About Holy Cross · Tulelake, California
Holy Cross Parish is a small Catholic mission-era parish serving the agricultural community of Tulelake in far northern Siskiyou County, California — essentially as far from the state capital of Sacramento as one can still be in California, sitting at about 4,015 feet elevation in the Tulelake Basin just four miles south of the Oregon border. Established by Bishop Robert Armstrong in November 1948 and developed from a former wartime barracks moved onto a three-lot parcel at First and G Streets, the parish was served successively by a small handful of pastors and, more recently, by parish administrators because of its remote size and modest population (around 1,000 in the town of Tulelake itself). Today Holy Cross and its mission, Our Lady of Good Counsel in Dorris, form a bilingual (English/Spanish) worshipping community whose congregation is overwhelmingly Hispanic farm-working families of the Tulelake Basin. The parish is part of the Diocese of Sacramento's Siskiyou Deanery.
- Established
- 1948
- Patron
- Holy Cross
- Rector
- Rev. Jose Campos (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sacramento (Siskiyou Deanery)
Why belong here
Holy Cross is a small, close-knit Catholic community in one of the most remote farming towns of far northern California, where the Sunday congregation — predominantly Spanish-speaking families who work the potato, grain, onion, and alfalfa fields of the Tulelake Basin — gathers for bilingual liturgy at the parish's brick church built in 1952. Worshippers can take part in Spanish-language Mass, sacramental preparation for children and youth, baptism classes, quinceañera preparation, the December 12 cultural celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the mission in Dorris, and the pastoral care of a parish rooted in more than seventy-five years of continuous Catholic life on the Oregon border. For Catholics in the Tulelake Basin and the surrounding Siskiyou County high desert, Holy Cross is the local home of the Eucharist, of the sacraments, and of a thriving Hispanic devotional tradition.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
About Holy Cross Parish
Holy Cross Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the agricultural community of Tulelake in far northern Siskiyou County, California, in the Diocese of Sacramento. The parish was created in November 1948 by Bishop Robert Armstrong of Sacramento and is part of the diocese's Siskiyou Deanery. From the original barracks-built church moved to First and G Streets in 1948 to today's brick sanctuary built in 1952, Holy Cross has been the spiritual home of Catholics across the Tulelake Basin for more than seventy-five years.
- Parish type: Parish (with mission)
- Established: 1948 (officially 1949 on diocesan records)
- Diocese: Diocese of Sacramento, Siskiyou Deanery
- County: Siskiyou County, California
- Deanery: Siskiyou Deanery
History of Holy Cross Parish
Bishop Robert Armstrong of Sacramento established Holy Cross Parish in November 1948 and appointed Father Francis Sullivan as founding pastor effective November 10, 1948. Sullivan developed the new parish from very modest beginnings: a donor had promised a financial gift in exchange for the right to name the new church, but when the donation never materialized, Sullivan himself named the parish Holy Cross after his college alma mater in Massachusetts. The first Catholic Church in Tulelake was assembled from two former Bureau of Reclamation barracks moved from Newell onto a three-lot parcel at First and G Streets, with a small living quarter for the pastor; surrounding parishes donated the altar, pews, and kneelers. In 1952 Father Cornelius O'Connor led the community to build the permanent brick church and rectory still standing today. Father Michael Canny later installed painted stained-glass windows and a Marian grotto on the grounds, and Father John Molomby led the parish's 40th anniversary celebration in November 1988 with Bishop Quinn as principal celebrant. A detailed diocesan archival account of the parish, written by diocesan archivist Father John E. Boll in August 2013, documents the entire pastorate through the early 2000s.
- November 1948 — Parish established by Bishop Robert Armstrong
- 1948 — First church built from two Bureau of Reclamation barracks moved from Newell
- 1952 — Permanent brick church and rectory built under Father O'Connor
- 1981–1987 — Father Canny installs painted stained-glass windows and Marian grotto
- November 6, 1988 — 40th Anniversary Mass with Bishop Quinn
- 2013 — Diocesan archivist Father John Boll publishes the full parish history
Sister Mission: Our Lady of Good Counsel, Dorris
From its founding in 1948, Holy Cross Parish has shared pastoral care of Our Lady of Good Counsel Mission in Dorris, a small Catholic mission church about twenty-five miles west of Tulelake. Our Lady of Good Counsel is part of the Holy Cross Parish grouping and falls under the care of the parish's current administrator. It hosts the full cultural celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12 each year.
- Location: 3rd Street, Dorris, CA 96023
- Contact: (530) 938-2076 (linked to Holy Cross Parish office)
- Hosted: December 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe cultural celebration
Hispanic Ministry and Spanish-Language Worship
Since Father Patrick Henry inaugurated the Spanish-language Hispanic ministry in the 1990s, Holy Cross has served the many Spanish-speaking migrant and settled farm-working families of the Tulelake Basin. According to the diocesan archival account, roughly 95% or more of Sunday Mass attendees today are Spanish-speaking, with weekly Spanish Masses, baptism classes, quinceañera preparation, and the December 12 celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Dorris mission forming the core of the parish's Hispanic devotional life.
