About St. Mary Mission · Stevinson, California
St. Mary Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Stevinson in the northern San Joaquin Valley of California. It operates as a dependent mission of the Church of the Holy Rosary in nearby Hilmar, and the two communities share a single pastor, parish staff, faith-formation program, and website (hilmarholyrosary.org). Established in 1918, the mission is part of the Diocese of Fresno and today offers Sunday Mass in both English and Spanish, making it a spiritual home for the area's Anglo and Latino Catholic families. Worship at St. Mary's is celebrated together with the Portuguese-heritage Catholic community of Holy Rosary, giving the wider parish family a notably multilingual and multicultural character.
- Established
- 1918
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of the Holy Rosary, shared with the parent parish)
- Rector
- Rev. Isaque Meneses
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
St. Mary Mission gives Catholic families in the Stevinson area a small, welcoming worship community of their own rather than requiring them to drive into Turlock or Merced. The mission offers a bilingual Sunday worship experience (English and Spanish Masses on Saturday evening) and is cared for by an active pastor who also visits the sick and homebound. Because it shares its ministries and staff with the larger Holy Rosary parish in Hilmar, members have access to a full program of religious education (CCD/Confirmation), RCIA, marriage preparation, Portuguese Bible Study, Eucharistic Adoration, and parish-wide fellowship — the warmth of a mission chapel with the resources of a parish behind it.
Mass times at St. Mary Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm in the new church (Holy Rosary, Hilmar)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Every Friday after the 8:00 am morning Mass until 5:00 pm in the Mission Church
About St. Mary Mission
St. Mary Mission (Church of St. Mary) is a small Catholic mission chapel in Stevinson, Merced County, California, established in 1918. It is a dependent mission of the Church of the Holy Rosary in Hilmar, and the two communities are ministered together as one parish family. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Fresno and welcomes worshippers in English and Spanish, with a wider Portuguese-language heritage reflected at the parent church in Hilmar. The mission's shared mission statement reads: "Under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we the beloved family of God at Holy Rosary/St. Marys are dedicated to living the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the strength of our worship, teaching and service we strive to be loving and supportive people reaching out with compassion and understanding to those in and beyond our parish family so that we come to be known as Christians by our faith and love."
History
Catholic worship in Stevinson dates to 1918, when Mass was first offered to the railroad and farming families of this San Joaquin Valley community. As the area's Portuguese and Spanish-speaking populations grew alongside the dairy farms, the mission was formally attached to the newly-created parish of the Holy Rosary in Hilmar (whose own founding is recorded by GCatholic as 1948). When the new Holy Rosary church in Hilmar was dedicated on December 8, 2015, the parish reorganized its life around two worship sites — Holy Rosary Church and St. Mary's Mission — sharing a single pastor and staff. St. Mary's has continued ever since as a bilingual English/Spanish mission chapel serving the rural Stevinson area.
- 1918 — Catholic worship begins at Stevinson (founding year per GCatholic).
- 1948 — Holy Rosary parish founded in nearby Hilmar.
- December 8, 2015 — New Holy Rosary church dedicated; parish ministry reorganized around the Hilmar and Stevinson sites.
- Today — St. Mary's continues as a dependent mission of Holy Rosary.
Parish Staff & Clergy
The mission and its parent parish are served by a small, dedicated staff who work across both worship sites. The pastor, Fr. Isaque Meneses, was born in the Azores, Portugal, and raised from age eight in Tulare, California. He was educated at St. John Seminary in Camarillo and ordained to the priesthood in 2010 by Bishop John T. Steinback. Anna Cabral, hired in 1994 by Msgr. Walter Minhoto, has served as the parish's administrative assistant for over twenty years and is bilingual in Portuguese. Annie Leandro, hired by Fr. Isaque, is the Director of Religious Education; she is bilingual in Portuguese and lives in Turlock with her husband Frank and their two children.
