About Holy Family · Yerington, Nevada
Holy Family is a Roman Catholic parish in the small farming and ranching community of Yerington, Nevada, the seat of Lyon County in the high desert of western Nevada. Established in 1901, it is one of the oldest parishes in what would become the Diocese of Reno (created in 1931), and today it serves Catholics across Mason Valley — including the Smith Valley mission of St. John the Baptist. The parish is bilingual, with regular English and Spanish (bi-lingual/Spanish) Masses, and its rich stable of ministries — Italian Catholics, Portuguese Society, Hispanic Club, Knights of Columbus, St. Anne's Guild and more — reflects the multi-generational immigrant heritage of the Yerington area (Basque, Italian, Portuguese and Hispanic families). Holy Family is pastored by Rev. Ariel Arias and is part of the Diocese of Reno under Bishop Daniel H. Mueggenborg.
- Established
- 1901
- Patron
- Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Ariel Arias
- Diocese
- Diocese of Reno
Why belong here
Holy Family welcomes Catholics and visitors to a tight-knit bilingual parish in the heart of rural Lyon County. Whether you are a longtime ranching family of Basque, Italian or Portuguese heritage, a Spanish-speaking newcomer to Mason Valley, or just passing through Yerington, there is a place for you: two Sunday Masses (English and bilingual/Spanish), weekday Masses Wednesday through Friday, Eucharistic Adoration, a dozen active parish organizations (Knights of Columbus, Adult Choir, St. Anne's Guild, the Hispanic Club, the Italian and Portuguese societies, RCIA, faith formation for children, and more), and sacraments easily arranged through the parish office.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Reconciliation: by appointment — please call the parish office (775) 463-2882
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration is referenced in the parish's devotional life (contact the parish office for current schedule)
Identity & History
Holy Family Catholic Parish traces its roots to 1901, when Catholic families in Yerington — at the time a mining and ranching town in western Nevada — organized a parish. By 1931, when the Vatican erected the Diocese of Reno with Bishop Thomas K. Gorman, Holy Family was among the founding parishes of the new diocese. The current parish campus is at 103 N. West Street, Yerington, NV 89447, just a block from downtown. The parish is formally operated as 'Holy Family Catholic Parish Corporation,' a 170(b)(1)(A)(i) church that received its federal tax-exempt status in March 1946.
- Established: 1901
- Founding parish of the Diocese of Reno (1931)
- 103 N. West Street, Yerington, NV 89447
- Lyon County, Nevada
Sacraments
Parishioners are encouraged to contact the parish office to prepare for any sacrament. Reconciliation is offered by appointment; baptisms are scheduled through the office; couples preparing for marriage must give at least six months' notice; and the Rite of Anointing of the Sick is available on request and on every first weekend of the month.
- Reconciliation: by appointment — call (775) 463-2882
- Baptism: call the parish office for information
- Marriage: six months' advance notice required
- Anointing of the Sick: on request and every first weekend of the month
Parish Ministries & Organizations
Holy Family is known for its broad and notably multi-ethnic network of ministries, a legacy of the Mason Valley community's Basque, Italian, Portuguese and Hispanic immigrant roots. The parish supports liturgical ministries (altar servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, the Adult Choir, Liturgy Committee), councils (Parish Council, Finance Council), outreach (Life, Peace & Justice Committee, Funeral Ministry Team, Landings for returning Catholics), and cultural societies that preserve the heritage of local Catholic families.
- Adult Choir
- Altar Servers
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Finance Council
- Funeral Ministry Team
- Hispanic Club
- Holy Family Italian Catholics
- Knights of Columbus
- Landings
- Lectors
- Life, Peace & Justice Committee
- Liturgy Committee
- Parish Council
- Portuguese Society
- St. Anne's Guild
Faith Formation & R.C.I.A.
Religious Education for children and adults is coordinated through the parish's Director of Religious Education (DRE). Adults seeking to become Catholic, or baptized Catholics seeking full communion with the Church, are welcomed into the parish's R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process, led by the parish RCIA coordinator.
- DRE – Religious Education for children and families (parish office)
- R.C.I.A. – preparation for adults entering the Church
Mission: St. John the Baptist, Smith Valley
Holy Family extends its pastoral care to a mission church in nearby Smith Valley, serving Catholics in the rural community along Highway 208. The mission has its own Director of Religious Education and RCIA team, and offers a Saturday Mass at 4:30 PM. The mission is supervised through the Yerington parish office and shares Father Arias's pastoral oversight.
- St. John the Baptist Mission — Highway 208, Smith Valley, NV 89430
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:30 PM
- DRE: Nancy Nuti — P.O. Box 258, Smith Valley, NV 89430
- RCIA: Michael Nuti
- Phone (mission): (775) 465-2220 · Fax: (775) 465-9043
Parish Staff & Office
The parish office is staffed by a parish secretary during posted weekday hours (summer hours are reduced). The pastor of Holy Family also serves as pastor of nearby Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Hawthorne, a common arrangement in the large, rural Diocese of Reno.
- Pastor: Rev. Ariel Arias
- Parish Secretary: Angela Madera
- Office hours: Tuesday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Summer hours: Wednesday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Office phone: (775) 463-2882
- Emergency line: (775) 233-2308
- Fax: (775) 463-2162
Visit, Contact & Connect
Parishioners and visitors can reach Holy Family by mail, phone or email, and stay in touch through the parish's Facebook page. The parish is a diocesan parish of the Diocese of Reno (now also called High Desert Catholic) and is listed in the diocesan parish directory.
- Address: 103 N. West Street, Yerington, NV 89447
- Phone: (775) 463-2882 · Emergency: (775) 233-2308
- Fax: (775) 463-2162
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: holyfamilynevada.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/HolyFamilyYerington
- Diocese of Reno: catholicreno.org (High Desert Catholic)