About Sacred Heart · Maxwell, California
Sacred Heart Parish is a small Catholic parish in the rural farming community of Maxwell, California, in the Sacramento Valley of Colusa County. Established in 1910, it is part of the Diocese of Sacramento's Sutter Buttes Deanery and serves as the hub church for two mission communities: Holy Cross Mission in nearby Arbuckle and Annunciation Mission in Williams. The parish ministers to a bilingual English- and Spanish-speaking flock of farmworkers, ranchers and longtime valley families, offering Mass in English and Spanish across the three worship sites. From its rectory on Elm Street, Sacred Heart continues a century-old tradition of caring for the spiritual life of the people of northern Colusa County.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Hector Montoya
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sacramento (Sutter Buttes Deanery, Colusa County)
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is a welcoming rural parish that brings together English- and Spanish-speaking families from across northern Colusa County. With daily and Sunday Mass offered in three locations—Maxwell, Williams and Arbuckle—plus regular confessions at all three sites and a bilingual weekday schedule, it is one of the most accessible Catholic communities in the Sacramento Valley. The parish combines the warmth of a small-town church with the reach of a regional mission family, making it easy for new arrivals, longtime farmworkers and visitors alike to find a Mass, a sacrament or a helping hand close to home.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Williams (Annunciation Mission): Saturday 6:00–6:45 p.m.
- Arbuckle (Holy Cross): 1st Wednesday of the month, 7:00 p.m.
- Williams (Annunciation Mission): 1st Thursday of the month, 7:00 p.m.
- Maxwell (Sacred Heart): 2nd Thursday of the month, 7:00 p.m.
Parish Identity & History
Sacred Heart Parish was established in 1910 to serve the Catholic faithful of Maxwell and the surrounding Colusa County farmland. The current church and adjacent parish house were built under the leadership of Msgr. Michael James Hynes, an Irish missionary priest ordained in Dublin in 1904 for the Diocese of Sacramento. After Maxwell, Father Hynes went on to pastorates in Red Bluff and Reno (where he briefly served as Vicar General of the newly created Diocese of Nevada) before returning to Sacramento and eventually becoming pastor of Saint John the Baptist in Chico, where he died on January 28, 1941.
- Established 1910
- Diocese of Sacramento, Sutter Buttes Deanery
- Located in Colusa County, Sacramento Valley
- Present church and parish house built during Msgr. Hynes's pastorate
Parish Leadership & Staff
The parish is currently served by Rev. Hector Montoya as pastor, with Rev. John J. Myles serving as Pastor Emeritus after many years at Sacred Heart and its missions. The diocesan directory also lists Deacon Pedro Reyna assisting the community. Maria Lozano serves as Office Manager, coordinating the parish office from the Williams site.
- Rev. Hector Montoya — Pastor
- Rev. John J. Myles — Pastor Emeritus
- Rev. Victor Gutierrez — former Parochial Administrator (per 2020 diocesan directory)
- Deacon Pedro Reyna
- Maria Lozano — Office Manager
Mass & Service Schedule
Sacred Heart Parish offers a full schedule of weekend, weekday and Holy Day Masses across its three worship sites—Maxwell, Williams and Arbuckle—covering both English and Spanish-speaking communities of the area. Weekday Masses are celebrated in Williams, while Sunday Masses are held at all three locations.
- Sunday 8:30 a.m. English — Sacred Heart, Maxwell
- Saturday 7:00 p.m. Spanish — Annunciation, Williams
- Sunday 10:00 a.m. English — Annunciation, Williams
- Sunday 11:30 a.m. English — Holy Cross, Arbuckle
- Sunday 1:00 p.m. Spanish — Holy Cross, Arbuckle
- Tuesday & Friday 8:30 a.m. English — Williams
- Wednesday 8:30 a.m. Bilingual — Williams
- Thursday 8:30 a.m. Spanish — Williams
Missions of Sacred Heart Parish
Sacred Heart Parish is the mother church of two mission communities in northern Colusa County, both administered from the parish office in Williams. The missions extend the parish's reach into Williams and Arbuckle, serving English- and Spanish-speaking families across the valley.
- Annunciation Mission — 617 8th Street, Williams, CA 95987
- Holy Cross Mission — 408 Laurel Street, Arbuckle, CA 95912
- St. Mary of the Mountain Mission — Stonyford (listed by GCatholic as a mission of Sacred Heart)
Annunciation Mission, Williams
Annunciation Mission, located on 8th Street in Williams, is the administrative hub of the parish family. The parish office and many sacramental celebrations operate out of this location, which offers Mass on Saturday evenings in Spanish and Sunday mornings in English, plus a full weekday schedule of English, Spanish and bilingual Masses.
- 617 8th Street, Williams, CA 95987
- Saturday Vigil 7:00 p.m. Spanish
- Sunday 10:00 a.m. English
- Weekdays Tue/Fri 8:30 a.m. English, Wed 8:30 a.m. Bilingual, Thu 8:30 a.m. Spanish
- Parish office phone (530) 473-2432
Holy Cross Mission, Arbuckle
Holy Cross Mission sits on Laurel Street in Arbuckle, the heart of the local farming community. It offers Sunday Mass in English and Spanish, and also hosts a Spanish-language evening Mass on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month.
- 408 Laurel Street, Arbuckle, CA 95912
- Sunday 11:30 a.m. English
- Sunday 1:00 p.m. Spanish
- Wednesday 7:00 p.m. Spanish (2nd & 4th Wed. of the month)
- Phone (530) 473-2432
Sacraments & Devotions
Sacred Heart Parish prepares and celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments for its members across all three worship sites. Schedules for Reconciliation rotate among Maxwell, Williams and Arbuckle, while Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, Marriages and Quinceañeras are coordinated through the parish office in Williams.
- Baptism — by arrangement through the parish office
- First Eucharist and Confirmation — faith-formation based preparation
- Marriage — pastoral counseling and diocesan preparation required
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment and at home visits
- Quinceañera — celebrated for the Hispanic community
- Reconciliation — see rotating schedule above
Visiting & Contact Information
Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to contact the parish office for the most current Mass times, especially around Holy Days, vacations and special feasts. The parish office is located in Williams, while the historic church itself remains open on Elm Street in Maxwell for its Sunday 8:30 a.m. English Mass.
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 1327, Williams, CA 95987
- Parish office: 627 8th Street, Williams
- Church: 45 Elm Street, Maxwell, CA 95955
- Phone: (530) 473-2432
- Fax: (530) 473-2440
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: sacredheartmaxwell.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. (later Msgr.) Michael James Hynesafter 1904 (post-Sonora) – c. 1925
Irish-born priest ordained in Dublin 1904 for the Diocese of Sacramento; built the present Sacred Heart church and parish house in Maxwell before transferring to Sacred Heart, Red Bluff in 1925; later served in Reno and Chico, died 1941.