About Holy Family [Good Shepherd Parish] · Visalia, California
Holy Family Church is one of four worship sites that together form Good Shepherd Catholic Parish in Visalia, California, a diverse Roman Catholic community in the Diocese of Fresno. Originally founded as a mission church of St. Mary's Parish, Holy Family was designated a separate parish in 1950 and today serves more than 1,500 Catholic families in north Visalia. Its original building — a converted roller-skating rink that was moved to the Court Street site in the late 1940s — now serves as the parish hall, while the current church was completed in the early 1960s. Holy Family is the principal Spanish-language Mass site of the unified Good Shepherd Parish, hosting weekday and Saturday Vigil Masses in Spanish.
- Established
- 1950
- Patron
- Holy Family (of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Fr. Alex Chavez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
Holy Family and the wider Good Shepherd Catholic Parish welcome parishioners with a deeply bilingual rhythm of life: Holy Family itself is the parish's principal Spanish-language Mass site, with daily Spanish Mass Monday through Friday and a Saturday Vigil Mass in Spanish, while the parish as a whole offers English Masses at St. Mary's and St. Charles and Spanish Masses at St. Charles. Members can deepen their faith through RCIA, faith formation for families, Bible studies, retreats and small communities, liturgical ministries, music ministry, and a strong service apostolate that includes the Bethlehem Center — a parish mission that serves meals 365 days a year to those in need in north Visalia. With four historic worship sites, perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the Sacred Heart Chapel, and an active school community, Good Shepherd offers Catholics in the Visalia area a real spiritual home with many ways to pray, serve, and belong.
Mass times at Holy Family [Good Shepherd Parish]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM, Monday – Friday (Holy Family Church)
Adoration times
- Sacred Heart Chapel (St. Mary's): 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Monday – Wednesday
- Sacred Heart Chapel (St. Mary's): 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Friday
- 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Thursday (also offered at Holy Family Church on Thursdays — consult the bulletin)
About Holy Family Church
Holy Family Church sits at 1908 N Court St in north Visalia and is one of four historic worship sites that together make up Good Shepherd Catholic Parish. Founded as a mission of St. Mary's Parish in the late 1940s and made its own parish in 1950, Holy Family is now home to more than 1,500 Catholic families. Within the unified Good Shepherd Parish, Holy Family serves as the principal site for Spanish-language liturgy, with daily Spanish Mass Monday through Friday and a Saturday Vigil Mass in Spanish.
- 1908 N Court St, Visalia, CA 93291
- Designated a separate parish in 1950
- Current church building completed in the early 1960s
- Original roller-skating-rink building now used as parish hall
History of the Parish
Holy Family began as a mission of St. Mary's Parish — the mother church of the southern San Joaquin Valley founded in 1861 by Father Daniel Francis Dade. As Visalia's Catholic community grew, a new worship site was established in north Visalia: a converted roller-skating rink was physically moved to Court Street in the late 1940s, and in 1950 the bishop formally established Holy Family as its own parish. The present church was completed in the early 1960s, and the old rink was repurposed as the parish hall where it still serves the community. In January 2016, Bishop Armando Ochoa consolidated Holy Family with St. Mary's, St. Charles Borromeo, and St. Thomas the Apostle in Goshen into a single new parish — Good Shepherd Catholic Parish — the first such consolidation in the Diocese of Fresno, driven by the nationwide shortage of priests and explosive Catholic growth in the Central Valley. Monsignor Raymond Dreiling had led the multi-year process, and Father Eric Swearingen was appointed as the first pastor of the new unified parish.
- 1861: St. Mary's founded by Father Daniel Francis Dade
- Late 1940s: A roller-skating rink is moved to Court Street as the first Holy Family worship space
- 1950: Holy Family is established as its own parish
- Early 1960s: The present church building is completed
- 2011: St. Charles Borromeo Parish Hall opens on Caldwell Avenue ("Amen Corner")
- January 2016: Bishop Ochoa consolidates the four worship sites into Good Shepherd Catholic Parish
Clergy and Staff
Good Shepherd Catholic Parish is led by its pastor together with parochial vicars, deacons, and a lay administrative team, under the governance of the Bishop of Fresno. The current pastor is Fr. Alex Chavez, born in Matamoros, Mexico and a former Caltrans civil engineer before entering seminary formation in 2006 and being ordained in 2012. He served as an associate pastor in Visalia and as rector of St. John's Cathedral in Fresno before Bishop Joseph Brennan appointed him pastor of Good Shepherd Parish.
