Kaiser Foundation Hospital San Leandro – Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) Program

Kaiser Foundation Hospital San Leandro’s ACPE, Inc.-accredited program supports Kaiser Permanente’s Shared Agenda. Kaiser Permanente exists to provide high-quality, affordable healthcare services and to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves.

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

Students may send applications to the ACPE program. Chaplain Interns in the program will acquire hospital ministry experience at Kaiser San Leandro or Kaiser Fremont Medical Center.

Public Transportation Options: 

• BART & Shuttle: From San Leandro BART Station, transfer to the Kaiser medical center shuttle bus.

Faith in Action East Bay, Oakland 

Oakland Community Organization (OCO) has been a driving force for systemic change, racial justice, and economic equity in Oakland. In 2018, OCO merged with Contra Costa Interfaith Community Organizations and South Alameda County’s Congregations Organizing for Renewal to become Faith in Action East Bay (FIAEB). FIAEB’s commitment to faith-based organizing and leadership development now encompasses all of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. Its mission is to develop leaders who build power through their congregations and schools. 

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

The people of FIAEB use their faith to help people in low- and moderate-income communities realize their power. Students will learn the fundamentals of faith-based community organizing. FIAEB will train them on holding intentional 1:1 conversations, conducting research meetings on public policy issues of importance to communities, and holding public actions with elected officials. Students will hold 1:1 meetings themselves, participate in staff meetings, and learn how to bring people together to address issues. A good number of meetings are on Zoom. FIAEB focuses on issues including education, housing, gun-violence prevention, and illegal dumping. 

Public Transportation Options: 

• BART / Bus / Walk: From Coliseum BART Station, access the office via a 0.8-mile walk (19 minutes), AC Transit bus (9 to 19 minutes), or Uber (up to 10 minutes).

Oakland Catholic Worker

The Oakland Catholic Worker works with unhoused families and the larger East Oakland community. OCW creates welcome, hope, and empowering opportunities for them to build a bridge to self-sufficiency and independence in a new culture. OCW provides transitional housing, comprehensive social service supports, a weekly Food Bank that serves over 500 people, job training and placement, referrals to legal, educational, and medical resources, a basic literacy program, a community education/outreach program, and a women’s empowerment program.

OCW will be starting a new children’s and teen trauma-informed program to offer youth support with school, life/career choices, social-emotional supports, and opportunities for fun.

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

Students are welcome to participate in any of the following programs: food bank, accompaniment and social services case management, basic literacy and English as a Second Language classes, job search and coaching, men’s support group, teen/children’s support program, women’s support group, community outreach and education program, and financial literacy. Students are welcome to offer a new program or initiative they want to lead. 

Spanish proficiency is helpful though not required, as most OCW staff are bilingual and available to provide support. 

Students will receive ongoing training, supervision, and support, especially in trauma-informed approaches.

Public Transportation Options: 

• BART / Bus: From Fruitvale BART Station, walk or transfer to an AC Transit bus (stops directly across the street). 

The Healing WELL, San Francisco

The Healing WELL’s mission is to foster wellness, empowerment, liberation, and love by building healing and leadership within the community to create a brighter future for all those who call the Tenderloin their home.

The Healing WELL offers free mind/body/spirit sessions (e.g., poetry, yoga, meditation, and Alcoholics Anonymous), 1:1 support, a leadership program, and food distribution to help marginalized community members develop the skills to cope with trauma, deepen their self-awareness to make healthy life choices, and forge strong relationships and connections.

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities:

Facilitating wellness sessions.

Offering 1:1 spiritual direction/support to community members.

Assisting with hospitality needs.

Public Transportation Options: 

• BART / Muni / Bus: Located within 4 blocks of the Powell Street BART and Muni stations, plus several Muni bus routes.

St. Felicitas Church, San Leandro  

St. Felicitas is a vibrant, diverse Catholic Faith Community. The parish celebrates the living Word of God and the presence of Christ Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. St. Felicitas Church nurtures the formation of faith through education and works of charity. Through various ministries, the parish promotes prayer, justice, and peace. St. Felicitas welcomes all to share in the love of God.

