The Bakersfield OCDS Community began in 1999 and was already canonically established in 2007. They are a dynamic, vibrant Community! They are enthusiastically looking forward to welcoming you to the first OCDS Congress in California’s Central Valley.

Catherine Faller is the Chairperson of this Congress, assisted by Cheryl Dockter (both of the Bakersfield OCDS Community) and by the OCDS Provincial Delegate of the California-Arizona Province, Fr. Donald Kinney, OCD.

Bakersfield is an agricultural center and “the Country Music Capital of the West,” with a population of over 300,000. After the 1849 Gold Rush, Colonel Thomas Baker was one of the first settlers in the area. His generous hospitality became legendary: travelers appreciated the welcome their horses received in “Baker’s Field.”

We know you will appreciate the welcome you receive at the beautiful DoubleTree Hotel in Bakersfield.  Our Congress Committee has been most impressed by the exceptional hospitality of its staff.

Bakersfield has its own airport (BFL). The DoubleTree has a free shuttle bus to the airport.

Each of the three Provinces in the United States tries to hold an OCDS Congress every three years, with a National Congress held every ten years. In our Province, previous Congresses have been held in Redlands, CA (1971), San Francisco, CA (1974), Seattle, WA (1977), Santa Clara, CA (1980), San Diego, CA (1984), Seattle, WA (1987), San Diego, CA (1990), a National Congress in San Francisco, CA (1993), Pasadena, CA (1998), Las Vegas, NV (2004), and most recently in Bellevue, WA (2007).

Now it’s Bakersfield’s time to shine!