☰
Our Lady of the Snows Yosemite Valley Chapel
Yosemite
CA
95389
- Roman Catholic churches in Yosemite, CA
- Roman Catholic churches in California
- Roman Catholic churches in United States
- Roman Catholic churches near me
- All churches in Yosemite, CA
Who we are
Yosemite Valley Chapel
Chapel Services and ACMNP Services
Pastor Brent Moore and his wife Faith warmly welcome you to the Yosemite Valley Chapel, home of the Yosemite Community Church.
Come and let us worship the Lord together. Everyone and all denominations are welcome.
Chapel Services and ACMNP Services
Pastor Brent Moore and his wife Faith warmly welcome you to the Yosemite Valley Chapel, home of the Yosemite Community Church.
Come and let us worship the Lord together. Everyone and all denominations are welcome.
Location of worship / Church Address
9006 Cedar Court
Yosemite,
CA
95389
United States
Phone: (559) 642-3452
Fax: (559) 642-4655
Download Our Lady of the Snows Yosemite Valley Chapel vCard with Mass Times
Church Pastor
Rev. Brent Moore
Pastor
9006 Cedar Court
Yosemite,
CA
95389
United States
Phone: (209) 372-4831
Download Pastor Rev. Brent Moore vCard
Quote of the Day
Psalms 25:9
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Denomination
Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic churches in Yosemite, California, United States
Roman Catholic churches in California, United States
Roman Catholic churches in United States
All churches in Yosemite, CA
Affiliations:
Website:
Social Media
Leadership
Leader Name:
Rev. Brent Moore
Leader Position:
Pastor
Formal Title:
Leader Address:
Tel:
Fax:
Leader Email:
Leader Bio:
Other Church Leaders:
Rev. Brent Moore on Social Media:
Our Lady of the Snows Yosemite Valley Chapel Leadership Photos
Administration
Admin Name:
Admin Position:
Admin Address:
Telephone:
Fax:
(559) 642-4655
Admin Email:
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 456
Yosemite National Park, CA
95389
Yosemite National Park, CA
95389
Driving Directions to Our Lady of the Snows Yosemite Valley Chapel
Travel/Directions Tips
We are located in the heart of Yosemite National Park, California, in the middle of the world famous Yosemite Valley, surrounded by spectacular cliffs, beautiful meadows, and an impressive view of Yosemite Falls.
As you enter the beautiful Yosemite Valley from highway 120 (Big Oak Flat Road), 140 (El Portal Road), or 41 (Wawona Road), the road turns into a one-way road named Southside Drive. We are located on the right-hand side of Southside Drive, about a quarter of a mile past the Swinging Bridge picnic area and just before the Sentinel Bridge turnoff to Yosemite Village, Yosemite Valley Lodge, and the Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwahnee Hotel).
The Yosemite Valley Chapel is the first major building you will see after entering the Valley.
As you enter the beautiful Yosemite Valley from highway 120 (Big Oak Flat Road), 140 (El Portal Road), or 41 (Wawona Road), the road turns into a one-way road named Southside Drive. We are located on the right-hand side of Southside Drive, about a quarter of a mile past the Swinging Bridge picnic area and just before the Sentinel Bridge turnoff to Yosemite Village, Yosemite Valley Lodge, and the Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwahnee Hotel).
The Yosemite Valley Chapel is the first major building you will see after entering the Valley.
Parking
Our Lady of the Snows Yosemite Valley Chapel Yosemite Mass Times
Yosemite Valley Chapel Worship Services
All 9:15 am Sunday Services offer Children's Church and Nursery
Summer Schedule
Memorial Day to Labor Day
Sunday 9:15 am, 11 am, 6:30 pm
Winter Schedule
Sunday 9:15 am & 6:30 pm
Mid-Week Service
Thursday 7 pm
Annual Marriage
Renewal Sunday
First Sunday in May
9:15 am & 11 am
Easter Week Services
Maundy Thursday 7 pm
Good Friday 12:15 pm & 7 pm
Easter Day Sunrise Service
7 am at Lower Pines Campground
Easter Day Services
9:15 am & 11 am
Thanksgiving Day Service
10 am
Christmas Eve Service
4 pm
New Years Watch Night Service
10 pm Pray in the New Year
(Communion Service)
ACMNP: A Christian Ministry in the National Parks
Summers Only - Memorial Day to Labor Day
Lower Pines Campground
Sunday 9 am
Wawona Campground
Sunday 9 am
White Wolf Campground
Sunday 9 am
Tuolumne Campground
Sunday 9 am
Mass Times last updated on the 3rd of September, 2019
All 9:15 am Sunday Services offer Children's Church and Nursery
Summer Schedule
Memorial Day to Labor Day
Sunday 9:15 am, 11 am, 6:30 pm
Winter Schedule
Sunday 9:15 am & 6:30 pm
Mid-Week Service
Thursday 7 pm
Annual Marriage
Renewal Sunday
First Sunday in May
9:15 am & 11 am
Easter Week Services
Maundy Thursday 7 pm
Good Friday 12:15 pm & 7 pm
Easter Day Sunrise Service
7 am at Lower Pines Campground
Easter Day Services
9:15 am & 11 am
Thanksgiving Day Service
10 am
Christmas Eve Service
4 pm
New Years Watch Night Service
10 pm Pray in the New Year
(Communion Service)
ACMNP: A Christian Ministry in the National Parks
Summers Only - Memorial Day to Labor Day
Lower Pines Campground
Sunday 9 am
Wawona Campground
Sunday 9 am
White Wolf Campground
Sunday 9 am
Tuolumne Campground
Sunday 9 am
Mass Times last updated on the 3rd of September, 2019
Worship Languages
Dress code:
Children and Youth Activities
Under 12s:
Under 18s:
Local outreach & community activities:
Other activities & ministries
Special Needs/Accessibility:
Prayers and hymns:
Main Bible:
Hymns and Songs:
Other information:
Average Adult Congregation:
Average Youth Congregation:
Additional Info:
Our Lady of the Snows Yosemite Valley Chapel Photo Gallery
Our Lady of the Snows Yosemite Valley Chapel History
Of the structures in public use in Yosemite National Park, the Yosemite Valley Chapel is now the oldest. This little New England style church was built under the sponsorship of the California State Sunday School Association, partly by subscriptions from the children, but mainly from the voluntary contributions of prominent members of the Association.
