About St. George Mission · El Nido, California
St. George Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the rural community of El Nido, an unincorporated community in western Merced County in California's Central Valley. The mission is part of the Diocese of Fresno and is administered as a satellite chapel of St. Columba Parish in nearby Chowchilla, sharing the same pastor, phone line, and parish office. Saint George — the mission's patron — was a Roman soldier venerated as a Christian martyr in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries and is honored as one of the most prominent military saints. The mission is located along State Highway 59 and offers a single weekly Mass (Saturday Vigil) along with the Sacrament of Reconciliation after Mass, providing Catholics in this farming community with regular liturgical life despite its small size.
- Patron
- Saint George
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
St. George Mission offers the rural Catholic community of El Nido a familiar, intimate place to worship God, celebrate the Eucharist, and receive the Sacraments close to home. As a mission of St. Columba Parish in Chowchilla, it gives local families a parish family rather than a long drive, with a Saturday Vigil Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation after Mass. Anyone visiting the small farming community along Highway 59 is welcome to join the assembly for Mass, Confession, and parish life — and to be part of a wider Catholic community connected to the Diocese of Fresno.
Mass times at St. George Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- After the Saturday Vigil Mass (4:10 PM)
About St. George Mission
St. George Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church in El Nido, California, an unincorporated farming community in western Merced County in the Central Valley. It belongs to the Diocese of Fresno and is administered as a satellite of St. Columba Parish in nearby Chowchilla. The mission serves local Catholics with one weekly Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, providing a regular liturgical presence in a small rural community that does not have its own independent parish.
- Roman Catholic (Roman Rite) mission church
- Diocese of Fresno, Merced/Mariposa Vicariate
- Mission of St. Columba Church, Chowchilla
History of the Mission
Diocesan records indicate St. George's in El Nido has been a recognized Catholic mission since at least 1967, the same year the Diocese of Fresno was established. It was first administered as a mission of Sacred Heart in Merced, then later from the Catholic Church of Merced (a combined parish of Our Lady of Mercy, Sacred Heart, and St. Patrick). In more recent decades the mission has been overseen by St. Columba Parish in Chowchilla, with priests assigned there also caring for St. George Mission and sharing the same parish phone number and office.
- Recognized as a mission of the Diocese of Fresno by 1967
- Originally a mission of Sacred Heart, Merced, and then Catholic Church of Merced
- Today administered from St. Columba Church, 213 Orange Avenue, Chowchilla, CA 93610
Patron Saint: Saint George
The mission is named for Saint George, a Roman soldier venerated as a Christian martyr in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. He is one of the most prominent military saints in the Church and is widely honored across Catholic and Orthodox traditions.
- Patron: Saint George
- Feast Day: April 23
Parish Office & Contact
Because St. George is a mission and not an independent parish, all administrative matters — registration, sacramental records, faith formation, and pastoral needs — are handled through the parish office of St. Columba Church in Chowchilla. The mission shares the same telephone line as the mother parish.
- Parish office: St. Columba Church, 213 Orange Avenue, Chowchilla, CA 93610
- Phone: (559) 665-3376
- Fax: (559) 665-6936
Clergy & Pastoral Care
St. George Mission is cared for by the pastor of St. Columba Parish in Chowchilla. A notable recent pastor was Rev. Angel (Angelo) Sotelo, a Diocese of Fresno priest who became pastor of St. Columba and its mission, St. George, and who was widely known for his orthodox preaching, his encyclopedic knowledge of diocesan history, and his lively presence on social media and his blog. Father Sotelo died on August 1, 2021, at age 56, after a long battle with cancer. Earlier assignment records show the mission was served from the late 1960s onward by priests assigned through the Merced-area parishes of the diocese.
- Recent pastor: Rev. Angel (Angelo) Sotelo (deceased August 1, 2021)
- Historical assignment: Rev. Joseph Pacheco (served St. George's El Nido 1967–1973 and 1977–1981)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Pacheco1967–1973, 1977–1981
Listed in diocesan assignment records as serving St. George's in El Nido, first as a mission of Sacred Heart in Merced (1967–1973) and then as a mission of the Catholic Church of Merced (1977–1981).
- Rev. Angel (Angelo) Soteloapproximately 2000s–2021
Pastor of St. Columba Parish, Chowchilla, which oversees St. George Mission. Died August 1, 2021, at age 56, after a battle with cancer. Ordained June 29, 1991, at St. John's Cathedral in Fresno.