370 Linden Ave., Gustine, CA 95322-1400
History of Our Parish
History of the Catholic Church in Gustine - 100 Years
A Mission Becomes a Parish
The Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles church began as a mission of St. Joaquim’s church in Newman in 1912. It was to serve the fast growing Catholic population of the west side of Merced County, going as far south as the community of Ingomar. Before that time the Catholic people in the area had to travel by horse and buggy to Newman, the site of the nearest Catholic Church. It was a long cold ride in winter and a hot and dusty ride in summer.
After Gustine began in 1907, land was purchased on Seventh Street from Miller & Lux for $10 in gold coin, by the Archdiocese of San Francisco to which Gustine then belonged. The site was presented for purchase by Henry Miller, who, although not a Catholic, realized the need for and importance of a Catholic church in Gustine. It was to be named Church of the Holy Ghost.
In Newman, Father John Leal served as pastor of both churches and directed the planning and building of the new Gustine church. He even lived in the church sacristy until the rectory was built. The church was built mission style and finished in cement on wire lath. The window over the main altar was a beautiful work of art showing the emblem of the Holy Ghost signifying the name of the church. That stained glass can still be seen today in the choir section of the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles church. The choir loft was situated just inside the entrance to the church and stained glass windows were situated along the walls, purchased by families of the congregation. The bell tower at 70 feet looked out over the growing community of Gustine. This all occurred the same year that electricity came to Gustine, and the population was about 400.
The Holy Ghost church was dedicated on the first Sunday of Advent in 1912, by His Grace, the most Rev. P. W. Riordan, Archbishop of San Francisco who presented an impressive sermon on “The Need & Importance of the Church to the Community.” The celebrant of the mass was Father Leal, pastor and founder. He was assisted by Rev. Joseph Galli, deacon and the Rev. Denis Bailey, sub deacon. Rev. Thomas Moran served as master of ceremony. Following the dedicatory services, Archbishop Riordan confirmed a large class of adults and children from various districts of the parish. At the conclusion of the service at the church, the clergy and friends were served with a splendid dinner at the Gustine Hotel by manager Jack Banchio.
Father Leal was recognized for his zeal and unswaying effort to establish a church in Gustine and remained to serve both churches for the next seven years where he continued to perform marriages, baptisms, funerals and other rites for the Newman and Gustine Catholic communities. During his time in Gustine he saw the formation of the Gustine Pentecost Society in 1913. He was replaced in Newman in 1919 by three priests from Mexico: Rev. Dominic Saldivar, Rev. Eugen Sugranes and Rev. Eulogio Arana and in Gustine by Rev. Joannes Maiztequi 1919-1924, who served the Church of the Holy Ghost from 1919 to 1924. In 1924 the parish was placed under the Monterey Fresno Diocese from the Archdiocese of San Francisco. With Rev. J. J. Thummel 1924-1925 as the resident pastor in Gustine, the mission officially became a parish.
The Holy Ghost Church
During the 1920s and 1930s, Gustine and the Holy Ghost Church grew in population. Rev. Joseph G. Franco 1925-1929 is credited with making substantial improvements in the church building. Sadly, the rectory where he resided was destroyed by fire in 1929 but rebuilt in 1930 by Rev. Herman Hammerstein 1929-1930. It still stands today on Seventh Street as a private residence. Father Hammerstein also brought with him a niece, Margaret Diehl Bunker to serve as his housekeeper, and two enormous police dogs, which was a new experience for parishioners. The dogs required special fencing. In 1930, during Father Hammerstein’s time in Gustine, The Legion of Mary was formed and the Catholic Daughters Court St. Theresa was organized with 53 charter members.
Rev. Bernard Habraken served from 1932-1933. After only a year he was followed by Rev. Thomas J. O’Brien from 1933-1935 who helped the Our Lady of Miracles Society to form in 1936. It was not until the arrival of Rev. E. H. Huebbers 1935-1945 that real stability and growth was shown in the church. It was also during World War ll and Father Huebbers had a strong Germanic accent. Uneasy that a German served as their pastor, few people knew that Father was born in Holland, ordained in Switzerland and strongly supported his new country, America. During the war years “God Bless America” was sung at the end of each mass.
In 1935 missionary catechists began work in the Holy Ghost parish. Children were excused from public school once a week to attend catechism lessons. It was the first time most of us had interaction with female religious. The Italian Catholic Federation was organized in 1936 with 19 charter members as was the Our Lady of Miracles Society under the guidance of John T. Mattos.
