About St. Frances Cabrini · Woodlake, California
St. Frances Cabrini is a Roman Catholic parish in Woodlake, California, part of the Diocese of Fresno and grouped in the Tulare Vicariate. The parish serves a primarily Spanish-speaking community of farm country in Tulare County, celebrating most of its Masses in Spanish, including a First Friday Healing Mass. It also shepherds two mission churches — San Felipe de Jesús in Ivanhoe and St. Clair in Three Rivers — extending its pastoral reach into neighboring small communities. Currently led by Rev. Jesse Venzor, the parish is identified by GCatholic as established in 1963.
- Established
- 1963
- Patron
- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
- Rector
- Rev. Jesse Venzor
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno (Tulare Vicariate)
Why belong here
St. Frances Cabrini offers a welcoming, bilingual Catholic home for Woodlake and the surrounding rural Tulare County communities. Worshippers can attend daily Mass in English and Spanish, gather for the First Friday Healing Mass in Spanish, and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation every Friday evening. As a hub parish, it also brings the sacraments to mission communities in Ivanhoe and Three Rivers, making it a true spiritual anchor for the small towns of the eastern San Joaquin Valley.
Mass times at St. Frances Cabrini
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (per Catholic Church Directory listing)
Parish Identity & Diocese
St. Frances Cabrini is a Roman Catholic parish in Woodlake, California, situated in the Diocese of Fresno. Within the diocese's organizational structure, it belongs to the Tulare Vicariate, alongside parishes in Tulare, Tipton, Porterville and surrounding communities. The parish mailing address is P.O. Box 459, Woodlake, CA 93286, and the parish office can be reached at (559) 564-2647 or [email protected].
- Diocese: Diocese of Fresno
- Vicariate: Tulare
- Mailing: P.O. Box 459, Woodlake, CA 93286
Leadership & Clergy
The parish is currently served by Rev. Jesse Venzor as pastor. He is the parish leader identified on multiple parish-directory listings, including the Diocese of Fresno's parish roster and external Catholic directories.
- Pastor: Rev. Jesse Venzor
Mission Churches
As a hub parish for the surrounding rural area, St. Frances Cabrini shepherds two mission churches, extending Catholic worship and pastoral care to neighboring small communities in the San Joaquin Valley.
- San Felipe de Jesús — Ivanhoe, California
- St. Clair — Three Rivers, California
Devotions & Special Liturgies
The parish observes special liturgical moments through the year. The most notable is the Spanish Healing Mass celebrated on the First Friday of each month, providing a moment of prayer and anointing for the sick in the Spanish-speaking community. Holy Days of Obligation are observed with a Vigil Mass the evening before and a morning Mass on the feast day itself.
- First Friday Spanish Healing Mass — 7:00 PM
- Holy Day Vigil Mass — 6:30 PM
- Holy Day Mass — 8:00 AM
Patron Saint: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
The parish takes its name from St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917), an Italian-American religious sister who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was the first American citizen to be canonized by the Catholic Church (1946), and in 1950 Pope Pius XII named her the universal patroness of immigrants. Her feast day is observed on November 13 in the United States and on December 22 elsewhere.
- Born Maria Francesca Cabrini, 15 July 1850, Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy
- Died 22 December 1917, Chicago, Illinois
- Canonized 7 July 1946 by Pope Pius XII
- Named Patroness of Immigrants in 1950
- U.S. feast day: November 13