Please scroll down for additional information on the above links.

Finding Us

Here you have links to a little more
than just directions on finding us;
it also tells about our history and our patron saint,
all part of "finding us". 

How to Get Here

St. Denis Parish is located in southwestern San Mateo County, California, and has two churches, Our Lady of the Wayside and St. Denis.  Here are complete directions, maps, and GPS coordinates to our churches.

How We Got Here

Ours is the oldest parish in San Mateo County, and is inextricably entwined with the history of California.  It goes back to the days of the gold rush!   A lot has changed since the days the first Jesuits rode their horses here from Mission Santa Clara to say mass.  Here is where we document our past.

Who is St. Denis?

Yes, our name has only one "n", but is pronounced like it has two.  St. Denis was the first bishop of Paris.  He is recognized as the special saint of Paris and the patron saint of France.  His feast day is October 9; it was added to the Roman Calendar in 1568 A.D. by Pope Saint Pius V, though it had be celebrated since 800 A.D.

St. Denis was beheaded in 258 A.D. at Montmarte (which means the Mount of Martyrs) in Paris.  Legends have grown up around his torture and death including one that has his body carrying his severed head some distance from his execution site; hence typical representations show him carrying his severed head.