The Chapel was built in 1879 under the auspices of the Yosemite Union Chapel Association. Their stated purpose was:
"To erect an undenominational house of worship in the Yosemite Valley".
They took their inspiration from two Old Testament scripture verses:
Haggai 1:8: "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD."
Isaiah 2:2: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it."
Mr. Charles Geddes, a leading architect of San Francisco, made and presented the plans. Mr. E. Thomson, also of San Francisco, erected the building at a cost of between three and four thousand dollars. It will seat an audience of about two hundred and fifty. Mr. H. D. Bacon of Oakland donated the bell. When its first notes rang out on the evening of dedication, it was the first sound of "the church-going bell" ever heard in Yosemite. ["In the Heart of the Sierras" by James M. Hutchings (1888)]
The first service was held on June 7, 1879, and the church was filled to overflowing by delegates to the National Sunday School Assembly who were meeting in Yosemite Valley at that time.
The first organ in the Chapel was given by Miss Mary Porter of Philadelphia in memory of Florence Hutchings. Florence was the unofficial, but faithful caretaker of the Chapel during the summer of 1879-1881. She died in a climbing accident at the tender age of 17.
In 1887, on the death of President Grant, a memorial service was held in the Chapel. The organist for the day was Sir Arthur Sullivan, famed composer and collaborator with Sir William Gilbert in the famous Gilbert and Sullivan light operas. Sir Arthur was visiting in the Valley at the time and was asked to assist in the service.
The original location of the Chapel structure was on rising ground near the base of the Four Mile trail, a mile or so down the Valley from its present site on the south side of Yosemite Valley.
In the passage of years, the old Chapel, built in the midst of a busy community, lost one by one its companion buildings, until, with the moving on of community activity to other parts of the Valley, it stood alone. In 1901, it was taken down and moved to its present site.
The Yosemite Valley Chapel was given Historic American building status by the National Park Service in 1965. Following this, its interior was restored and a new foundation was placed under it.
The Chapel became listed on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places in 1973 based on its "simple architecture" that was representative of "a particularly fine example of the early chapels constructed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains."
Although the Chapel continues today primarily as a house of worship, over the years it has become a popular wedding destination due to the spectacular setting and the quaint beauty of the building. The first Chapel wedding took place on October 24, 1884.
The Chapel was built in 1879 under the auspices of the Yosemite Union Chapel Association. Their stated purpose was:
"To erect an undenominational house of worship in the Yosemite Valley".
They took their inspiration from two Old Testament scripture verses:
Haggai 1:8: "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD."
Isaiah 2:2: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it."
Mr. Charles Geddes, a leading architect of San Francisco, made and presented the plans. Mr. E. Thomson, also of San Francisco, erected the building at a cost of between three and four thousand dollars. It will seat an audience of about two hundred and fifty. Mr. H. D. Bacon of Oakland donated the bell. When its first notes rang out on the evening of dedication, it was the first sound of "the church-going bell" ever heard in Yosemite. ["In the Heart of the Sierras" by James M. Hutchings (1888)]
The first service was held on June 7, 1879, and the church was filled to overflowing by delegates to the National Sunday School Assembly who were meeting in Yosemite Valley at that time.
The first organ in the Chapel was given by Miss Mary Porter of Philadelphia in memory of Florence Hutchings. Florence was the unofficial, but faithful caretaker of the Chapel during the summer of 1879-1881. She died in a climbing accident at the tender age of 17.
In 1887, on the death of President Grant, a memorial service was held in the Chapel. The organist for the day was Sir Arthur Sullivan, famed composer and collaborator with Sir William Gilbert in the famous Gilbert and Sullivan light operas. Sir Arthur was visiting in the Valley at the time and was asked to assist in the service.
The original location of the Chapel structure was on rising ground near the base of the Four Mile trail, a mile or so down the Valley from its present site on the south side of Yosemite Valley.
In the passage of years, the old Chapel, built in the midst of a busy community, lost one by one its companion buildings, until, with the moving on of community activity to other parts of the Valley, it stood alone. In 1901, it was taken down and moved to its present site.
The Yosemite Valley Chapel was given Historic American building status by the National Park Service in 1965. Following this, its interior was restored and a new foundation was placed under it.
The Chapel became listed on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places in 1973 based on its "simple architecture" that was representative of "a particularly fine example of the early chapels constructed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains."
Although the Chapel continues today primarily as a house of worship, over the years it has become a popular wedding destination due to the spectacular setting and the quaint beauty of the building. The first Chapel wedding took place on October 24, 1884.