Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve in Los Gatos in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Men Become Priests at Alma College

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, January 1, 2024

1. Men Become Priests at Alma College Marker

Inscription. Near where you stand was a classroom where young men prepared for life devoted to social justice, world peace, and spirituality. Between 1934-69, Jesuits came to Alma College from all over the world to finalize their long path to priesthood.
Like the millionaires who preceded them, this community of Catholics was drawn here by the natural beauty and abundant resources. They adapted the sprawling mansion, gardens, and infrastructure to suit humbler aspirations.

Meditations at dawn.
Examinations of conscience every noon and night. Daily communion, followed by thanksgiving in the chapel. Thank God for Thursdays – a day for hiking, games, or relaxing in the gardens!

Erected 2023 by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1934.

Location. 37° 10.947′ N, 122° 0.174′ W. Marker is in Los Gatos, California, in Santa Clara County. It is in Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. It can be reached from Bear Creek Road south of Mellotts Road, on the left when traveling south. The resin marker is mounted to a metal post on the walking path through the former campus.

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Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Los Gatos CA 95033, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Alma College Dormitory Foundations (within shouting distance of this marker); Remnant of the Alma College Classroom (within shouting distance of this marker); Alma College (within shouting distance of this marker); Alma College Library Foundation (within shouting distance of this marker); The Marian Shrine (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Preserve and Protect (about 300 feet away); Layers of History (about 300 feet away); Alma College Original Library (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Gatos.

More about this marker. Inset Images
This 1963 journal offers a glimpse into the typical “daily order” at Alma College, while photos reveal how students spent their leisure time.
Students lived in inexpensively built dormitories that were removed in the ‘70s.
A 1934 library built to house 24,000 books was soon “overflowing,” so a conjoining building was added in 1950. The first library still stands.
The old Tevis library was converted to a chapel.
The old Tevis mansion was adapted for dining, recreation, offices, and faculty housing.
The

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, January 1, 2024

2. Men Become Priests at Alma College Marker

classroom was a place for diligent study in law, scripture, social justice, and more.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Alma College

Also see . . . Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve

"Prevented from becoming a golf course and country club with luxury residences by a coalition of environmental activists, the land was far from pristine. It was extensively logged in the mid-1800s and briefly became a fish farm before being developed into a massive self-sufficient estate that passed between a couple of California's wealthiest families. The Catholic order of the Society of Jesus later repurposed the estate buildings to open Alma College, a theologate to train Jesuit priests."

(Submitted on January 29, 2024, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, January 1, 2024

3. Men Become Priests at Alma College Marker

Original Library image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, January 1, 2024

4. Original Library

Tevis Library Converted into a Chapel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, January 1, 2024

5. Tevis Library Converted into a Chapel

Credits. This page was last revised on January 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 29, 2024, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 189 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 29, 2024, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.