About St. Vincent de Paul Mission · San Joaquin, California
St. Vincent de Paul Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the rural community of San Joaquin, California, in the Diocese of Fresno. It operates as a mission of St. Paul Catholic Church in nearby Tranquillity, and shares its pastors, schedule, and sacramental records with that parish. The mission serves a predominantly Spanish-speaking community, with all of its scheduled Masses celebrated in Spanish, and is one of three faith communities (alongside St. Paul and St. Patrick in Kerman) tended by the same clergy team.
- Established
- 1953
- Patron
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Rector
- Fr. Marcelinus Ekenedo SMMM (Administrator, serving St. Paul of Tranquillity, St. Vincent de Paul of San Joaquin, and St. Patrick of Kerman)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fresno
Why belong here
St. Vincent de Paul Mission is a tight-knit, bilingual Catholic community rooted in the farming town of San Joaquin, where worship has been celebrated continuously since 1953. Every Mass is offered in Spanish, making it a spiritual home for the area's Hispanic Catholic families. As a mission of St. Paul Church in Tranquillity, it is shepherded by a stable team of priests (currently Fr. Marcelinus Ekenedo SMMM and two parochial vicars, all from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity — SMMM) and shares in the sacramental and pastoral life of the wider cluster of parishes.
Mass times at St. Vincent de Paul Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM (at St. Vincent)
About St. Vincent de Paul Mission
St. Vincent de Paul Mission is a Spanish-language Catholic mission in San Joaquin, California, served by the Diocese of Fresno. It functions as a mission of St. Paul Catholic Church in nearby Tranquillity, sharing the same pastors and pastoral staff. The mission serves the farming community of San Joaquin with three regular weekly Masses — all in Spanish — and a Thursday evening confession schedule.
- Mission of St. Paul Catholic Church, Tranquillity
- Diocese of Fresno
- All Masses celebrated in Spanish
- Clustered with St. Paul (Tranquillity) and St. Patrick (Kerman)
History of St. Vincent de Paul
The mission began in 1953 when Fr. O'Hara accepted a donated building — the former Kearney Grammar School — from the Enrico Bellando family and named it after Mrs. Vincenzia Bellando. Volunteers from Tranquillity and San Joaquin converted the school into a church, with pews donated by St. Ann's in Riverdale (still in use today). Over the following decades successive pastors built out the parish: Fr. Kelly added a catechism building from a former Lemoore Air Base military structure; Fr. Barnes widened the entrance and built the altar and statue bases with seminarians Ray Dreiling and Stephen Bulfer; Fr. Cariglia installed the stained glass windows bearing the Chi-Rho symbol, each donated by a parish family. A remodeling took place again in 1999.
- 1953: Fr. O'Hara accepts the former Kearney Grammar School from the Bellando family
- Side pews donated by St. Ann's in Riverdale — still in use
- 1956: Bellando family donates outdoor statue in honor of father Enrico
- Fr. Kelly era: catechism building added (former Lemoore Air Base structure); Tony Carvalho donates a dairy heifer raffle prize
- Fr. Barnes: widened steps and entry; built altar and statue bases with seminarians Ray Dreiling and Stephen Bulfer
- Fr. Cariglia: added stained glass windows with Chi-Rho symbols; 'Marion windows' behind the altar
- Mrs. Marie Mott: hand-made the light fixtures at her home
- 1999: Remodeling
Clergy & Pastoral Team
St. Vincent de Paul is pastored as part of a three-parish cluster (St. Paul of Tranquillity, St. Vincent of San Joaquin, and St. Patrick of Kerman) by a team of priests from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SMMM). The office is reached through the single parish phone line at (559) 698-7429.
- Fr. Marcelinus Ekenedo SMMM — Administrator
- Fr. John Agwu SMMM — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Bartholomew Ifionu SMMM — Parochial Vicar
Sacraments & Parish Programs
Updated 2026 fees and policies for Baptism, Matrimony, Quinceañera, and Mass Intentions are published on the parish website. The mission also supports a Spanish-language Jail Ministry coordinated through the parish office.
- Baptism — updated 2026
- Matrimony (Marriage) — updated 2026
- Quinceañera — updated 2026
- Mass Intentions — updated 2026 offerings
- Jail Ministry (Spanish) — Frank Montalvo, (559) 698-7429
- Catechism / Religious Education
Visiting & Contact
St. Vincent de Paul Mission is located at the corner of California Avenue and South 6th Street in San Joaquin, California. Phone calls and inquiries are handled through the central parish office.
- Address: Corner of California Ave. & S. 6th St., San Joaquin, CA 93660
- Mailing: P.O. Box 57, San Joaquin, CA 93660
- Phone: (559) 698-7429
- Fax: (559) 698-1059
- Website: http://www.stpaultranquillity.com/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. O'Hara1953 (founding)
Accepted the donated former Kearney Grammar School building and named it after Mrs. Vincenzia Bellando.
- Fr. Kelly
During his tenure the catechism building was constructed from a former military structure from Lemoore Air Base.
- Fr. Barnes
Widened both steps and the entry of the church; together with seminarians Ray Dreiling and Stephen Bulfer constructed the altar and the wooden bases for the statues that still remain.
- Fr. Cariglia
Added the stained glass windows with Chi-Rho symbols; families donated the cost of each window.