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

Faith Formation (CCD, Order of Chrisitan Initiation of Adults [OCIA], confirmation) and youth leaders in three languages: English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Public Transportation Options: 

• BART: Located approximately 10 minutes from San Leandro BART Station.

Saint Mary Magdalen Church, Berkeley 

Saint Mary Magdalen, located in North Berkeley, is comprised largely of educators and administrators. While the parish’s mission is to serve all residents and visitors, the parish especially pursues ministries that challenge intellectual curiosity, deepen spiritual awareness and promote social justice.

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

Christian Initiation, liturgy, spiritual direction, social justice, adult education, and youth ministries.

Public Transportation Options: 

• Foot: 20-minute walk from the JST-SCU campus in Berkeley. 
• Bus: AC Transit lines 7 and 18 stop at the corner of the property; lines 12, 27, 65, and 67 stop 3 blocks away.

St. Elizabeth Parish, Oakland 

St. Elizabeth Parish is located in the Fruitvale area of Oakland and serves a Latino congregation.

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities:

Open to hosting students for field education ministry in the areas of sacramental preparation (confirmation, Eucharist), Bible study, and adult faith formation (OCIA), with possible grief ministry opportunities. Ministry activities will be in Spanish.                                          

Public Transportation Options: 

• BART: Located near Fruitvale BART Station.

St. Ignatius Parish, San Francisco

St. Ignatius is a Roman Catholic Parish, run by the Society of Jesus.

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities:

Faith Formation: Serve as a Sunday catechist for Children’s Faith Formation (Grades 1–6) or confirmation (Grades 7–8); facilitate 20-minute scripture lessons for Children’s Liturgy of the Word (Grades K–4); coordinate post-Mass family activities and parent socials through “Wiggles Ministry.”

Liturgy and Presider Formation: Work with parish staff on homily preparation; study processes for baptism, marriage, and funeral preparation; serve as Deacon/preacher as needed in conversation with the Pastor and Director of Sacramental Preparation.

Parish Advancement: Maintain parishioner engagement and fundraising databases; draft communication to parishioners; assist parish staff with stewardship data-driven decision-making and developing a culture of stewardship.

Social Justice Ministry: Prepare shelter meals on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month; assist with coordinating volunteers; write narratives for the parish bulletin/website/newsletter to share the story of Shelter Meals; participate in monthly Anti-Racism Committee meetings and coordinate related activities, such as planning book clubs and supporting faith-sharing groups; assist with St. Anthony Foundation parish activities. 

Public Transportation Options: 

• Bus / Muni: Served by SF Muni lines 5, 5R Fulton, 31 Balboa, 38 Geary & 43 Masonic.
• BART / Muni: From Civic Center BART Station transfer to SF Muni 5 / 5R Fulton bus.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation- San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQRC)

San Quentin Rehabilitation Center serves as California’s model prison for developing the California Model – a new paradigm of correctional institution based on the Norwegian prison system. 

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

Pastoral ministry to the incarcerated at San Quentin to include participation in liturgies with opportunities to preach, conduct Bible studies and theology classes, offer 1:1 pastoral conversations, and facilitate individual or group spiritual direction. 

Opportunity to minister to English- and Spanish-speaking residents.

Public Transportation Options: 

• Note: Not easily accessible by public transit; personal vehicle is recommended.

Bishop O’Dowd High School, Oakland , Living Lab | Center for Environmental Studies 

Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland is a Catholic college-preparatory school featuring a Living Lab — an outdoor classroom and ecological restoration site dedicated to environmental justice and sustainability. 

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

Potential field education activities for JST-SCU students may include supporting ecological justice ministry through the Living Lab, or co-facilitating Kairos and other Campus Ministry retreat programs.

Public Transportation Options: 

• BART / Bus: From Lake Merritt or Fruitvale BART Station, transfer to an AC Transit bus.
• Driving: 20–25-minute drive via I-580.

