About St. Florence · Huntsville, Utah
St. Florence Catholic Community (also called St. Florence Catholic Mission) is a small but growing Catholic mission in Huntsville, Utah, situated in the Ogden Valley of Weber County. It is a mission of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, administered in tandem with St. Joseph Catholic Church in nearby Ogden, sharing clergy and a joint Parish Pastoral Plan. Despite its modest size, the parish offers a full devotional life: weekend Masses, a weekday Mass, 24-hour weekly Eucharistic Adoration, a Rosary before Sunday Mass, First Friday and Healing Masses, and a robust outreach apostolate (the Lazarus Mission) that serves the poor of Ogden and Ogden Valley. The community is known for its warm, family-friendly character and a calendar filled with feast-day celebrations, children's adoration, pet blessings, and teen gatherings.
- Patron
- St. Florence (feast observed June 20 with a special Mass and blessing of a new statue of the patron saint, as on June 20, 2022)
- Rector
- Rev. Victor Alvarado-Renderos
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salt Lake City
Why belong here
St. Florence is a tight-knit mission parish where visitors are quickly known by name and invited into a full sacramental and devotional life. Sunday begins with Rosary at 8:20 a.m. followed by Adoration and Reconciliation, then Mass at 9:00 a.m. — and the church stays open with 24 hours of weekly Eucharistic Adoration from Wednesday evening through Thursday evening. With active ministries for children (Little Ones, ages 3–6), teens (6th–12th grade), music, altar serving, hospitality, and the Lazarus Mission outreach to the poor, it offers a real way to belong, serve, and grow in faith in the Ogden Valley.
Mass times at St. Florence
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30–6:00 PM
- Sunday 8:00–8:40 AM
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Sunday 8:00–8:40 AM
- 24 hours of Adoration weekly from Wednesday 6:00 PM through Thursday 6:00 PM (sign up for a one-hour slot via [email protected])
- First Friday: 30 minutes of Children's Adoration following the 8:30 AM Mass
About St. Florence Catholic Community
St. Florence Catholic Community is a small but growing Catholic mission in Huntsville, Utah, situated in Ogden Valley in Weber County. The parish describes itself as welcoming to visitors and new parishioners and is part of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Because it is classified as a mission, it is administered in tandem with St. Joseph Catholic Church in nearby Ogden, sharing priests, a joint Parish Pastoral Plan, and many ministries. The official website is hosted at StFlorenceHuntsville.org (with content also published at stflorence.wordpress.com).
- Mailing address: 6461 Highway 39, Huntsville, UT 84317
- Phone: (801) 745-5673 (also listed as 801-745-LORD)
- Diocese: Diocese of Salt Lake City
- Classification: Catholic Mission (not a self-standing parish)
History and Heritage
The Utah History Encyclopedia describes St. Florence as a 'new Catholic church' south of Huntsville, a town historically dominated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a mission parish, St. Florence has always been served by priests from the larger Ogden-area Catholic community — most recently from St. Joseph Catholic Church, Ogden, founded in 1875 and the mother parish of the region. The mission's history is closely entwined with the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, a Trappist monastery east of Huntsville that was established in 1947 and closed after seventy years in 2017; St. Florence helped preserve and redistribute the monastery's library through the Alliance for International Monasticism when it was closing.
- 2013 — Lazarus Mission outreach initiative established (October 7, 2013)
- 2017 — Under Fr. David Gaeta, parish funded and packed ~2,100 books from the closing Trappist monastery's library for AIM
- Pastoral succession: Fr. David Gaeta → Fr. Joshua (Jose Emilio Santos) → Fr. Victor Alvarado-Renderos
- Today: administered as a mission of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Ogden
Patron Saint: St. Florence
The parish takes its name from St. Florence, whose feast the community celebrates each year on June 20 with a special Mass — in 2022 marked by a Mass at 6:00 PM and the blessing of a new statue of the patron saint. The annual celebration is one of the highlights of the parish calendar and a visible sign of the community's identity as a mission dedicated to this saint.
- Feast Day: June 20
- Tradition: special Mass and blessing of the St. Florence statue
Devotions and Prayer Life
Beyond the Mass schedule, the parish maintains a rich devotional rhythm. The Rosary is prayed before Sunday Mass and after Wednesday Mass. A special Patriotic Rosary — with a Hail Mary offered for each of the 50 states — is prayed on Memorial Day weekend. Adoration is built into both Sunday morning and the full 24-hour weekly holy hour, and the parish remembers its Catholic neighbors and patrons through additional observances.
- Rosary: Sunday 8:20 AM and Wednesday 9:00 AM (after Mass)
- Patriotic Rosary: Memorial Day weekend
- Pet Blessing: in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, early October in the church parking lot
- All Saints Day Mass (Nov 1) with children encouraged to dress as saints
- Remembrance Mass for the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
St. Florence is staffed jointly with St. Joseph Catholic Church, Ogden. The current pastor is Rev. Victor Alvarado-Renderos, who also pastors St. Joseph and the parish schools and serves as Associate Chaplain of the Weber State Newman Center. The parochial vicar is Rev. Jose Emilio 'Joshua' Santos. Two deacons — Deacon Terrance Waiss and Deacon Honorio Moreno — assist at both parishes.
