at the existing parishes nearby.

“The letter, requesting that a church offering Spanish-language services be established in Mayfair, had over a thousand signatures. ”