Saint Albert Priory

Saint Albert Priory in Oakland, California, is the house of formation for the Dominican Order in the Western United States. The ministry of the Western Dominican Province, of which St. Albert Priory is a member, stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains and from Alaska to Mexico. The Order itself dates to the year 1216, when it was founded by Saint Dominic de Guzman. The Province to which Saint Albert Priory serves traces its history in California to 1850. Since the foundation of the Western Dominican Province over 160 years ago in Monterey, California, the houses of formation that eventually became St. Albert Priory in Oakland have produced priests and brothers who profoundly influenced the Catholic Church in the Western United States. Friars from Saint Albert Priory have served the Church of the Western United States in a number of roles, including pastors, teachers in both secondary and university education, hospital chaplains, and campus ministers.