About St. Rita Mission (Yokuts Valley) · Squaw Valley, California
St. Rita Mission (also known as St. Rita Catholic Indian Mission) is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the rural community of Squaw Valley, in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada, within the Diocese of Fresno. Originally founded in 1933 to serve local Native American families, it today ministers to the residents of the Squaw Valley and mountain community as well as visitors vacationing in nearby Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The mission is staffed as a satellite of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in nearby Orange Cove, sharing its pastor and administration.
- Established
- 1933
- Patron
- St. Rita of Cascia
- Rector
- Rev. David Enriquez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
St. Rita Mission is a small, close-knit Catholic community rooted in 90 years of service to the Yokuts Valley, originally founded to minister to local Native American families and still welcoming them today. As a mission of St. Isidore the Farmer in Orange Cove, it offers English-language weekday and Sunday Mass in a peaceful mountain setting, with a pastor who is glad to accommodate travelers to nearby Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. For Catholics living in or visiting Squaw Valley, it is a quiet, faithful home and a tangible link to the early Catholic Indian missions of the San Joaquin foothills.
Mass times at St. Rita Mission (Yokuts Valley)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: after 4:00 p.m. Mass
About St. Rita Mission
St. Rita Catholic Indian Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the rural mountain community of Squaw Valley, California. It belongs to the Diocese of Fresno and is administered from St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in Orange Cove. The mission's mission statement is to nurture a diverse and welcoming local community, to follow wherever God is leading, and to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the Squaw Valley area and the world.
History
St. Rita Indian Mission was established in 1933 by the (then) Diocese of Monterey-Fresno with the original purpose of ministering to the local Native American people of the Yokuts Valley. From 1933 to 1967 the mission was attended by Monterey-Fresno diocesan priests based at St. Mary's; after the Diocese of Fresno became a separate diocese in 1967, pastoral care passed to St. Isidore the Farmer in Orange Cove, with Fresno diocesan priests continuing to supply through 1980. Today the mission still carries its original name and identity as a Catholic Indian mission while serving the broader Squaw Valley and mountain community.
- Founded 1933 by the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno as an Indian mission.
- Originally served Yokuts Valley Native American Catholics.
- 1967: transferred to the newly created Diocese of Fresno and placed under St. Isidore the Farmer, Orange Cove.
- Sacramental records 1933–1980 preserved at the Diocese of Fresno Archives.
Patron Saint
The mission is named for St. Rita of Cascia (1381–1457), an Italian widow and Augustinian nun widely invoked as the patron saint of impossible causes, difficult marriages, and parenthood. Her feast day is celebrated on May 22.
Leadership & Staff
St. Rita Mission is administered by the pastor of the parent parish, St. Isidore the Farmer in Orange Cove. The current administrator is Rev. David Enriquez, who oversees both the Orange Cove parish and the Squaw Valley mission. Parishioners reach the mission through the shared parish phone line.
- Administrator: Rev. David Enriquez
- Parent parish: St. Isidore the Farmer, 480 Adams Ave., Orange Cove, CA 93646
- Shared phone: (559) 626-4943
Sacraments
The mission publishes its regular opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Other sacramental arrangements (baptisms, marriages, anointing of the sick, First Communion, confirmation) are coordinated through the parent parish office at St. Isidore the Farmer in Orange Cove.
- Sacrament of Reconciliation: Thursday, after the 4:00 p.m. Mass.
- Other sacraments: handled through the St. Isidore the Farmer parish office.
Visiting Squaw Valley & the National Parks
Because the mission sits in the Sierra foothills near Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park, it explicitly welcomes vacationing families. The parish encourages visitors to attend Mass during their stay and to call ahead if the published schedule does not fit their travel plans.
- Welcomes families vacationing in Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park.
- Phone for schedule questions: (559) 626-4943.
Contact & Location
The mission's physical address is in the unincorporated community of Squaw Valley, just east of Orange Cove in eastern Fresno County. Mail and phone calls are handled through St. Isidore the Farmer parish offices in Orange Cove.
- Address: 30673 George Smith Road, Squaw Valley, CA 93675
- Mailing: c/o St. Isidore the Farmer, 480 Adams Ave., Orange Cove, CA 93646
- Phone: (559) 626-4943
- Fax: (559) 626-4648
- Website: stisidoreoc.wordpress.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/stisidoreoc