About St. Vincent de Paul Mission · Richgrove, California
St. Vincent de Paul Mission is a Roman Catholic mission parish located in Richgrove, California, serving the predominantly Spanish-speaking farmworker community of this small unincorporated community in the southern San Joaquin Valley. It operates under the Diocese of Fresno as a mission of St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Delano, sharing pastoral leadership with that parish. The mission is dedicated to St. Vincent de Paul, the 16th-17th century French priest and patron of charitable works, and provides Spanish-language Mass and pastoral care for the local Catholic faithful.
- Patron
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Rector
- Rev. Enrique (Rick) Fierros
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
This mission provides Spanish-speaking Catholics in rural Richgrove — a small agricultural community in the southern San Joaquin Valley — with a local place to worship, receive the sacraments, and gather as a faith community without having to travel to Delano. As a Catholic mission dedicated to the patron saint of charity, it carries on the spirit of service to the poor that St. Vincent de Paul is known for, while being closely tied to St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Parish for sacramental and pastoral support. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a bilingual, working-class community rooted in devotion to Our Lady and works of mercy.
Overview of St. Vincent de Paul Mission
St. Vincent de Paul Mission is a Catholic mission church that serves the small, unincorporated community of Richgrove, California, located in the agricultural heart of the southern San Joaquin Valley. The mission belongs to the Diocese of Fresno and is administered as a mission — that is, a dependent worship site — of St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Parish in nearby Delano. Mass and sacraments are celebrated primarily in Spanish to serve the local farmworker population. The mission is identified publicly on the Diocese of Fresno's parish finder and on Catholic directory sites such as GCatholic and joinmychurch.com, and its administrative contact information routes through the Delano parish office.
- Diocese: Diocese of Fresno
- Parent parish (mission of): St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal, Delano
- Type: Mission church
- Primary Mass language: Spanish
- Service area: Richgrove, Tulare County, California
Parish Identity and Patron
The mission takes its name from St. Vincent de Paul (1581–1660), the French priest whose lifelong service to the poor led to his being declared the patron saint of charity and whose religious congregations continue works of mercy worldwide. His feast day in the Roman calendar is September 27. Parishes and conferences named for St. Vincent de Paul are typically associated with charity, the poor, and immigrant communities — a fitting patron for a mission serving a working-class agricultural town in the San Joaquin Valley.
- Patron: St. Vincent de Paul (1581–1660)
- Feast day: September 27
- Title: Confessor; Doctor of Charity; Patron of Charitable Societies
Pastoral Leadership
Because the mission is not an independent parish, it shares its pastor with the parent parish of St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal in Delano. According to public Catholic directory listings, the current pastor is Rev. Enrique (Rick) Fierros. A unified pastoral team serves both worship sites and coordinates sacramental ministry between Delano and Richgrove.
- Pastor: Rev. Enrique (Rick) Fierros
- Parish office / shared phone: (661) 725-8456
- Parish office / shared fax: (661) 725-8485
Liturgy and Sacraments
The mission celebrates the Sacred Liturgy principally in Spanish to serve the predominantly Hispanic Catholic faithful of Richgrove. Specific Mass and confession times were not publicly published on the listing sources reviewed; current schedules are available by calling the parish office at (661) 725-8456 or via the social media pages of the parent parish. Sacraments such as baptisms, weddings, and first Communions for mission families are typically coordinated through St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal in Delano.
- Mass celebrated primarily in Spanish
- Sacramental preparation coordinated through parent parish in Delano
- Contact for current schedule: (661) 725-8456
Location and Community Context
Richgrove is a small unincorporated community in Tulare County, situated in the southern San Joaquin Valley between Delano and Porterville. The community sits in one of California's most productive agricultural regions — known for citrus, table grapes, and dairy — and a large share of its residents are farmworkers and their families. St. Vincent de Paul Mission exists to bring the Sacramental life of the Catholic Church directly into this rural community, so that local Catholics do not have to drive to Delano or Porterville to attend Mass.
- ZIP code: 93261
- County: Tulare
- Region: Southern San Joaquin Valley
- Nearby Catholic parishes: St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal (Delano), parishes in Porterville
Related Official and Directory Pages
St. Vincent de Paul Mission does not maintain its own standalone parish website. It is listed in the Diocese of Fresno's Parish Finder, in the Catholic directory GCatholic, and on joinmychurch.com, and pastoral communications are shared via the Facebook page of the parent parish, St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal in Delano (facebook.com/stmarydelano).
- Diocese Parish Finder: dioceseoffresno.org/parishfinder
- GCatholic listing: gcatholic.org/churches/usa-11/21528
- Join My Church listing: joinmychurch.com/churches/St-Vincent-de-Paul-Mission-Richgrove-California-United-States/76191
- Facebook (parent parish): facebook.com/stmarydelano
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Enrique (Rick) Fierros
Current pastor; he also serves as pastor of the parent parish, St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal in Delano.