- Rev. Isaque Meneses — Pastor (ordained 2010, Diocese of Fresno)
- Anna Cabral — Administrative Assistant (parish office, extension 0)
- Annie Leandro — Director of Religious Education ([email protected], 209-632-7163)
Liturgical Schedule
Mass at St. Mary Mission in Stevinson is celebrated as part of the shared Holy Rosary / St. Mary's parish schedule. Weekend worship is offered on Saturday evening at the mission in both English and Spanish, while Sunday Masses and the Portuguese-language Mass are celebrated at the Holy Rosary church in Hilmar.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm Mass (English) @ St. Mary's, Stevinson
- Saturday Vigil: 6:30 pm Mass (Spanish) @ St. Mary's, Stevinson
- Sunday: 7:00 am Mass (English) @ Holy Rosary, Hilmar
- Sunday: 8:30 am Mass (Portuguese, Livestream) @ Holy Rosary, Hilmar
- Sunday: 10:00 am Mass (English, Livestream) @ Holy Rosary, Hilmar
- Tuesday – Saturday: 8:00 am Daily Mass in the Mission Church
- Holy Days: as announced
Sacramental Schedule
The sacrament of Reconciliation is regularly available on Friday afternoons in the new church at Holy Rosary, Hilmar, and can also be arranged by appointment. Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Friday at the Mission Church following the 8:00 am morning Mass and continues until 5:00 pm.
- Confessions: Friday 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm in the new church, or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration: Every Friday after 8:00 am Mass until 5:00 pm in the Mission Church
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish runs a single religious-education program that serves both Holy Rosary and St. Mary's families. Directed by Annie Leandro, the CCD program offers Sacramental Preparation (for Baptism and First Communion), Confirmation preparation, and ongoing faith formation for parish children. Classes are held on Sundays at Holy Rosary and on Thursdays at St. Mary's in Stevinson, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. The parish also subscribes to FORMED, a Catholic media library of movies, eBooks, audio, and parish programs that all registered parishioners can access for free.
- Sacramental Prep — Thursdays at St. Mary's, 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm
- Sunday CCD sessions @ 8:40 am, Holy Rosary parish
- Confirmation — 2nd Year program
- Vacation Bible School (e.g., Rainforest Falls VBS)
- FORMED parish subscription — free for parishioners
Adult Faith & Sacramental Preparation
Adults seeking full initiation into the Catholic Church are welcomed through the Order of Candidates & Catechumens of Adults, a one-year RCIA process of prayer, study, discussion and the Rites within Mass. Engaged couples preparing for marriage meet with a mentor couple for five sessions, and the parish offers funeral ministry to support families who have lost a loved one. A weekly Portuguese Bible Study meets on Thursdays at 6:30 pm in the Chapel of the New Church at Holy Rosary.
- Order of Candidates & Catechumens of Adults (RCIA) — 1-year program
- Marriage Prep Program — five mentor-couple sessions
- Funeral Ministry — parish assistance with funeral services and gatherings
- Portuguese Bible Study — Thursdays, 6:30 pm, Chapel of the New Church
Pastoral Care & Outreach
Fr. Isaque has re-initiated the parish's ministry to the sick and homebound, visiting on Fridays after morning Mass. Eucharistic Ministers assist by bringing Communion to those unable to attend Mass, and any existing Eucharistic Minister who wishes to help is invited to contact the parish office. The parish also points parishioners to Relevant Radio (840 AM) and the FORMED digital platform as resources for ongoing Catholic formation.
- Visiting of the Sick / Homebound — Fridays after morning Mass
- Eucharistic Ministers to the homebound
- Relevant Radio (840 AM) — recommended Catholic radio resource
Contact & Location
St. Mary Mission sits on Railroad Avenue in Stevinson, Merced County, and shares its parish office, staff, and contact details with the parent parish of the Holy Rosary in Hilmar. The mailing address for the mission is P.O. Box 429, Stevinson, CA 95374, while the parish phone line and email below route through the Holy Rosary parish office.
- Address: 2809 Railroad Ave., Stevinson, CA 95374
- Mailing: P.O. Box 429, Stevinson, CA 95374
- Phone: (209) 667-8961
- Fax: (209) 667-5239
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://hilmarholyrosary.org/
- Diocese: Diocese of Fresno