About Santa Rosa · Lone Pine, California
Santa Rosa Catholic Church is a small parish of the Diocese of Fresno serving the Owens Valley community of Lone Pine, California, and the surrounding High Desert region. Founded in 1919 by the legendary 'Desert Padre' Father John J. Crowley, it was the first Catholic church in the Owens Valley and remains the spiritual hub for an extraordinary geographic mission area — its parish boundaries contain both the lowest point in the contiguous United States (Badwater in Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level) and the highest (Mt. Whitney, 14,505 feet). The parish also oversees mission churches at St. Vivian in Independence, St. Thérèse in Tecopa, St. John the Baptist in Shoshone, and stations in Death Valley, Furnace Creek and Olancha. Worship is offered in English and Spanish, with a centennial celebrated in 2019 on the Feast of St. Rose of Lima.
- Established
- 1919
- Patron
- Saint Rose of Lima
- Rector
- Father Doug Walker (pastor at time of 2019 centennial; current pastor to be confirmed)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
Santa Rosa is a small but far-flung Catholic community serving the entire Owens Valley and beyond — the parish reaches from Death Valley up to the summit of Mt. Whitney, and welcomes worshippers in both English and Spanish. With daily Mass, a Saturday Vigil in English and Spanish, Saturday confessions, and a constellation of mission churches and stations in Independence, Tecopa, Shoshone, Death Valley, Furnace Creek and Olancha, it offers warm, accessible worship for residents, travelers and adventurers alike. A century of devotion is anchored by a parish community (organized through groups like the Saint Rose Society) that continues to gather, celebrate and serve across one of the most dramatic stretches of California.
Mass times at Santa Rosa
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
- By appointment
About Santa Rosa Parish
Santa Rosa Catholic Church is the Catholic parish serving Lone Pine and the surrounding Owens Valley in California's eastern Sierra. It belongs to the Diocese of Fresno and is part of the High Desert Vicariate, covering an enormous geographic area between Death Valley and the High Sierra. The church sits at 311 East Locust Street in Lone Pine, beside the Warren E. Hanson Preschool, three blocks east of Highway 395 / Main Street.
- Diocese of Fresno parish, High Desert Vicariate
- Address: 311 E Locust St., Lone Pine, CA 93545
- Mailing: PO Box 246, Lone Pine, CA 93545
- Phone: (760) 876-4350
- Email: [email protected]
Parish History
The parish was founded in 1919 by Father John J. Crowley, a Holy Cross College–trained priest who became known across the region as 'The Desert Padre.' His ministry shaped the Owens Valley throughout the early 20th century, and the parish marked its centennial on August 23, 2019 — the Feast of Saint Rose of Lima — with Bishop Joseph Brennan and Bishop Emeritus Armando Ochoa concelebrating. Father Doug Walker was pastor at the time of the centennial.
- Founded: 1919 (first Catholic church in the Owens Valley)
- Founding pastor: Father John J. Crowley, C.S.C.
- Centennial celebrated August 23, 2019, on the Feast of Saint Rose of Lima
- 2019 centennial main celebrant: Bishop Joseph Brennan
- 2019 centennial presider: Bishop Emeritus Armando Ochoa
Father John J. Crowley — 'The Desert Padre'
Father Crowley arrived in the Owens Valley in 1919 and immediately set about serving a vast, thinly populated region. He drove a Model T Ford tens of thousands of miles between Lone Pine, Bishop, Shoshone and Death Valley, sometimes sleeping in the back of the car. He pushed for the Long Valley Dam (which created Crowley Lake, named for him) and was a tireless bridge-builder between Catholics and Protestants. He died in an automobile accident on Highway 14 in 1940.
- First (and perhaps only) priest to celebrate Mass on the summit of Mt. Whitney — September 12, 1934, on the feast of the Holy Name of the Virgin Mary
- Wrote more than 200 'Sage and Tumbleweed' columns under the pen name 'Inyokel' for the Central California Register, 1934–1940
- Chaplain to a CCC camp near Lone Pine in the 1930s; helped build Whitney Portal road and trail
- Friend to Hollywood — Alabama Hills productions during his tenure included Gunga Din, Lives of the Bengal Lancers, Charge of the Light Brigade, and films with John Wayne, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy
- Remembered with a stone cabin at Whitney Portal built in 1936 with stone mason Steve Esteves and Dobe Gunnarson
Languages and Worship
Santa Rosa worships in both English and Spanish. The Saturday Vigil provides Mass in each language, while the Sunday Mass and weekday Masses are in English. The parish serves a culturally diverse community across the Owens Valley and High Desert.
- Saturday Vigil — 5:00 pm English, 6:00 pm Spanish
- Sunday and weekday Masses — English
Mission Churches and Stations
Santa Rosa is the hub for a far-flung family of mission churches and outlying stations across the Owens Valley, Death Valley and the Mojave. The parish directly oversees worship and pastoral care at these communities.
- St. Vivian, Independence
- St. Thérèse, Tecopa
- St. John the Baptist, Shoshone
- Death Valley station (Furnace Creek area)
- Olancha station
Parish Community — Saint Rose Society
Parishioners are organized in part through groups such as the Saint Rose Society, which led the planning of the 2019 centennial Mass. St. Rose Society President Laura Blystone described the inspiration behind the celebration as rooted in the legacy of Father John J. Crowley.
- Saint Rose Society — parish organization
- Centennial planning led by Saint Rose Society under President Laura Blystone
Geographic Mission — Highest and Lowest
Few parishes in America can claim a service area that spans both the lowest and highest points in the contiguous United States. From Badwater Basin in Death Valley (−282 ft) to the summit of Mt. Whitney (14,505 ft), Santa Rosa's pastoral territory reflects the rugged geography of the Eastern Sierra and Mojave — and explains why Father Crowley's Model T (and his successors' vehicles) have always been part of the ministry.
- Lowest: Badwater Basin, Death Valley — 282 ft below sea level
- Highest: Mt. Whitney — 14,505 ft above sea level
- Coverage includes Death Valley National Park and the High Sierra
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John J. Crowley1919–1940
Founding pastor; Holy Cross College graduate, known as 'The Desert Padre'; celebrated first Mass atop Mt. Whitney (Sept. 12, 1934); killed in automobile accident on Highway 14 in 1940.
- Rev. Msgr. Fred Crowleyfrom 1945
Ordained 1934 for the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno; served Santa Rosa, Lone Pine from 1945 before moving to Our Lady of Lourdes, Corcoran in 1948.
- Father Doug Walkeras of 2019
Pastor at the time of the parish's 2019 centennial celebration, presiding with Bishop Joseph Brennan and Bishop Emeritus Armando Ochoa.