About St. Aloysius · Tulare, California
St. Aloysius Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Tulare, California, founded in 1905 and part of the Diocese of Fresno. Located at 125 East Pleasant Avenue, the parish serves a multilingual community, offering Mass in both English and Portuguese each Sunday. It shares a long-standing partnership with St. Aloysius School, the parish's educational ministry. Under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Msgr. Richard Urizalqui, St. Aloysius continues the legacy of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of students, Christian youth, Jesuit novices, and AIDS patients and caregivers.
- Established
- 1905
- Patron
- St. Aloysius Gonzaga
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. Richard Urizalqui
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
St. Aloysius is one of the oldest parishes in the Diocese of Fresno (founded 1905) and welcomes worshippers into a community that reflects the rich cultural diversity of Tulare, with weekly Sunday Mass celebrated in both English and Portuguese. The parish actively supports families through its parish school, faith formation (CCD), youth ministry, and OCIA (formerly RCIA) for adults preparing to enter the Church. With daily Mass, Saturday confessions, and First Friday adoration, St. Aloysius offers the full rhythm of Catholic sacramental and devotional life in a small, tight-knit setting.
Mass times at St. Aloysius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
About St. Aloysius Catholic Church
St. Aloysius Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Tulare, California, founded in 1905 and part of the Diocese of Fresno. The parish serves a culturally diverse Catholic community, offering Sunday Mass in both English and Portuguese. St. Aloysius Gonzaga — the patron saint of students, Christian youth, Jesuit novices, and AIDS patients and caregivers — is honored as the parish's patron, with his feast day celebrated on June 21. The parish is pastored by Rev. Msgr. Richard Urizalqui and remains a stable spiritual home for Tulare-area Catholics more than a century after its founding.
- Founded 1905
- Diocese of Fresno
- Pastor: Rev. Msgr. Richard Urizalqui
- Languages: English and Portuguese
Our Patron Saint: St. Aloysius Gonzaga
St. Aloysius Gonzaga (Italian: Luigi Gonzaga) was born into Italian nobility and, as a thirteen-year-old, served as a page in the court of King Philip II of Spain. Deeply disillusioned with court life, he discerned a call to religious life and, after his father eventually gave consent, joined the Jesuit novitiate in Rome on November 25, 1585, at the age of eighteen. Under the spiritual direction of future St. Robert Bellarmine, Aloysius grew in prayer and virtue. During a 1591 outbreak of the bubonic plague in Rome, he devoted himself to caring for the sick and ultimately contracted the disease himself, embracing his suffering with rejoicing. He prophesied the day of his death and died on the Octave Day of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi at just twenty-three years old. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII on December 31, 1726, and his liturgical color is white.
- Feast Day: June 21
- Patron of students, Christian youth, Jesuit novices, and AIDS patients and caregivers
- Invoked against eye troubles and epidemics
- Canonized December 31, 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII
Parish Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Msgr. Richard Urizalqui, supported by lay ministry coordinators for faith formation, youth ministry, and the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) team. Direct phone lines are available for specific parish programs.
- Rev. Msgr. Richard Urizalqui, Pastor — 559-688-1796
- CCD Coordinator — 559-623-6298
- Youth Minister Coordinator — 559-688-1798
- R.C.I.A. Team — 559-688-1796
Sacraments and Faith Formation
The parish prepares members for the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, and First Communion. In the Diocese of Fresno, children must have reached the age of reason (age seven) and have received Baptism and Reconciliation before receiving First Communion. Adults seeking initiation into the Catholic Church participate through OCIA (the restored name for the former RCIA process). Sacramental preparation for children is coordinated through the parish's CCD program.
- Baptism
- First Reconciliation and First Communion (via CCD)
- OCIA for adults
- Sacramental preparation coordinated through CCD
St. Aloysius School
St. Aloysius School is the parish's Catholic elementary school, sharing the parish's name and mission. The school operates in close partnership with the parish and is featured on its own website at sastulare.com, with contact information and parish-staff listings appearing on the school's parish page.
- Website: sastulare.com
- Tied to parish life and CCD faith formation
History and Heritage
St. Aloysius was established in 1905, making it one of the older parishes in the Diocese of Fresno and a historic anchor of Catholic life in Tulare. The parish has long served a Portuguese-American community alongside its English-speaking parishioners — a heritage still visible in the weekly Portuguese-language Sunday Mass. In 2016, the parish was designated a Jubilee Church for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.
- Established 1905
- Tulare Vicariate, Diocese of Fresno
- Designated Jubilee Church for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, 2016
- Bilingual heritage (English and Portuguese)