The Silver Jubilee of the Holy Ghost Church was celebrated in 1937. In 1938 extensive improvements were made in the church building costing $1,500, including a new heating unit. In addition, in 1939 the Legion of Mary was organized. 1940 saw a Junior Newman Club formed and the Altar Society began. In 1941 a building was purchased and hauled in from a site south west of the Gustine airport and was completely renovated by volunteers to be used as a social hall for the growing church. In 1942 the parish grounds were extensively improved and beautified.
Much growth occurred in the church during 1933 to 1943. Vital statistics showed that in those ten years, there were 367 baptisms, 150 marriages, 367 people were confirmed, there were 17 converts and 108 funerals were held. By the 1940s, over half the community of Gustine could claim to be Portuguese and Catholic.
In 1945, when Father Huebbers left for a new assignment in Salinas, all the parish organizations joined together to give him a huge farewell party. Rev. Joseph Losada 1945-1947 served for just two years. Two other priests covered for him when he took a trip back to Spain.
Born in Ireland, Rev. John B. Forde 1947-1978 came to minister in Gustine and stayed for the next 31 years. Father Forde was a man of vision, with an ability to organize and encourage volunteer work. Finding the church in debt, he immediately began plans to remedy the situation. Church organizations were encouraged to give of their time, not just money. Many improvement were made to the inside of the church building.
In 1950 plans were made to build a Catholic School on Linden Avenue on land donated by Mr. & Mrs. A. P. Medeiros. Ground was broken in 1951 and the new Our Lady of Miracles School opened on September 3, 1951. It included four classrooms, an administrative building and the convent for the sisters. It was staffed by Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, of Monroe, Michigan. The sisters were Mother Michaeleen, Sister Joella, Sister Marie Carol and Sister Mary Bede. Later, four more class rooms were added. The beautiful new Our Lady of Miracles School flourished for seventeen years. Unfortunately, along with many other parochial schools in the United States, the school was forced to close in 1968.
Meanwhile in 1965, plans were made for a new church for the Holy Ghost parishioners. It was to be located on Linden Avenue also, near the school. The total cost was to be $207,000. Ten teams were organized to contact the more than 700 parishioners of the Holy Ghost Church. The drive to raise the $207,000 for the new church commenced. Fund raising began, with the parish bazaar being the most popular activity. After the church building was up, the first service was held on Palm Sunday, April 3, 1965. It took several years more, but families and church organizations donated pews, stained glass windows, an organ, the altar, a communion rail and landscaping and chimes. It was completed in 1968.
Father Forde, born in his beloved Ireland, having come to Gustine as a young priest, lived the rest of his life in Gustine. In 1956, Pope Pius Xll promoted him, to the rank of Papal Chamberlain, a position which demanded the title “Very Reverend Monsignor” and in 1977 he also received a Prelate of Honor from Rome. Monsignor died May 28, 1978 and is buried at Hills Ferry Cemetery. He honored the community of Gustine by demanding to be laid to rest among his flock, which is not a clerical policy. A measure of the esteem of the community of Gustine for Monsignor Forde was the City Council request that all businesses in the community of Gustine close for 2 hours in memory of Monsignor Forde, on the day the Requiem Mass was celebrated for him.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles Church
Rev. John A. Harguindeguy 1978-1981 came to Gustine following the death of Monsignor Forde and became known affectionately as Father John. Many changes and improvements were made in the parish under Father John’s guidance. He decided not to live in the rectory but would remodel the convent formerly occupied by the sisters who taught at the school. All pitched in to help remodel, paint, clean and prepare the convent for a home and offices. Father John’s motto was, “Me casa es su casa.”
It was during Father John’s stay that many jobs for the parish were completed by church volunteers. The OLM School opened again, being the only closed Catholic school to ever reopen. It was renamed OLM Education Center with Father John, Annette Dedini and Karen Martini working for state and diocesan approval. The fact that the school is today entirely staffed by lay persons is accepted as part of the reality of Catholic education and the increasing shortage of priests and nuns. The old Holy Ghost church was carpeted and used as a meeting place for parish organizations and other community organizations. The original altar and the Holy Spirit stained glass that was behind that altar were placed in the choir section of the new church. The two original lighting fixtures, pictured as angels, can still be seen today on the wall behind the present altar.
The Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) began with John Aguirre as youth minister. Cef Jamero was appointed parish choir director. The parish sponsored the Thavey family, a refugee family from Thailand and the CYO group became involved in the Los Amigos Orphanage in Tecate, Mexico.
The church parking lot was expanded and lights installed. A patio was made between father’s house and the school. A large tapestry was ordered from Belgium and installed behind the altar in the church as a memorial to Monsignor Forde and paid for through donations. Father John was a beloved pastor. He left hoping that love would continue to grow between the brothers and sisters of the parish.
Mary Aguirre was hired in 1979 and served for over 20 years as Lay Parish Administrator. She handled all the business aspects of running the church on a daily basis.
Rev. Monsignor Joseph Pacheco 1981-1992 came to Gustine after serving as a priest at various valley parishes. During his service here, the name of the church was changed to Our Lady of Miracles. This was a natural progression for most parishioners due to the fact that the OLM Celebration had been held here since 1936. The Altar Society was chartered in January 1981, with 80 members, for the purpose of taking care of the linens, vestments, etc. of the church and to prepare the altar for each liturgical season. Father Pacheco was especially devoted to the OLM School. New classrooms were added and he often did the repair work at the school himself. He was an excellent teacher and taught catechism to the eighth graders at the OLM school.
In May of 1987, Daniel Avila was ordained in Fresno. He was the first resident from our Gustine parish to be ordained a priest. Today he is with the Fresno Diocese as Vocation Director and continues to be a “favorite son” of the Gustine community.
Rev. Myron Cotta 1992-1999 was the grandson of immigrants from the Azores Islands and a native of Dos Palos, and being Portuguese a natural fit for the parish. Parish Center 1 was acquired in 1993 and 1999 was the year that parish Center 2 was purchased. Under the guidance of Father Cotta, the Knights of Columbus established a local council on October 23, 1995. The old Holy Ghost Church was taken down and in 1998 a monument to preserve the bell from the church was erected between Parish Center 2 and the OLM church. He encouraged young people to come to church. He also wanted married people to join the “Teams of Our Lady” and he always attended their meetings. He also led a “Grief Counseling” group. Father Cotta served our church well. He tried hard to educate his congregation. He was very good at explaining the mass, church rules and regulations and the bible to us in his sermons. Upon leaving Gustine, Father Cotta was installed as Vicar General for the Fresno Diocese. in 2014 he was Ordained a Bishop, and in 2018 we was installed as the Bishop of the Stockton Diocese.
God was smiling on us when Rev. Leonard Trindade 1999-2020 arrived at our parish. He had many family ties to Gustine through the Manuel Lopes, M. M. Gomes and Floyd and Mary Amarante families. Although he became a priest at a later time in his life, he had wanted to be a priest from childhood. A native of Atwater, his warm, loving nature permeated all parts of the parish.
In 2002 Marybeth Nunes began serving the church as Youth Minister working with high school students as they prepared for confirmation. In 2007 she became the full time Office Manager for our Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles Church and continues today.
In 2007 the Church acquired the property east of the OLM School which gave the church access to Laurel Avenue. At that time the large parking lot off Laurel Avenue, was developed.
The OLM Education Center continues today. The inside of the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles Church has been painted. New cushions for the pews have been installed. The chapel was redone. Father Leonard always supported and encouraged all the parish organizations, as they do God’s work here in Gustine. Because of the annual pilgrimage of visitors from all over the world to the Our Lady of Miracles Celebration, our own Our Lady of Miracles Church qualified to become the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles. This occurred in 2008 under the guidance of Father Leonard.
We now have five masses in three languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish. As the community of Gustine is well over 75 percent Hispanic, Father Leonard has reached out to that population. It was 1999 when both Our Lady of Guadalupe and Esperanza y Faith (Hope and Faith) Prayer group were founded. Father added a Saturday night Mass in Spanish and in 2003 Father offered a Mass in Spanish in Santa Nella in the Romero School Multi-purpose Room. The Santa Nella Mass was discontinued in 2015. The Spanish Mass is very well received, and there are many baptisms and first communions to serve the growing Hispanic population. He is now marrying young people that he had originally baptized. Father Leonard Trindade, in his 20th year in Gustine, continues today as a loving, good shepherd to his flock.
In 2019 as Fr. Leonard prepared to retire, the Bishop sent us Rev. Isaque Menezes to serve has our new Pastor to lead us into the next 100 years. May God continue to bless us as we look forward to our next 100 years.
Thank you to Pat Snoke with the Gustine Historical Society for blending our notes on our History.
