About St. Bernard · Pirtleville, Arizona
St. Bernard is a Roman Catholic parish serving the small, historically Mexican-American community of Pirtleville, Arizona, about five miles northwest of Douglas on the U.S.–Mexico border. It belongs to the Diocese of Tucson and is one of three linked parishes — alongside St. Luke and Immaculate Conception in Douglas — that share a single pastoral council and pastor. The parish also ministers to a small mission church, Our Lady of La Salette, in nearby McNeal, AZ.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- St. Bernard (of Clairvaux)
- Rector
- Fr. Jojo (current pastor, shared with St. Luke and Immaculate Conception parishes in Douglas)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tucson
Why belong here
St. Bernard offers a bilingual (English/Spanish) Sunday Mass in the heart of Pirtleville's tight-knit, historically Mexican-American community, with a pastor who also serves the neighboring Douglas parishes of St. Luke and Immaculate Conception. It is a small, long-standing parish (with roots going back to 1908) that continues to celebrate its heritage through its imported Italian marble altar and its shared mission to Our Lady of La Salette in McNeal. Visitors and parishioners alike are welcomed into a community shaped by borderland culture, family faith, and steady pastoral care.
Mass times at St. Bernard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- During office hours (Tuesday & Wednesday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm) or by request
- By appointment — call St. Luke Office at (520) 364-4411
Parish Identity & Community
St. Bernard is one of three linked Catholic parishes that together serve the Douglas–Pirtleville area of Cochise County, Arizona, on the U.S.–Mexico border. Pirtleville grew up in the early 1900s as Spanish-speaking refugees from the 1912 Mexican Revolution settled near the copper smelters. The parish reflects that bilingual, bicultural heritage and today celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish.
History of St. Bernard Parish
Church records show a parish existed in Pirtleville from 1908. The first church was a small adobe on Irvin Street, later replaced by a larger frame building on Pirtle Street. In 1925, the frame church was dismantled and St. Bernard became a mission of Immaculate Conception in Douglas. With mission funds and volunteer labor under contractor Jose R. Ortega, the present clay-brick church was built on the same site, and the parish was re-erected in 1957. The community takes particular pride in the marble altar, imported from Italy and assembled by craftsmen from Guadalajara, Mexico.
- Parish established: 1908
- Returned to mission status: 1925
- Parish re-erected: 1957
- Marble altar imported from Italy
Our Lady of La Salette Mission (McNeal, AZ)
St. Bernard Parish ministers to a small mission church, Our Lady of La Salette, located in McNeal, Arizona. Sunday Mass at the mission is celebrated in English at 9:00 am. The mission is served by the same pastor as St. Bernard in Pirtleville.
- Address: 3879 N. Mission Lane, McNeal, AZ 85617
- Sunday Mass: 9:00 am (English)
Parish Office & Contact
The St. Bernard parish office is on McKinley Street in Pirtleville, with a P.O. Box mailing address. Because the parish shares its pastor and pastoral council with St. Luke and Immaculate Conception in Douglas, many inquiries are coordinated through the St. Luke office as well.
- Address: 2308 N. McKinley St., P.O. Box 3101, Pirtleville, AZ 85626
- Phone: (520) 364-2762
- St. Luke Office: (520) 364-4411
- Office hours: Tuesday & Wednesday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
St. Bernard is pastored together with St. Luke and Immaculate Conception parishes in Douglas, sharing a single pastor and a joint Parish Pastoral Council. The parishes are part of the Diocese of Tucson and are in communion with the Holy Father and the local ordinary.
- Current Pastor: Fr. Jojo (shared with St. Luke and Immaculate Conception)
- Pastoral leadership also coordinated through St. Luke Office: (520) 364-4411
Joint Parish Pastoral Council
According to the parish mission statement, the pastors and members of St. Luke, Immaculate Conception, St. Bernard, and its mission in Douglas–Pirtleville "recognize and affirm our incorporation in the mystical body of Christ, and so, do unite to form one joint parish pastoral council." The council is intended to promote and perform the mission of Christ in the area more effectively through mutual works and assistance.
- Unified pastoral council across St. Luke, Immaculate Conception, and St. Bernard
- Affirms communion with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Tucson, and the pastor
Online Giving & Stewardship
The parish participates in the online giving program for the Catholic Community of Douglas–Pirtleville. In the spirit of Communion, Participation and Mission, parishioners are invited to give securely online; contributions are tax-deductible and support the shared ministry across the linked parishes.
- Online giving available via the parish website
- Contributions are tax-deductible
Diocese & Catholic Context
St. Bernard is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, which serves Catholics across southern Arizona. The parish is listed in the Diocese of Tucson's parish finder and in GCatholic's database, where its founding is recorded as 1914 (a date corresponding to the consolidated, post-Revolution re-founding of the community's Catholic presence).
- Diocese: Diocese of Tucson
- GCatholic Church ID: 34895
- Founding year listed by GCatholic: 1914
Notable Connections
St. Bernard holds a distinctive place in Arizona history: the parish's most famous former parishioner is Raúl Castro, who served as Governor of Arizona and later as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Bolivia, and Argentina. Castro spent his early childhood in Pirtleville and received his First Holy Communion at St. Bernard.
- Former Arizona Governor Raúl Castro received his First Holy Communion at St. Bernard
- Pirtleville community grew from Mexican Revolution refugees who worked in the local copper smelters
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Charles Knappas of 1975
Pastor noted in the 1975 Cochise County Historical Society article; led a parish of about 250 families.
- Father Gilbert Malucirca 2011
Pastor of Immaculate Conception, St. Luke, and St. Bernard parishes per Diocese of Tucson announcements.
- Father Robert Rodriguezcirca 2011
Parochial vicar of Immaculate Conception, St. Luke, and St. Bernard; later appointed administrator of St. Joseph Parish, Hayden.