On Dec. 7, 2025, Bishop Alberto Rojas celebrated the Dedication Mass for Mission San Juan Diego in North Shore, located on the edge of the Coachella Valley. Concelebrating the Mass and blessing of the Mission were Father Rocendo Herrera, S.T., and Father Francisco Gomez, S.T. Following the Eucharistic celebration was a patronal feast in honor of St. Juan Diego, including Purépecha dance, raffles, and Mexican food. Our Lady of Soledad Council #3847 Coachella Knights of Columbus were present to honor this moment and participate.
In honor of the dedication of Mission San Juan Diego, Deacon Luis Ayala, who serves at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mecca, and played an integral role in the construction of the Mission, provides a brief history below:
North Shore:
The story of Mission San Juan Diego was born from a deep pastoral need and the persevering faith of the Catholic community of North Shore. For a long time, this community was served under very precarious conditions, celebrating Holy Mass with +Father Francisco Valdovinos, S.T., in an improvised parking lot belonging to a grocery store. Yet, the faithful continued to attend with great devotion, enduring extreme temperatures—from the intense heat that reached up to 120 degrees to the severe cold during certain times of the year.
Despite the difficulties, the community never stopped gathering. This faith lived under the open sky became the spiritual foundation of what would later become Mission San Juan Diego.
The Beginning of a New Pastoral Stage:
In 2023, I began working toward the search for a dignified space where the community could gather and celebrate the sacraments. A first location was rented in the same area, where a small chapel was improvised. However, the growth in attendance was so remarkable that soon there were more people outside than inside. Faced with this reality, the decision was made to rent an adjacent space to expand the “little chapel,” thus allowing more faithful to participate.
This entire process was carried out in constant communication and communion with diocesan offices and pastors. The community was consistently present at Sunday celebrations, strengthening its identity and sense of belonging.
During this stage, Holy Mass was celebrated by Father Jesús Palomares, Father Eder Tufani, and Fr. Herrera, while the Guadalupana Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit (MGSpS) faithfully continued their pastoral work in North Shore, spiritually and communally accompanying the faithful.
A Responsible and Growing Community:
God’s action became visible through the community’s generous response. For many years, the faithful had longed for a chapel of their own, especially due to the distance from the main Sanctuary [in Mecca] and the transportation challenges faced by many elderly parishioners who do not drive.
Moved by this desire, community members began organizing food sales to raise funds, while spiritually strengthening their faith through praying the Holy Rosary in different homes. This holistic commitment—both material and spiritual—allowed the community to continue growing.
The constant increase in attendance made it necessary to set up tents at the building’s entrance to protect people from the sun, highlighting once again the urgent need for a proper and adequate space.
This growth inspired the vision of acquiring land and, in the future, building a church. In fact, four lots were purchased on the same property where the initial chapel had been improvised, marking a decisive step toward the consolidation of the mission.
A New Impulse from the Holy Spirit:
Moreover, the Spirit of God inspired the shepherd of the Diocese, Bishop Alberto Rojas, to open the opportunity to acquire a chapel that belonged to another Christian denomination that had been up for sale and did not have an active community for many years.
Thanks to the financial support of the diocese, the Catholic Extension Society, and with the community’s determined commitment to “get to work,” the purchase of that chapel was made possible. I, having experience in construction projects, took charge of the remodeling process, always working in communion with the corresponding diocesan offices.
As part of this new beginning, Bishop Rojas asked the MGSpS Sisters to move to the property where the former pastoral house was located. In June 2023, the Sisters settled in North Shore, further strengthening the pastoral and missionary presence in the area.
We give thanks to God and to all the people, men and women, who generously shared their time and their gifts as an invaluable resource in all matters related to the reconstruction work in this first stage. May everything be for the greater glory of God.
Deacon Luis Ayala is assigned to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mecca.