Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit Catholic Mission — A Brief Overview

Holy Spirit Catholic Mission was a small Traditional Latin Mass mission church of the Diocese of Reno, located at 695 Old U.S. Highway 395 North in New Washoe City (Washoe Valley), Nevada. Established in 1971 as a mission of St. Rose of Lima Parish, it became the only approved site of the 1962 Missal (Tridentine/Extraordinary Form) in northern Nevada. About 200 faithful attended each Sunday, drawn from Reno, Carson City, Cold Springs, Spanish Springs, Verdi, and Hidden Valley. The mission was destroyed by the Davis Fire on September 7, 2024, and the community has since been canonically re-established as the Oratory of Saint Joseph under the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

History

Established in 1971 as a mission of St. Rose of Lima Parish in South Reno, Holy Spirit Mission was closed for a time and then re-opened as a Tridentine Mass center. The simple chapel building dated to 1978 and was converted from old horse stalls. Under Bishop Randolph Calvo the facilities were expanded; under Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg the community survived the catastrophic Davis Fire and was canonically reconstituted as the Oratory of Saint Joseph on July 25, 2025, with care entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and Canon Jean-Marie Moreau named rector.

• 1971 — Mission established under St. Rose of Lima Parish, South Reno
• 1978 — Chapel building constructed (converted from old horse stalls)
• Pre-2017 — Father Loy Torrente, a Filipino hospital chaplain, served as assigned celebrant
• 2017 — Father Arlon Vergara, OSA, assigned as traditional Latin Mass priest for the Diocese of Reno
• September 7, 2024 — Davis Fire destroys the mission building, tabernacle, and sacramental records
• September 8, 2024 — Bishop Mueggenborg and volunteers recover sacred objects; community relocates to Bishop Manogue High School chapel
• June 30, 2025 — Father Arlon Vergara's assignment ends
• July 25, 2025 — Feast of St. James: Bishop Mueggenborg signs decree establishing the Oratory of Saint Joseph, entrusted to ICKSP
• July 26, 2025 — Feast of St. Anne: First Mass at the new Oratory of Saint Joseph, 5450 Equity Ave., Reno

The Davis Fire and the Loss of Holy Spirit Mission

On Saturday, September 7, 2024, the Davis Fire swept through Washoe Valley and completely destroyed Holy Spirit Catholic Mission. The tabernacle and its contents were destroyed by the intensity of the heat — metallic pieces were fused together — and the sacramental records stored in the sacristy safe were lost. Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg drove from Lovelock that night in an attempt to recover the Blessed Sacrament, and was joined the next day by Father Arlon Vergara, OSA, and volunteers Vincent Toomey, Michael Imus, Chris Imus, Ron Lunt, Zac Lunt, and Matthew Combs, escorted by the Washoe County Sheriff and Lyon County Fire Department. They recovered parts of a monstrance, a chalice, the holy oil stocks, an altar stone, holy water and holy oil containers, some sacred medals, the dry seal of the mission, and an undamaged statue of the Blessed Mother. The Diocese of Reno has been working with parishioners to reconstruct sacramental records from individual certificates.

• Tabernacle and Blessed Sacrament lost
• Sacramental records (Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage) destroyed
• Statue of the Blessed Mother found standing undamaged
• Parts of Monstrance, Chalice, Holy Oil stocks recovered
• Parishioners urged to submit copies of sacramental certificates to Father Arlon for record reconstruction
• Brother Christopher Hall, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, offered Bishop Manogue chapel as temporary home

Architecture and Interior

The mission building was humble in appearance — a simple structure famously converted in 1978 from old horse stalls — but inside it housed significant traditional Catholic art, most notably a mural behind the altar depicting the 1937 vision of Sister Lucy of Fatima. The community treasured its modest, 'hidden' character; council president Anthony Bedoy described it as 'a hidden secret.' The building was leveled in the Davis Fire of 2024 and did not survive.

