About Immaculate Conception Mission · Buhach, California
Immaculate Conception Mission is a small Catholic mission church in the unincorporated community of Buhach, north of Atwater in Merced County, California. It is administered as a mission of St. Anthony Parish in Atwater, sharing the same pastor (Rev. Hilary Silva), deacons, office staff, and a single combined parish website. The church was founded in 1908 by the Portuguese-American community and remains best known for its striking stained-glass windows, carved altar and massive bell.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception
- Rector
- Rev. Hilary Silva
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception Mission offers a close-knit, bilingual Catholic community rooted in a century of Portuguese-American faith and tradition. Worshiping here means joining one of the San Joaquin Valley's most beautiful small mission churches — with stained glass, a carved altar and a historic bell — and taking part in parish life shared with St. Anthony Parish in Atwater, including religious education, RCIA, youth ministry and the long-running Pentecost custom of distributing meat and sopa bread to the wider community.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
About Immaculate Conception Mission
Immaculate Conception Mission is a Catholic mission church in the unincorporated community of Buhach, north of Atwater in Merced County, California. It is administered as a mission of St. Anthony Parish in Atwater and shares the same pastor, clergy, office staff and website. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Fresno and serves a bilingual (English and Spanish) congregation.
- Type: Mission church
- Parent parish: St. Anthony, Atwater
- Diocese: Diocese of Fresno
- Rite: Roman (Latin)
History
Founded in 1908 by the Portuguese-Azorean community of Buhach Colony, the church grew out of IDES (Irmandade do Divino Espírito Santo) devotion that had organized locally since 1900 and first worshipped at Buhach Hall, built in 1902. Bishop Henrique Da Silva helped launch the building campaign, and the parish was constructed in under a year on land donated by Joe Freitas and Frank Souza. Its stained-glass windows, carved altar and historic bell have made it one of the most striking small churches in the San Joaquin Valley, and a 2009 centennial celebration opened a time capsule sealed 100 years earlier.
- Founded 1908; dedicated within a year of construction
- Centennial celebrated October 17, 2009
- 100th-anniversary time capsule opened at the centennial
- Threatened with closure in 1980; saved and restored by community support
Portuguese Heritage and the IDES Brotherhood
The parish is rooted in the Azorean Portuguese community that settled Buhach Colony after working the local pyrethrum, vineyard and grain operations of the Buhach Producing and Manufacturing Company. Since 1900 the IDES (Divine Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit) has been active locally, and its signature Pentecost tradition — giving meat and sopa bread to the poor and the general public — continues at the mission every year.
- IDES chapter established in Buhach in 1900
- First Pentecost festa held in 1902 at Buhach Hall
- Pentecost Sunday distribution of meat and sopa bread continues today
Mass and Worship Schedule
Immaculate Conception Mission celebrates Sunday Mass at 7:00 AM. Because the mission shares its clergy and website with St. Anthony Parish in Atwater, additional daily Masses, Spanish-language Masses, communion services, Confessions and Adoration are offered at St. Anthony Church (1801 Winton Way, Atwater). Call the parish office for the most current schedule.
- Sunday Mass — 7:00 AM at Immaculate Conception Mission
- Weekday Communion Services at St. Anthony: 6:30 AM Mon/Wed; 6:30 PM (Spanish) Tue/Thu/Fri
- Sunday Mass at St. Anthony: 8:00 AM (Spanish), 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM
- Saturday Vigil at St. Anthony: 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM (Spanish)
- Confessions at St. Anthony: Thursday 4:00–6:00 PM
- Adoration at St. Anthony: Wednesday 6:30–7:30 AM, Monday–Friday
Clergy and Staff
The mission shares its pastor, deacons and office staff with the parent parish of St. Anthony in Atwater.
- Pastor — Rev. Hilary Silva
- Deacon — Mr. Jesus Cisneros
- Deacon — Mr. Rene Rubalcava
- Office Manager / Bookkeeper — Shirley Rubalcava
- Parish Secretaries (part-time) — Claudia Hernandez, Vianey Hernandez
- Safe Environment Coordinator — Claudia Hernandez
- Website / YouTube manager — Patrick Helms
Religious Education, Youth and RCIA
Faith formation for both St. Anthony Parish and Immaculate Conception Mission is coordinated through the parish office, with programs offered in English and Spanish. A youth group called Anchor hosts teens from both churches.
- Director of Religious Education — Deacon Rene Rubalcava (209-676-2076)
- Catechism Coordinator — (209-676-2076)
- RCIA (English) — Andy Miller (209-631-9146)
- RCIA (Spanish) — Fernando & Claudia Hernandez (209-564-1294)
- Confirmation — Claudia Hernandez (209-564-1294)
- Anchor Youth Group — Alex & Lucy Cisneros (209-261-5460)
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation is coordinated through the parish office. The mission shares the same RCIA, Confirmation, and First Communion programs as St. Anthony, with offerings in both English and Spanish.
- Baptism — through the parish office
- First Communion — annual First Communion Masses in English and Spanish
- Confirmation — preparation through Claudia Hernandez
- Marriage — contact the parish office
- RCIA — English and Spanish
- Anointing of the Sick — through the parish office
St. Anthony Catholic School (Preschool–8th Grade)
While housed at the St. Anthony campus in Atwater, the parish school serves the families of both St. Anthony Parish and Immaculate Conception Mission. It is a Preschool through 8th-grade Catholic elementary school associated with the parish.
- Principal — Monica Cuevas Avila
- Office Manager — Mrs. Lori Ceja
- Address — 1801 Winton Way, Atwater, CA 95301
- Phone — 1 (209) 358-3341
- Fax — 1 (209) 357-0186
- Website — stanthonyknights.org
Bulletin and Communications
A combined weekly bulletin covers both St. Anthony and Immaculate Conception. The current bulletin is hosted on Parishesonline.com, with archived bulletins available on the parish website.
- Current bulletin — parishesonline.com/organization/st-anthony-church-95301
- Archived bulletins — stanthonyatwater.org/bulletin-archive.html
- Bulletin advertising — call 1 (209) 358-5743
Visit and Contact
Immaculate Conception Mission is located at 2988 N. Buhach Road, Buhach, CA 95301. The combined parish office is across the street from St. Anthony Church at 1799 Winton Way, Atwater, CA 95301, and serves both churches.
- Mission address — 2988 N. Buhach Road, Buhach, CA 95301
- Parish office — 1799 Winton Way, Atwater, CA 95301
- Phone — 1 (209) 358-5743
- Fax — 1 (209) 358-2423
- Email — [email protected]