Santa Clara University, Center for Spirituality and Faith

The Division of Mission and Ministry is comprised of the Center for Spirituality and Faith, the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, and the Mission Church. The Center for Spirituality and Faith is charged with clearly articulating and broadly communicating Santa Clara University’s Jesuit, Catholic mission and character. In the dynamic region of Silicon Valley, this entails developing new strategies to meet the evolving needs of the campus, church, and local community, while strengthening Santa Clara University’s position as a nationally recognized Jesuit, Catholic university. 

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

Center for Spirituality and Faith

• OCIA – supporting the formation of students entering the Catholic Church and/or preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation.
• Interfaith Ministry – supporting Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and other student faith communities, primarily through interfaith dinners and religious services.
• Retreats – helping organize and/or accompany retreats for students and student groups, largely drawing on the Ignatian tradition.
• Liturgical support – working with the liturgical team to provide vibrant, welcoming Catholic liturgies.
• Residential Spiritual Facilitators – live-in role in student dormitories providing spiritual support to students and the residential community.

Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education

• Adult Mission Formation for faculty and staff in the Ignatian tradition – supporting small groups, seminars, and retreats for faculty and staff.
• Community Engaged Student Learning:
• Accompanying students and local communities in solidarity and social justice.
• Preparing and accompanying immersion experiences both locally and globally.
• Catholic Intellectual Tradition – supporting seminars and faculty work on issues in Catholic social thought and theology, both for the local SCU community and beyond.

Public Transportation Options:

• The Santa Clara train station is at the front gates of the SCU campus. Both Caltrain and Amtrak arrive there. VTA buses also serve the campus. (Also, in some cases, Mission and Ministry may be able to cover transportation costs for JST-SCU students on Field Ed placements. Please ask!).

The Joan & Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought & the Ignatian Tradition, University of San Francisco 

The Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought and the Ignatian Tradition advances the scholarship and application of the Catholic intellectual and Ignatian traditions in the church and society with an emphasis on social concerns. Drawing upon the rich plurality of the university, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the international Society of Jesus, the Center supports research, teaching, and action to promote and engage Catholic social thought especially in response to contemporary issues. Through interdisciplinary, interfaith, community-engaged scholarship, the center explores the intersections of faith and justice on contemporary issues. It enhances the Jesuit Catholic character of the university through mission-focused faculty and staff programming. Additionally, the center advances gender and racial justice in the church, society, and academy through critical engagement with Catholic social thought.

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

Laudato Si’ (One Earth Initiative): Co-create opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to engage Laudato Si’ through programming and/or public events through the Lane Center. This opportunity may be coordinated in partnership with the Jesuit parishes of San Francisco and larger Laudato Si’ networks. 

Cultivating engagement with Catholic social thought: The Lane Center welcomes student-led initiatives that advance its mission of engaging Catholic social thought in light of contemporary social issues. This might involve co-creating public-facing or student-facing events on specific topics related to Catholic social thought, especially in partnership with the St. Ignatius Institute. 

Public Transportation Options: 

• Bus / Muni: Served by SF Muni lines 5, 5R Fulton, 31 Balboa, 38 Geary & 43 Masonic.
• BART / Muni: From Civic Center BART Station, transfer to SF Muni 5 / 5R Fulton bus.

University Ministry, University of San Francisco

Living the Jesuit Catholic Mission of the University of San Francisco (USF), University Ministry (UM) supports the spiritual, religious, and pastoral needs of the university community rooted in accompaniment, discernment, kinship, inclusiveness, and celebration.

Supervised Field Education Placement Opportunities: 

Students can be placed in any of several program areas: Liturgy, Immersions, Catholic Life, Interfaith, Social Justice, Faculty and Staff Spirituality, Retreats, LGBTQIA+ outreach, Jewish or Muslim outreach.

Public Transportation Options: 

• Bus / Muni: Served by SF Muni lines 5, 5R Fulton, 31 Balboa, 38 Geary & 43 Masonic.
• BART / Muni: From Civic Center BART Station, transfer to SF Muni 5 / 5R Fulton bus.