About Our Lady of Guadalupe · Riverside, California
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission (Belltown) is a small, devoted Catholic mission community in the Belltown neighborhood of Riverside, California, founded in 1927. It serves as a mission church of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Riverside and is one of the diocese's oldest Spanish-language Catholic communities in the area. All weekend Masses at the mission are celebrated in Spanish, and the community gathers especially around the December feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with traditional Mañanitas, a novenario, and bilingual liturgies.
- Established
- 1927
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Rector
- Rev. Juan Lopez Cortes, M.S.P.
- Diocese
- Diocese of San Bernardino
Why belong here
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission offers something rare in the Inland Empire: an intimate, Spanish-language Catholic community nearly a century old, where every Sunday and Saturday Mass is celebrated in Spanish for Latino families of the Belltown neighborhood. The mission provides weekday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) and weekly Confessions, while leaning on its parent parish St. John the Evangelist for sacramental preparation, religious education, and additional ministries. It is a warm, family-oriented place to belong, pray, and grow — especially for those drawn to the Marian devotion of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which the community marks each December with Mañanitas and a traditional novenario.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
About Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission (Belltown) is a small but devoted Roman Catholic mission community located at 2518 Hall Avenue in Riverside, California. Founded in 1927, it is one of the older Catholic communities in the western Riverside / Belltown area and is a mission church of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Riverside, within the Diocese of San Bernardino. The mission is especially known for its all-Spanish weekend liturgies and its deep Marian identity, centered on devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
History & Origins
The mission traces its founding to 1927, more than a quarter-century before its present parent parish was established. It has remained a mission church — meaning it is not an independent parish in canon law — and today is administered alongside St. John the Evangelist Parish, 3980 Opal Street, Riverside. Its long continuity makes it a treasured spiritual anchor for multigenerational Latino Catholic families in the Belltown neighborhood.
- Founded: 1927
- Parent parish: St. John the Evangelist, Riverside (founded 1956)
- Diocese: San Bernardino
Clergy & Ecclesial Staff
The mission is served by priests of the M.S.P. religious society, working in collaboration with the clergy of St. John the Evangelist Parish. The pastor of record and the parochial vicar are listed on the Diocese of San Bernardino parish directory.
- Pastor: Rev. Juan Lopez Cortes, M.S.P.
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Marcos J. Medina-Leon, M.S.P.
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12)
As befits a community named for the Patroness of the Americas, the mission celebrates the December 12 feast with traditional Mexican Catholic customs: a novenario (nine days of prayer) leading up to the feast, Mañanitas sung at dawn in honor of the Virgin, and special Masses. The novenario is hosted at the parent parish church, St. John the Evangelist, 3980 Opal St., Riverside.
- Novenario: December 3–11, 5:30 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist, 3980 Opal St., Riverside
- December 12 — Mañanitas: 5:00 a.m.
Parish Office & Contact
Because Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission is administered as part of St. John the Evangelist Parish, day-to-day parish operations and sacramental preparation are coordinated through the St. John the Evangelist parish office. The mission's own listing carries its own dedicated phone line and email.
- Mission address: 2518 Hall Ave, Riverside, CA 92509
- Mission phone: (951) 788-1464
- Mission email: [email protected]
- Parent parish address (mailing): 3980 Opal St, Riverside, CA 92509
- Parent parish office: (951) 684-6864
- Religious Education (St. John the Evangelist): (951) 742-5599
Visiting & Belonging
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission welcomes Catholics and visitors from across the Inland Empire, particularly Spanish-speaking families looking for a smaller, intimate worship community rooted in Marian devotion. Because weekday Masses and sacramental preparation are coordinated through St. John the Evangelist Parish, newcomers are encouraged to register with the parent parish while worshipping at the mission chapel in Belltown.