• Simple chapel building, 1978, converted from horse stalls
• Mural behind the altar depicting the 1937 apparition of Sister Lucy at Fatima
• Modest, devotional interior suited to the Traditional Latin Mass
• Building destroyed in Davis Fire, September 7, 2024

Clergy

Holy Spirit Mission was cared for by a succession of priests delegated to celebrate the Extraordinary Form with the bishop's permission. The canonical pastor of record was the pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish, while day-to-day sacramental life was provided by priests specifically assigned to the Latin Mass. After the Davis Fire and the transition to the Oratory of Saint Joseph, the community came under the pastoral care of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

• Rev. Larry Morrison — Pastor of St. Rose of Lima; canonical pastor of record
• Rev. Loy Torrente — Filipino priest and hospital chaplain; previously assigned celebrant
• Rev. Arlon Vergara, OSA — Augustinian missionary, ordained 1990; served 2017–June 30, 2025
• Rev. Canon Jean-Marie Moreau, ICKSP — Rector of the Oratory of Saint Joseph, since July 25, 2025
• Most Rev. Daniel Mueggenborg, S.T.D. — Bishop of Reno
• Most Rev. Randolph Calvo — Bishop of Reno (retired); expanded the mission facilities

Music and Liturgy

Holy Spirit Mission was known for its outstanding liturgical music. The Regina Pacis Cantorum schola — a community choir whose members came from across northern Nevada, including Cold Springs, Washoe Valley, Verdi, Spanish Springs, and Hidden Valley — sang a full Gregorian chant Mass with polyphonic motets, including Mass XI propers and Josquin's Ave Verum Corpus. The choir was self-described as having virtually all of its financial support from Holy Spirit Mission. Communion was received on the tongue while kneeling, in keeping with the Extraordinary Form.

• Gregorian chant (Mass XI, Asperges Me, Credo I)
• Polyphonic motets including Josquin's Ave Verum Corpus
• Salve Regina after Mass from Pentecost to Advent
• Communion on the tongue while kneeling
• Full Latin liturgy (Extraordinary Form, 1962 Missal)

Community Life and Ministries

About 200 people attended Holy Spirit Mission each Sunday, with ages ranging from young families to elderly octogenarians, who stayed after Mass for coffee and donuts in the parish hall. The mission operated a parish council (chaired in 2024 by Anthony Bedoy), ran a Building Fund for facility expansion, and required all regular volunteers to complete VIRTUS Protecting God's Children training per diocesan policy. The community's Marian identity — including veneration of Our Lady of Fatima and the weekly Salve Regina — was central to its devotional life.

• Parish Council (Anthony Bedoy, council president)
• Regina Pacis Cantorum schola
• Coffee and donuts fellowship after Mass
• Building Fund and envelope program
• VIRTUS / Protecting God's Children compliance for volunteers
• Marian devotion under the patronage of Our Lady (Patroness of the Mission)

The Oratory of Saint Joseph (2025–Present)

On July 25, 2025, the Feast of St. James, Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg signed a formal decree entrusting the Holy Spirit Mission community to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and establishing it canonically as the Oratory of Saint Joseph. Canon Jean-Marie Moreau serves as Rector. The first Mass under the new status was celebrated on July 26, 2025, the Feast of St. Anne, at 5450 Equity Avenue, Reno, NV 89502, on the east side of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The community retained continuity with the original mission by choosing St. Joseph as the new patron and by housing a first-class relic of St. Anne in the new oratory chapel. Mass is offered Sundays at 9:00 AM, weekdays Monday–Friday at 8:00 AM, Saturday at 9:00 AM, and First Fridays and Holy Days at 6:00 PM, with confessions 30 minutes before all Masses. The community is also discerning possible additional patrons for the oratory.

• Established by decree of Bishop Mueggenborg, July 25, 2025
• Care entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
• Rector: Canon Jean-Marie Moreau, ICKSP
• Address: 5450 Equity Avenue, Reno, NV 89502
• Sunday Mass: 9:00 AM
• Weekday Mass: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM, Sat 9:00 AM, First Friday/Holy Day 6:00 PM
• Confessions: 30 minutes before all Masses
• First-class relic of St. Anne present in the oratory chapel
• Possible additional patron under discernment (St. Mary Magdalene, St. Francis de Sales, Sacred Heart of Jesus considered)