- Fr. Alex Chavez — Pastor
- Fr. James Tasy — Parochial Vicar (ordained May 27, 2023; former music educator from Fresno State)
- Fr. Michael I. Egelamba, SMMM — Parochial Vicar (ordained July 20, 2013 in Nigeria; joined Good Shepherd in November 2024)
- Deacon Henry J. Medina — Administrator and director of the Bethlehem Center
- Dr. Clarita Lilia Encomio — Director of Catechesis & Evangelization
- Asusena Briseno — Assistant Director of Catechesis & Evangelization
- Adriana Noricumbo — Family of Faith Formation Coordinator
- Ruthanne Parlier — Administrative Assistant
- Eddie Rodriguez — Facilities Manager
- Gabriel Tayagua Abarca — Media Coordinator & IT Specialist
Bethlehem Center — Parish Mission of Mercy
The Bethlehem Center is a mission of Good Shepherd Catholic Parish in north Visalia that provides food, clothing, and resource referrals to those in need in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. Meals are served in the dining hall seven days a week, 365 days a year, and pantry food is offered daily. The work continues a tradition originally begun by the Daughters of Charity and continued by Catholic Charities Diocese of Fresno; the program became a ministry of the Catholic Church of Visalia in 2010 when the Bethlehem Center was established.
- Location: 1638 N Dinuba Blvd, Visalia
- Meals served 7 days a week, 365 days a year
- Daily food pantry, resource center and intake office
- Area director: Deacon Henry Medina, (559) 734-1572, [email protected]
- In 2012 alone: 60,000+ meals served, 124,000 lbs of pantry food distributed, 12,500 articles of clothing issued
- www.bethcenter.org
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish's Catechesis & Evangelization office coordinates sacramental preparation, the Family of Faith Formation program, and ongoing faith formation for children, youth, and adults. The team also supports evangelization retreats and small faith-sharing communities in both English and Spanish, giving parishioners multiple on-ramps into deeper discipleship.
- Director of Catechesis & Evangelization: Dr. Clarita Lilia Encomio, (559) 205-2442
- Assistant Director: Asusena Briseno
- Family of Faith Formation Coordinator: Adriana Noricumbo
- RCIA, Baptism, First Communion, and Marriage preparation
- Evangelization retreats and small communities (English and Spanish)
Liturgical Ministries and Music
Parishioners serve the liturgy as Altar Servers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors/Readers, Sacristans, and Greeters. A music ministry supports the sung prayer of the Mass at each worship site, reflecting the parish's bilingual liturgical life.
- Altar Servers
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Lectors / Readers
- Sacristans
- Greeters
- Music Ministry
Catholic School of Visalia
The Catholic School of Visalia (also referenced in parish materials as George McCann School) is part of the unified Good Shepherd Catholic Parish family, offering Catholic K-8 education to parish and community families as part of the parish's evangelizing mission.
- Catholic School of Visalia / George McCann School
- Contact: Patty Call, (559) 734-9522, [email protected]
Why Visit or Join
Good Shepherd Catholic Parish welcomes Catholics and seekers in the Visalia area with bilingual liturgy, perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, and a rich network of ministries — from RCIA and faith formation to the Bethlehem Center, which serves the poor and homeless every day of the year. With four historic worship sites (Holy Family, St. Mary's, St. Charles Borromeo, and St. Thomas the Apostle in Goshen) and a brand-new St. Charles Borromeo Church, the parish offers many ways to pray, serve, and belong.
- Bilingual Mass schedule (English and Spanish) across four worship sites
- Daily Mass offered Monday – Saturday
- Eucharistic Adoration in the Sacred Heart Chapel
- Year-round service opportunities at the Bethlehem Center
- Faith formation for children, youth, and adults
- Catholic school and active parish school families
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Eric Swearingen2016 (first pastor of unified Good Shepherd Parish)
Appointed by Bishop Armando Ochoa as the first pastor of the consolidated Good Shepherd Catholic Parish in January 2016.
- Monsignor Raymond Dreilinguntil 2014
Pastor of The Catholic Church of Visalia (the predecessor parish entity) who led the multi-year consolidation process before handing off the new parish.