About St. Dominic Savio Mission · Bass Lake, California
St. Dominic Savio Mission (also known as St. Dominic Savio Mission & Retreat Center) is a small Catholic mission church located at 40077 Road 222 in Bass Lake, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near Yosemite National Park. It is one of two mission churches of Our Lady of the Sierra Parish in Oakhurst, the other being St. Joseph the Worker in North Fork. The mission traces its roots to 1939, when the Diocese of Fresno began celebrating Mass at the former Santa Teresita Campground on the shores of Bass Lake, and was formally established as a mountain parish in 1961 with a papal blessing. Weekly Sunday Mass is celebrated at 9:30 AM. The mission shares its pastor, Fr. Victor Hernando, and staff with the wider Oakhurst parish, and falls under the Diocese of Fresno, currently shepherded by Bishop Joseph Brennan.
- Established
- 1961
- Patron
- St. Dominic Savio
- Rector
- Rev. Victor Hernando
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
St. Dominic Savio Mission is a small, welcoming Catholic community nestled in the pines above Bass Lake, just minutes from Yosemite's south gate — a true mountain parish where worshippers know one another by name. Visitors and parishioners are invited to celebrate Sunday Mass at 9:30 AM, share in the wider parish's faith-formation programs (FEFF for K–12 and OCIA/RCIA for adults), join in devotions such as the rosary, weekday Masses, and Friday Eucharistic Adoration, and be part of a multi-site parish that serves the mountain communities of Oakhurst, Bass Lake, North Fork, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, and beyond. The parish's mission — 'To proclaim the Gospel of Christ to our local community in word, deed, and truth' — guides a community rooted in prayer, family catechesis, and the liturgical rhythm of the Roman Catholic Church under Bishop Joseph Brennan.
Mass times at St. Dominic Savio Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 3:00 PM Saturdays (at Our Lady of the Sierra, Oakhurst)
Adoration times
- Fridays 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (at Our Lady of the Sierra, Oakhurst)
About St. Dominic Savio Mission
St. Dominic Savio Mission is one of two mission churches of Our Lady of the Sierra (OLS) Parish, whose seat is in Oakhurst, California. The parish as a whole is located about 15 miles from the south gate of Yosemite National Park (off Highway 41) and serves the mountain communities of Oakhurst, Bass Lake, North Fork, Coarsegold, Yosemite Lakes Park, Ahwahnee, Wishon, and surrounding areas. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Fresno and is currently shepherded by Bishop Joseph Brennan.
- Type: Mission Church (Roman-Latin Rite)
- Parish: Our Lady of the Sierra (OLS), Oakhurst
- Diocese: Diocese of Fresno
- Bishop: Most Rev. Joseph Brennan
- Pastor/Administrator: Fr. Victor Hernando (since September 1, 2020)
History of the Mission
OLS traces her beginnings to 1939, when Mass was first celebrated on the shores of Bass Lake at what had been the Santa Teresita Campground of the Fresno Diocese. In 1960 the small community of mountain Catholics received a papal blessing to formally erect St. Dominic Savio as a mountain parish, with St. Joseph in North Fork as its mission church. The parish was formally established in 1961. For more than thirty years Bass Lake was the parish seat, until parishioners built a new church in Oakhurst in the 1990s. Completed in 1999, Our Lady of the Sierra in Oakhurst became the new parish church; St. Dominic Savio and St. Joseph the Worker became mission churches. Since 1961 the parish has been served by nine priests and seven bishops.
- 1939 — Mass first offered at Santa Teresita Campground on Bass Lake
- 1960 — Papal blessing granted to erect a mountain parish
- 1961 — Formal canonical establishment of St. Dominic Savio
- 1994 — Parishioners begin building Our Lady of the Sierra Church in Oakhurst
- 1999 — Construction completed; parish seat transferred from Bass Lake to Oakhurst; St. Dominic Savio becomes a mission church
Family Evangelization and Faith Formation (FEFF)
Family Evangelization and Faith Formation (FEFF) is the parish's faith-formation program for children and youth in grades K through 12, administered by Fr. Victor Hernando and coordinated by Master Catechist Erlinda Teisinger. FEFF prepares students for the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Eucharist, and Confirmation, and follows a family-based Sunday morning format with shared breakfast, family catechesis, and breakout sessions for parents and students. Classes meet most Sundays from September through June, 9:00–11:15 AM, at the Our Lady of the Sierra Parish Hall. Catechists must complete diocesan Safe Environment training and obtain a Diocese of Fresno Basic Catechist Certificate.
- K–12 religious education
- Sacramental preparation: Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation
- Family-format Sunday sessions with English and Spanish parent catechists
- Fees: $30 per student (non-sacramental) / $60 per student (sacramental year)
OCIA / RCIA — Becoming Catholic
The parish runs the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) for adults seeking to learn more about the Catholic faith, prepare for Baptism, or complete their sacraments of initiation. Classes meet on Zoom on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM and in person on Saturday afternoons at 3:00 PM, running from August 1, 2025 through July 19, 2026.
- Zoom class: Thursdays 7:00 PM
- In-person class: Saturdays 3:00 PM
- 2025–26 cycle: August 1, 2025 – July 19, 2026
Parish Staff
The mission shares its pastoral and administrative staff with the wider Our Lady of the Sierra Parish in Oakhurst. The pastor/administrator, secretary, and bookkeeper are based at the OLS parish office and serve all three churches (OLS Oakhurst, St. Dominic Savio Bass Lake, and St. Joseph the Worker North Fork).
- Fr. Victor Hernando — Pastor/Administrator ([email protected])
- Vicki Ejchorzst — Secretary ([email protected])
- Edwina Galvan — Assistant Bookkeeper ([email protected])
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Victor Hernando2020–present
Current Pastor/Administrator, assigned by Bishop Joseph Brennan beginning September 1, 2020