History of the Catholic Church in Gustine - 100 Years
A Mission Becomes a Parish
The Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles church began as a mission of St. Joaquim’s church in Newman in 1912. It was to serve the fast growing Catholic population of the west side of Merced County, going as far south as the community of Ingomar. Before that time the Catholic people in the area had to travel by horse and buggy to Newman, the site of the nearest Catholic Church. It was a long cold ride in winter and a hot and dusty ride in summer.
After Gustine began in 1907, land was purchased on Seventh Street from Miller & Lux for $10 in gold coin, by the Archdiocese of San Francisco to which Gustine then belonged. The site was presented for purchase by Henry Miller, who, although not a Catholic, realized the need for and importance of a Catholic church in Gustine. It was to be named Church of the Holy Ghost.
In Newman, Father John Leal served as pastor of both churches and directed the planning and building of the new Gustine church. He even lived in the church sacristy until the rectory was built. The church was built mission style and finished in cement on wire lath. The window over the main altar was a beautiful work of art showing the emblem of the Holy Ghost signifying the name of the church. That stained glass can still be seen today in the choir section of the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles church. The choir loft was situated just inside the entrance to the church and stained glass windows were situated along the walls, purchased by families of the congregation. The bell tower at 70 feet looked out over the growing community of Gustine. This all occurred the same year that electricity came to Gustine, and the population was about 400.
The Holy Ghost church was dedicated on the first Sunday of Advent in 1912, by His Grace, the most Rev. P. W. Riordan, Archbishop of San Francisco who presented an impressive sermon on “The Need & Importance of the Church to the Community.” The celebrant of the mass was Father Leal, pastor and founder. He was assisted by Rev. Joseph Galli, deacon and the Rev. Denis Bailey, sub deacon. Rev. Thomas Moran served as master of ceremony. Following the dedicatory services, Archbishop Riordan confirmed a large class of adults and children from various districts of the parish. At the conclusion of the service at the church, the clergy and friends were served with a splendid dinner at the Gustine Hotel by manager Jack Banchio.
Father Leal was recognized for his zeal and unswaying effort to establish a church in Gustine and remained to serve both churches for the next seven years where he continued to perform marriages, baptisms, funerals and other rites for the Newman and Gustine Catholic communities. During his time in Gustine he saw the formation of the Gustine Pentecost Society in 1913. He was replaced in Newman in 1919 by three priests from Mexico: Rev. Dominic Saldivar, Rev. Eugen Sugranes and Rev. Eulogio Arana and in Gustine by Rev. Joannes Maiztequi 1919-1924, who served the Church of the Holy Ghost from 1919 to 1924. In 1924 the parish was placed under the Monterey Fresno Diocese from the Archdiocese of San Francisco. With Rev. J. J. Thummel 1924-1925 as the resident pastor in Gustine, the mission officially became a parish.
The Holy Ghost Church
During the 1920s and 1930s, Gustine and the Holy Ghost Church grew in population. Rev. Joseph G. Franco 1925-1929 is credited with making substantial improvements in the church building. Sadly, the rectory where he resided was destroyed by fire in 1929 but rebuilt in 1930 by Rev. Herman Hammerstein 1929-1930. It still stands today on Seventh Street as a private residence. Father Hammerstein also brought with him a niece, Margaret Diehl Bunker to serve as his housekeeper, and two enormous police dogs, which was a new experience for parishioners. The dogs required special fencing. In 1930, during Father Hammerstein’s time in Gustine, The Legion of Mary was formed and the Catholic Daughters Court St. Theresa was organized with 53 charter members.
Rev. Bernard Habraken served from 1932-1933. After only a year he was followed by Rev. Thomas J. O’Brien from 1933-1935 who helped the Our Lady of Miracles Society to form in 1936. It was not until the arrival of Rev. E. H. Huebbers 1935-1945 that real stability and growth was shown in the church. It was also during World War ll and Father Huebbers had a strong Germanic accent. Uneasy that a German served as their pastor, few people knew that Father was born in Holland, ordained in Switzerland and strongly supported his new country, America. During the war years “God Bless America” was sung at the end of each mass.
In 1935 missionary catechists began work in the Holy Ghost parish. Children were excused from public school once a week to attend catechism lessons. It was the first time most of us had interaction with female religious. The Italian Catholic Federation was organized in 1936 with 19 charter members as was the Our Lady of Miracles Society under the guidance of John T. Mattos.
