About Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Co-Patroness of the Unborn · Bakersfield, California
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Co-Patroness of the Unborn, is a bilingual Catholic parish and shrine in southeast Bakersfield, California, in the Diocese of Fresno, founded in 1925 to serve the city's Mexican and Mexican-American Catholic community. The parish operates across two campuses: the main Parish Church at 601 E. California Avenue (housing the parish office) and the Shrine, Pavilion and Memorial of the Unborn at 4600 E. Brundage Lane. It is pastored by the Oblates of St. Joseph (O.S.J.) and is widely known for its pro-life and pro-family identity, its Spanish-language Mass schedule, and the unique Memorial of the Unborn garden and columbarium, where families memorialize children lost through miscarriage or abortion.
- Established
- 1925
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe (Co-Patroness of the Unborn); Memorial co-patron: St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Shaji Athipozhi, O.S.J.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
Anyone — English or Spanish speaking — looking for a deeply Catholic, bilingual parish will find a home here: the schedule includes daily Masses in both languages, a Saturday Vigil and four Sunday Masses at the parish church plus five more Sunday Masses at the Shrine. The parish is explicit and active in its pro-life and pro-family mission, supports the only Memorial of the Unborn garden of its kind in the region, and runs a faith formation program with religious education assistants and a youth ministry. Confessions are heard every weekday afternoon, and the monthly bilingual Holy Hour for Vocations makes it a particularly welcoming place for young Catholics discerning religious life.
Mass times at Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Co-Patroness of the Unborn
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 5:30pm–6:30pm
- Tuesday 5:30pm–6:30pm
- Wednesday 5:30pm–6:30pm
- Thursday 5:30pm–6:30pm
- Friday 5:30pm–6:30pm
Adoration times
- Holy Hour for Vocations: 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:30pm–7:30pm (Bilingual)
About the Shrine and Parish
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish describes itself, in the spirit of the Holy Family of Nazareth, as 'a humble, bilingual, pro-life, pro-family Catholic Community, joyfully announcing the Gospel.' The parish welcomes all to religious education in the fullness of Truth entrusted to the Church, invites all to celebrate the real presence of Christ in the liturgy, and calls its members to sacrificial service for the building up of the Body of Christ. The community is large and active, with Mass celebrated every day of the week in both English and Spanish across two campuses.
- Mission statement rooted in the Holy Family of Nazareth
- Bilingual (English / Spanish) worship and ministry
- Publicly identified as pro-life and pro-family
- Two campuses: Parish Church (601 E. California Ave.) and Shrine/Memorial (4600 E. Brundage Ln.)
Parish History
Founded in 1925, Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the oldest continuously active parishes serving Bakersfield's Hispanic Catholic community. In more recent decades the parish expanded with the Shrine complex on East Brundage Lane and entrusted pastoral care to the Oblates of St. Joseph, who today staff the parish with several priests and a deacon. The community's most distinctive contribution to the life of the Diocese of Fresno is the Memorial of the Unborn, established to provide a sacred place of remembrance for children lost through miscarriage or abortion.
- Parish founded 1925
- Second campus (Shrine + Memorial) developed on E. Brundage Lane
- Pastoral care entrusted to the Oblates of St. Joseph (O.S.J.)
- Designated Jubilee Church in 2016 and again in 2025
Parish Staff and Clergy
The parish is staffed and pastored by the Oblates of St. Joseph (O.S.J.), a religious congregation with its provincial house at the neighboring Shrine of St. Joseph in Mission Hills. The team is led by the pastor and includes parochial vicars, a transitional deacon, an office manager, secretary, faith-formation assistants, and several volunteer ministry coordinators responsible for liturgy, youth ministry, pro-life activities, prayer groups, and bereavement support.
- Pastor: Fr. Shaji Athipozhi, O.S.J.
- Parochial Vicars: Fr. Matthew Spencer, O.S.J. and Fr. Carlos Esquivel, O.S.J.
- Fr. Sergio Perez, O.S.J.
- Transitional Deacon: Dcn. Victor Espinoza, O.S.J.
- Office Manager: Rosa Vargas; Secretary: Maria Neri
- Religious Education: Nallely Sanchez, Tona Castellanos, Ailani Orellana (assistant director), Angela Aguilar
- Liturgy Coordinator: Rosa Munoz (661-809-4534)
- Youth Minister: Alvaro Villanueva
- Pro-Life Coordinator: 661-397-4811
- Grupos de Oración: 661-327-0832
- Bereavement Coordinator: Doris Martin (661-832-8681)
- Safe Environment Coordinator: Doris Martin
Memorial of the Unborn
The Memorial of the Unborn, on the Brundage Lane campus, is a Memorial Garden centered on a statue of the Holy Spouses — Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Joseph — depicted together as patrons of the unborn. It exists to comfort mothers, fathers, and families who grieve the loss of a preborn child, whether through miscarriage or abortion, and to be a public witness to the sacredness of every human life. Families may name their child and permanently honor them either by mounting an engraved plaque on a memorial wall or by entombing remains in one of the Memorial's crypts.
- Outdoor Memorial Garden with statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Joseph
- Engraved memorial plaques in polished imperial red granite (gold or white lettering)
- Crypts for entombment of remains
- Perpetual Care fund subsidized by a 17% surcharge on plaque orders
- Order/information line: (661) 323-3073
- Periodic liturgical services offered for those memorialized and entombed
- Welcomes families who have suffered recent or long-past losses
Ministries and Groups
Beyond the Memorial of the Unborn, the parish runs a full range of bilingual ministries including liturgy preparation, religious education, youth ministry, pro-life outreach, Spanish prayer groups (Grupos de Oración), a bereavement ministry, and the parish Safe Environment program. Several of these ministries are led by volunteer coordinators rather than paid staff, reflecting the parish's emphasis on member-driven apostolates.
- Liturgy
- Religious Education / Faith Formation
- Youth Ministry
- Pro-Life Coordination
- Grupos de Oración / Prayer Groups
- Bereavement Ministry
- Safe Environment
Devotions and Special Liturgies
Beyond the regular Mass and confession schedule, the parish sustains a particular Marian devotion under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Co-Patroness of the Unborn, and gathers for a bilingual Holy Hour for Vocations every second Thursday of the month. The Memorial of the Unborn also hosts periodic liturgical services for the children entombed on its grounds.
- Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe (feast day December 12)
- Bilingual Holy Hour for Vocations, 2nd Thursday, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
- Periodic Memorial of the Unborn liturgical services
Visiting and Contact Information
The parish welcomes visitors and pilgrims to both campuses in southeast Bakersfield. The Parish Office at 601 E. California Avenue is the hub for sacramental inquiries, parish registration, and general correspondence; the Memorial of the Unborn line at 661-323-3073 handles plaque and crypt orders and information about entombing a child's remains.
- Parish Office: 601 E. California Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93307 — (661) 323-3148
- Email: [email protected]
- Shrine / Memorial: 4600 E. Brundage Ln., Bakersfield, CA 93307 — (661) 323-3070
- Memorial orders: (661) 323-3073
- Website: http://guadalupebakersfield.org
- Diocese of Fresno: https://dioceseoffresno.org