About St. Therese /Santa Teresita · Shafter, California
St. Therese Catholic Church (Parroquia de Santa Teresita) is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish serving the city of Shafter in California's Central Valley, about seven miles west of Highway 99 and thirteen miles east of Interstate 5. Established in 1952 and belonging to the Diocese of Fresno, the parish serves roughly 400 registered families and is led by Rev. Jose Luis Rico. The parish operates almost entirely in Spanish, with one weekly Mass celebrated in English, reflecting the predominantly Latino Catholic community of the Shafter area.
- Established
- 1952
- Patron
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux (the Little Flower)
- Rector
- Rev. Jose Luis Rico
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
St. Therese is a tight-knit bilingual parish where Spanish-speaking and English-speaking families worship side by side, with a busy weekly Mass schedule (six Masses on Sunday alone) that makes daily Eucharist accessible to working farm and service families. The parish is small enough that newcomers are quickly known by name, yet rooted enough — through seven decades of continuous ministry since 1952 — to offer the stability of a long-established Catholic community in the Diocese of Fresno. Whether you're drawn by the 10:00 AM Sunday Mass livestreamed on Facebook Live, the bilingual sacramental preparation, or simply the warmth of a parish that has already produced its first home-grown priest, St. Therese welcomes you.
Mass times at St. Therese /Santa Teresita
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM
About St. Therese Catholic Church
St. Therese Catholic Church (Parroquia de Santa Teresita) is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Fresno, established in 1952 to serve the Catholic faithful of Shafter and the surrounding rural communities of northwestern Kern County. The parish is named after St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Carmelite nun popularly known as "the Little Flower." Today it ministers to approximately 400 registered families, almost entirely through the Spanish liturgy with a weekly English Mass for the broader community.
- Established: 1952
- Registered families: 400
- Patron: St. Thérèse of Lisieux
- Diocese: Fresno
- Vicariate: Kern Rural Vicariate
Parish Staff
The parish is led by its pastor and supported by a bilingual office staff that handles both English and Spanish parish business.
- Pastor: Rev. Jose Luis Rico
- Parish Secretary / Secretaria: Jessica Chacon
- Office Assistant / Asistente: Rosa Villanueva
Office Hours / Horario de Oficina
The parish office is open weekdays to assist with sacramental scheduling, registrations, and general inquiries, with a daily lunch break.
- Monday – Friday / Lunes – Viernes: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Closed for lunch / Cerrado: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Parish History & Heritage
St. Therese has served the Catholic community of Shafter continuously since 1952, when it was established to minister to the growing farm-working population of this Central Valley town. Over the decades it has become a focal point of Spanish-language Catholic life in northwestern Kern County and a member parish of the Diocese of Fresno's Kern Rural Vicariate. In 2016 the parish was named a Jubilee Church during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, joining Catholic churches worldwide that opened their doors to special indulgences and mercy-centered devotions. The most recent milestone came on July 13, 2024, when Father Jose Padron — a son of the parish — was ordained a priest at St. Charles Borromeo in Fresno. He is believed to be the first priest to come from St. Therese Shafter, and the celebration was attended by more than 100 parishioners who traveled to support him. Father Padron now serves at St. Anthony's Church in Fresno.
- 1952 — Parish established
- 2016 — Designated a Jubilee Church for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy
- July 13, 2024 — Father Jose Padron ordained; first priest from the parish
Bilingual Parish (Spanish & English)
St. Therese operates as a bilingual Catholic community. All Masses except the 8:30 AM Sunday Mass are celebrated in Spanish, and the parish website, bulletin boards, and office staff serve both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking parishioners. The 10:00 AM Sunday Mass in Spanish is broadcast on Facebook Live, extending the parish's reach beyond its physical location.
- Spanish: most weekday Masses and most Sunday Masses
- English: Sunday 8:30 AM Mass
- Live streaming: Sunday 10:00 AM Mass on Facebook Live
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Therese by phone, email, fax, or in person at the parish office on Lerdo Highway. The parish is conveniently located in Shafter, just minutes from the major north–south highways of the southern San Joaquin Valley.
- Address: 300 W. Lerdo Highway, Shafter, CA 93263
- Phone: 1-661-746-4471
- Fax: 1-661-746-0945
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.saintthereseshafter.com/
- Facebook: linked from the parish website