The Silver Jubilee of the Holy Ghost Church was celebrated in 1937. In 1938 extensive improvements were made in the church building costing $1,500, including a new heating unit. In addition, in 1939 the Legion of Mary was organized. 1940 saw a Junior Newman Club formed and the Altar Society began. In 1941 a building was purchased and hauled in from a site south west of the Gustine airport and was completely renovated by volunteers to be used as a social hall for the growing church. In 1942 the parish grounds were extensively improved and beautified.
Much growth occurred in the church during 1933 to 1943. Vital statistics showed that in those ten years, there were 367 baptisms, 150 marriages, 367 people were confirmed, there were 17 converts and 108 funerals were held. By the 1940s, over half the community of Gustine could claim to be Portuguese and Catholic.
In 1945, when Father Huebbers left for a new assignment in Salinas, all the parish organizations joined together to give him a huge farewell party. Rev. Joseph Losada 1945-1947 served for just two years. Two other priests covered for him when he took a trip back to Spain.
Born in Ireland, Rev. John B. Forde 1947-1978 came to minister in Gustine and stayed for the next 31 years. Father Forde was a man of vision, with an ability to organize and encourage volunteer work. Finding the church in debt, he immediately began plans to remedy the situation. Church organizations were encouraged to give of their time, not just money. Many improvement were made to the inside of the church building.
In 1950 plans were made to build a Catholic School on Linden Avenue on land donated by Mr. & Mrs. A. P. Medeiros. Ground was broken in 1951 and the new Our Lady of Miracles School opened on September 3, 1951. It included four classrooms, an administrative building and the convent for the sisters. It was staffed by Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, of Monroe, Michigan. The sisters were Mother Michaeleen, Sister Joella, Sister Marie Carol and Sister Mary Bede. Later, four more class rooms were added. The beautiful new Our Lady of Miracles School flourished for seventeen years. Unfortunately, along with many other parochial schools in the United States, the school was forced to close in 1968.
Meanwhile in 1965, plans were made for a new church for the Holy Ghost parishioners. It was to be located on Linden Avenue also, near the school. The total cost was to be $207,000. Ten teams were organized to contact the more than 700 parishioners of the Holy Ghost Church. The drive to raise the $207,000 for the new church commenced. Fund raising began, with the parish bazaar being the most popular activity. After the church building was up, the first service was held on Palm Sunday, April 3, 1965. It took several years more, but families and church organizations donated pews, stained glass windows, an organ, the altar, a communion rail and landscaping and chimes. It was completed in 1968.
Father Forde, born in his beloved Ireland, having come to Gustine as a young priest, lived the rest of his life in Gustine. In 1956, Pope Pius Xll promoted him, to the rank of Papal Chamberlain, a position which demanded the title “Very Reverend Monsignor” and in 1977 he also received a Prelate of Honor from Rome. Monsignor died May 28, 1978 and is buried at Hills Ferry Cemetery. He honored the community of Gustine by demanding to be laid to rest among his flock, which is not a clerical policy. A measure of the esteem of the community of Gustine for Monsignor Forde was the City Council request that all businesses in the community of Gustine close for 2 hours in memory of Monsignor Forde, on the day the Requiem Mass was celebrated for him.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles Church
Rev. John A. Harguindeguy 1978-1981 came to Gustine following the death of Monsignor Forde and became known affectionately as Father John. Many changes and improvements were made in the parish under Father John’s guidance. He decided not to live in the rectory but would remodel the convent formerly occupied by the sisters who taught at the school. All pitched in to help remodel, paint, clean and prepare the convent for a home and offices. Father John’s motto was, “Me casa es su casa.”
It was during Father John’s stay that many jobs for the parish were completed by church volunteers. The OLM School opened again, being the only closed Catholic school to ever reopen. It was renamed OLM Education Center with Father John, Annette Dedini and Karen Martini working for state and diocesan approval. The fact that the school is today entirely staffed by lay persons is accepted as part of the reality of Catholic education and the increasing shortage of priests and nuns. The old Holy Ghost church was carpeted and used as a meeting place for parish organizations and other community organizations. The original altar and the Holy Spirit stained glass that was behind that altar were placed in the choir section of the new church. The two original lighting fixtures, pictured as angels, can still be seen today on the wall behind the present altar.
The Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) began with John Aguirre as youth minister. Cef Jamero was appointed parish choir director. The parish sponsored the Thavey family, a refugee family from Thailand and the CYO group became involved in the Los Amigos Orphanage in Tecate, Mexico.
