About Our Savior of the Mountains · Lee Vining, California
Our Savior of the Mountains is a small Catholic mission church in Lee Vining, California — the tiny gateway town on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, at the foot of Tioga Pass into Yosemite. It is one of three missions of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Mammoth Lakes, which together serve all of Mono County. Worship is celebrated in a simple setting at the corner of 2nd Street and Mono Lake Avenue, with Sunday Mass and the opportunity for Confession right after, and a community that blends year-round residents, second-home owners and travelers passing through on their way into the high country. The mission is part of the Diocese of Stockton and is pastored by Father Jorge Román, who shepherds the entire parish and its missions.
- Established
- 1939
- Patron
- Our Savior (Jesus Christ the Savior)
- Rector
- Father Jorge Román
- Diocese
- Diocese of Stockton
Why belong here
Our Savior of the Mountains is a small, welcoming mission in one of the most scenic stretches of California — the Eastern Sierra at the door of Yosemite and Mono Lake — where year-round residents, second-home owners and travelers all worship together. The mission gives visitors and locals a place to attend Sunday Mass, receive Confession immediately after Mass, and find Catholic community across the 3,030 square miles of Mono County. Father Jorge Román and his part-time staff extend charity to those in need and work to keep this remote mountain mission alive through the generosity of part-time parishioners who help heat the church and clear the snow.
Mass times at Our Savior of the Mountains
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Immediately after Sunday Mass in Lee Vining
Our Savior of the Mountains Mission
Our Savior of the Mountains is the Catholic mission serving Lee Vining, California, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada at the foot of Tioga Pass. It is one of three missions of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Mammoth Lakes — the others being the Infant of Prague Mission in Bridgeport and Our Lady of the Valley Chapel in Coleville — and together they cover all of Mono County. The mission is part of the Diocese of Stockton.
- Type: Mission church
- Diocese: Stockton
- Parent parish: St. Joseph Catholic Church, Mammoth Lakes
- Address: 2nd St. & Mono Lake Ave., Lee Vining, CA 93541
- Pastored by Father Jorge Román
Parish History
The earliest record of St. Joseph Parish is the 1939 Baptismal Register, which begins with Fr. Dale Maginnis, S.J. and within a few years shows only Fr. James Kelly, S.J. — both lovers of the outdoors who would come up to Mono County from the Sacramento Diocese and say Mass for visitors on weekends in Lee Vining, Bridgeport and Walker-Coleville. By 1949 Fr. Kelly had essentially formed the parish; he was followed by a line of Jesuit pastors, with Fr. Thomas Savage, S.J. taking over in 1962 when the Diocese of Stockton was created.
From Lee Vining to Mammoth Lakes — 1984
By 1984 Lee Vining had only about 375 residents while Mammoth Lakes had roughly 5,000. Fr. Andrew C. Dachauer, S.J. asked the Bishop to move the seat of the parish to Mammoth Lakes; permission was granted, and Our Savior of the Mountains became a mission church under St. Joseph in Mammoth Lakes.
Our Savior of the Mountains Today
Today the mission serves a community of full-time Mono County residents, second-home owners, and the steady stream of visitors drawn to the Eastern Sierra, Mono Lake and Yosemite. The parish and its missions rely on the generosity of part-time parishioners to heat the churches, clear the snow and keep the buildings in repair. Father Jorge Román leads the parish with the help of one part-time staff person; the pastorate has long-range plans for a Parish Center that would accommodate celebrations after marriages, Quinceañeras and other sacraments.
- Pastor: Father Jorge Román (since July 2013)
- Phone: (760) 934-6276
- Email: [email protected]
- Parent parish office: 58 Ranch Rd, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
Contact & Visiting
Because the mission shares a single pastor and part-time staff with St. Joseph Parish in Mammoth Lakes, the best way to reach Our Savior of the Mountains is through the parish office in Mammoth Lakes. Whether you are in Lee Vining to fish, hike, camp, bike, ski, snowboard, kayak or simply enjoy the Eastern Sierra, you are welcome to join the community for Sunday Mass.
- Phone: (760) 934-6276
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://mammothcatholicchurch.org/our-savior-of-the-mountains
- Address: 2nd St. & Mono Lake Ave., Lee Vining, CA 93541
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Dale Maginnis, S.J.1939–1949
Co-founder of the parish; name appears first in the 1939 Baptismal Register.
- Fr. James Kelly, S.J.1939–1962
Essentially formed the parish; retired in 1962 when the Diocese of Stockton was formed.
- Fr. Thomas V. Savage, S.J.1962–1983
Replaced Fr. Kelly; pastor through most of the Stockton-Diocese era.
- Fr. Andrew C. Dachauer, S.J.1983–2010
Moved the seat of the parish to Mammoth Lakes in 1984; retired August 2010.
- Brother Daniel C. Corona, S.J.1987–2010
Special Assistant to the Pastor; retired January 2011.
- Fr. Paul Boudreau2010–2013
Succeeded Fr. Dachauer; retired July 2013.
- Father Jorge Román2013–present
Current pastor; serves St. Joseph Parish and its three missions.