- Pastor: Rev. Victor Alvarado-Renderos (also St. Joseph Ogden, parish schools, and WSU Newman Center)
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Jose Emilio (Joshua) Santos
- Deacon Terrance Waiss
- Deacon Honorio Moreno
- Music Director: Alfonso Tenreiro
Faith Formation: Children, Teens, and Adults
The parish offers formation for every age. The Little Ones Ministry serves children ages 3–6 with two-hour weekly sessions September through May, hands-on activities tied to the Mass, and First Friday Masses followed by Children's Adoration and crafts. The Teen Group welcomes all 6th–12th graders on the third Saturday of each month after Mass for fellowship, food, and an inspirational speaker. The Pastoral Plan Teams coordinate parish-wide efforts in Faith Formation, Vocations, and Stewardship across age groups and ethnicities.
- Little Ones Ministry (ages 3–6) — Contact: Laura Alletag ([email protected])
- Teen Group (6th–12th) — 3rd Saturday after Mass — Contact: Corrie Wells ([email protected])
- Faith Formation Team — Contact: Dave Lloyd ([email protected])
- Vocations Team — Contact: Ann Zieve ([email protected])
Liturgical Ministries
St. Florence runs a full slate of liturgical ministries. The Music Ministry, led by Alfonso Tenreiro, rehearses 30 minutes before each weekend Mass and welcomes musicians age 12 and up. Altar Servers assist at Mass, funerals, baptisms, and weddings. Eucharistic Ministers bring Communion to the homebound and to residents of facilities, while Ushers and the Hospitality team (coffee, juice, and cookies after Mass) keep the community warm and welcoming.
- Music Ministry — Music Director: Alfonso Tenreiro ([email protected])
- Altar Servers — Contact Fr. Joshua ([email protected])
- Eucharistic Ministers — Contact: Ann Zieve ([email protected])
- Ushers
- Hospitality / Coffee after Mass — Contact: Ann Zieve ([email protected])
Outreach: The Lazarus Mission
Established on October 7, 2013, the Lazarus Mission is the parish's structured outreach program, named for the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) and inspired by Pope Francis's call to encounter the poor. It organizes parishioner service inside Ogden Valley (communion visits to Pineview Assisted Living in Eden) and outside it (weekly Thursday lunch service at the Lantern House / St. Anne's Kitchen in Ogden, and support for the Pregnancy Medical Clinic in Roy).
- Lazarus Mission established October 7, 2013
- Pineview Assisted Living (Eden) — weekly Communion visits; contact: John Stevens ([email protected])
- Lantern House / St. Anne's Kitchen (Ogden) — St. Florence serves lunch every Thursday 11:30 AM–1:30 PM; contact: Ann Zieve ([email protected])
- Pregnancy Medical Clinic (Roy) — supported by the parish
Parish Life and Pastoral Council
The Mission Council serves in an advisory capacity to the pastor in all matters except decisions pertaining to the spiritual affairs of the community, meeting roughly September through June and helping with events as needed (typically a two-year term). Helping Hands coordinates parishioner-to-parishioner support such as meals, rides, babysitting, and home help. Five Pastoral Plan Teams — Holy Eucharist, Faith Formation, Vocations, Human Dignity, and Stewardship — carry out the joint pastoral plan with St. Joseph, Ogden.
- Mission Council — meets Sept–June; contact Fr. Joshua or Ann Zieve ([email protected])
- Helping Hands — contact: Dawn Mendez ([email protected])
- Holy Eucharist Team — contact: Annie Yates ([email protected])
- Human Dignity Team — contact: Natalie James ([email protected])
- Stewardship Team — contact: Chris MacAulay ([email protected])
- Joint Parish Pastoral Plan published for St. Joseph and St. Florence
Visiting, Registering, and Getting Involved
Newcomers are invited to worship at any weekend Mass and to register as parishioners by printing the online registration card and dropping it in the offertory. The bulletin and live stream — accessible from the homepage — keep absent members and visitors connected. Reimbursement and parish forms are also downloadable from the site, as are details for the annual Diocesan Development Drive (DDD) and the local Ogden Catholic schools: St. Joseph Elementary and St. Joseph High School.
- New Parishioner Information and Registration Card available on the website
- Live Stream Mass link on the homepage with a separate schedule and instructions page
- Diocesan Development Drive (DDD) — donations accepted via the website
- Local Catholic schools: St. Joseph Elementary and St. Joseph High School (Ogden)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. David Gaetaapprox. 2017 (and prior years)
Pastored St. Florence in the lead-up to and closure year of the nearby Holy Trinity Abbey; oversaw the monastery's library book-distribution project to AIM in 2017.
- Fr. Joshua (Rev. Jose Emilio 'Joshua' Santos)approx. 2021–2024
Led the parish during the COVID-era transition to live-streamed Masses; continued in ministry as parochial vicar under the new pastor.
- Rev. Victor Alvarado-Renderos2024–present
Current pastor; also serves St. Joseph Catholic Church, Ogden, and is Associate Chaplain of the Weber State Newman Center.