- Weekly Sunday Spanish-language Mass
- Baptism preparation in Spanish
- Quinceañera preparation and celebration
- December 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration in Dorris
- Saturday and Sunday religious instruction for children (mainly English)
Sacraments and Faith Formation
Under successive pastors, Holy Cross Parish has maintained sacramental preparation programs despite its small size. When Father Patrick Henry arrived in 1993, the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Eucharist, and Confirmation had not been celebrated in the parish for six years; within months he instituted programs of instruction that prepared children ages four through seventeen to receive the sacraments. Weekly baptism instruction is held during the winter and spring months, and the parish continues to prepare children and youth for First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation, and quinceañera.
- Baptism — weekly instruction during winter and spring
- Reconciliation (First Reconciliation)
- First Eucharist (First Communion)
- Confirmation — preparation for youth
- Quinceañera — preparation and celebration
- Marriage — contact the parish office
Parish Ministries and Organizations
The parish community is sustained by a handful of long-standing ministries and parish organizations. The Altar Society has been a steady presence since the early decades of the parish, providing necessary items for the Sunday liturgy; children's religious education is offered on both Saturday and Sunday; and the parish maintains outreach to Hispanic migrant farm laborers of the Tulelake Basin through the Spanish-language Hispanic ministry. Pastoral care also extends to Our Lady of Good Counsel Mission in Dorris.
- Altar Society
- Children's religious education (Saturday and Sunday)
- Hispanic ministry / Spanish-language outreach
- Baptism instruction team
- Quinceañera preparation
- Sacramental preparation (Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation)
Parish Buildings, Grounds, and the Brick Church
The original 1948 church — pieced together from two former Bureau of Reclamation barracks moved from Newell to First and G Streets — served the community until 1952, when Father Cornelius O'Connor oversaw construction of the present permanent brick church and rectory on the same three-lot parcel. The parish hall, once the former Japanese Concentration Camp barracks, was for many years the site of Sunday school classes. Painted stained-glass windows were installed by Father Michael Canny during the 1980s, and a Marian grotto stands on the parish grounds in addition to a second grotto built at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Dorris.
- Brick church (built 1952) — main worship space
- Rectory (built 1952) — current parish offices
- Parish hall — former barracks, site of Sunday school classes for many years
- Painted stained-glass windows — installed by Father Canny (1981–1987)
- Marian grotto on parish grounds
Visiting and Contact
Holy Cross Parish is located at 765 First Street, Tulelake, CA 96134, at the corner of 1st and G Streets across from the Tulelake fairgrounds. The parish mailing address is P.O. Box 266, Tulelake, CA 96134. Telephone (530) 667-2727. Because the parish is remote — about four miles from the Oregon border and nine miles from Merrill and Malin, Oregon — visitors traveling to weekend Mass should plan for a long drive through the high-desert basin; current Mass times are best confirmed by calling the parish office.
- Street address: 765 First Street, Tulelake, CA 96134
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 266, Tulelake, CA 96134
- Phone: (530) 667-2727
- Corner of 1st and G Streets, across from the fairgrounds
- Diocesan listing: scd.org/parish/holy-cross-parish-tulelake
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Francis Sullivan1948–1950
Founding pastor; appointed by Bishop Robert Armstrong effective November 10, 1948; named the parish Holy Cross after his college alma mater in Massachusetts; developed the parish in former Bureau of Reclamation barracks moved from Newell.
- Rev. Cornelius O'Connor1950–1961
Second pastor; led fundraising and construction of the permanent brick church and rectory in 1952; later named pastor of St. Patrick, Placerville.
- Rev. John Dowling1961–1981
Third pastor; convert from Methodism raised in the Deep South; paid off parish debt by November 1961; made improvements to the parish hall (former barracks).
- Rev. Michael Canny1981–1987
Fourth pastor; built Marian grottos at Holy Cross and Our Lady of Good Counsel, Dorris; installed painted stained-glass windows; later named pastor of Sacred Heart, Maxwell.
- Rev. John Molomby1987–1989
Fifth pastor; led the parish's 40th anniversary Mass on November 6, 1988 with Bishop Quinn as celebrant.
- Rev. Michael Tamburi1989–1993
Parish administrator; previously of the Diocese of Hartford, CT, later incardinated in Sacramento; died at his desk in the rectory on October 21, 1993.
- Rev. Patrick Henry1993–2000
Resumed sacramental preparation for children; inaugurated Spanish-language ministry for Hispanic migrant farm workers; sent by Bishop Weigand to study Spanish in Guadalajara.
- Rev. Brent Carlton Nall2000–2004
Served during a period of severe water shortage in the Tulelake Basin; later named pastor of Gridley.
- Rev. Rolan Pablo
Served as parish administrator after Father Nall's departure under Bishop Weigand.
- Rev. Mervin Concepcion
Served as parish administrator of Tulelake with Father Bernardin Mugabo (parochial administrator of Alturas) as parochial vicar after the departure of Father Rolan.
- Rev. Jose Campos
Current parochial administrator of Holy Cross Parish, Tulelake.