The church parking lot was expanded and lights installed. A patio was made between father’s house and the school. A large tapestry was ordered from Belgium and installed behind the altar in the church as a memorial to Monsignor Forde and paid for through donations. Father John was a beloved pastor. He left hoping that love would continue to grow between the brothers and sisters of the parish.
Mary Aguirre was hired in 1979 and served for over 20 years as Lay Parish Administrator. She handled all the business aspects of running the church on a daily basis.
Rev. Monsignor Joseph Pacheco 1981-1992 came to Gustine after serving as a priest at various valley parishes. During his service here, the name of the church was changed to Our Lady of Miracles. This was a natural progression for most parishioners due to the fact that the OLM Celebration had been held here since 1936. The Altar Society was chartered in January 1981, with 80 members, for the purpose of taking care of the linens, vestments, etc. of the church and to prepare the altar for each liturgical season. Father Pacheco was especially devoted to the OLM School. New classrooms were added and he often did the repair work at the school himself. He was an excellent teacher and taught catechism to the eighth graders at the OLM school.
In May of 1987, Daniel Avila was ordained in Fresno. He was the first resident from our Gustine parish to be ordained a priest. Today he is with the Fresno Diocese as Vocation Director and continues to be a “favorite son” of the Gustine community.
Rev. Myron Cotta 1992-1999 was the grandson of immigrants from the Azores Islands and a native of Dos Palos, and being Portuguese a natural fit for the parish. Parish Center 1 was acquired in 1993 and 1999 was the year that parish Center 2 was purchased. Under the guidance of Father Cotta, the Knights of Columbus established a local council on October 23, 1995. The old Holy Ghost Church was taken down and in 1998 a monument to preserve the bell from the church was erected between Parish Center 2 and the OLM church. He encouraged young people to come to church. He also wanted married people to join the “Teams of Our Lady” and he always attended their meetings. He also led a “Grief Counseling” group. Father Cotta served our church well. He tried hard to educate his congregation. He was very good at explaining the mass, church rules and regulations and the bible to us in his sermons. Upon leaving Gustine, Father Cotta was installed as Vicar General for the Fresno Diocese. in 2014 he was Ordained a Bishop, and in 2018 we was installed as the Bishop of the Stockton Diocese.
God was smiling on us when Rev. Leonard Trindade 1999-2020 arrived at our parish. He had many family ties to Gustine through the Manuel Lopes, M. M. Gomes and Floyd and Mary Amarante families. Although he became a priest at a later time in his life, he had wanted to be a priest from childhood. A native of Atwater, his warm, loving nature permeated all parts of the parish.
In 2002 Marybeth Nunes began serving the church as Youth Minister working with high school students as they prepared for confirmation. In 2007 she became the full time Office Manager for our Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles Church and continues today.
In 2007 the Church acquired the property east of the OLM School which gave the church access to Laurel Avenue. At that time the large parking lot off Laurel Avenue, was developed.
The OLM Education Center continues today. The inside of the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles Church has been painted. New cushions for the pews have been installed. The chapel was redone. Father Leonard always supported and encouraged all the parish organizations, as they do God’s work here in Gustine. Because of the annual pilgrimage of visitors from all over the world to the Our Lady of Miracles Celebration, our own Our Lady of Miracles Church qualified to become the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles. This occurred in 2008 under the guidance of Father Leonard.
We now have five masses in three languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish. As the community of Gustine is well over 75 percent Hispanic, Father Leonard has reached out to that population. It was 1999 when both Our Lady of Guadalupe and Esperanza y Faith (Hope and Faith) Prayer group were founded. Father added a Saturday night Mass in Spanish and in 2003 Father offered a Mass in Spanish in Santa Nella in the Romero School Multi-purpose Room. The Santa Nella Mass was discontinued in 2015. The Spanish Mass is very well received, and there are many baptisms and first communions to serve the growing Hispanic population. He is now marrying young people that he had originally baptized. Father Leonard Trindade, in his 20th year in Gustine, continues today as a loving, good shepherd to his flock.
In 2019 as Fr. Leonard prepared to retire, the Bishop sent us Rev. Isaque Menezes to serve has our new Pastor to lead us into the next 100 years. May God continue to bless us as we look forward to our next 100 years.
Thank you to Pat Snoke with the Gustine Historical Society for blending our notes on our History.