Catholic Extension Society extends our deepest sympathies and prayers to the faithful in Mecca, California, and to the loved ones of the beloved Father Francisco Valdovinos, S.T., a 58-year old religious priest of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity. Father Valdovinos died of COVID-19 after battling the virus for several weeks.
Father Valdovinos was an extraordinary missionary priest who dedicated his life to serving the poor, especially immigrant and farmworker communities. Such is the case in Mecca, where he served as pastor of Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.
“The people here are very faithful people,” he once said. “We have this opportunity to implement our charism. Because the charism we have is working with people that are living on the margins—the poor, abandoned, neglected, in ways spiritually, economically, politically. Especially for the migrant people who are living in this area.”
COVID-19 cases have rapidly increased in the Coachella Valley, and infection rates are upwards of 40 percent. Father Valdovinos worked tirelessly in his mission this past year, hosting virtual events, distributing tens of thousands of masks and providing more than a quarter million pounds of food to families in need since March.
Father Valdovinos was born in Mexico in 1962. He entered the formation program and seminary of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity and was ordained a priest in 1994.
After serving in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, he embarked on missionary work in the United States, arriving in the Catholic Extension-supported Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in 1999. There he served for seven years, until he was assigned to work in Compton, California.
In 2018, Father Valdovinos began his journey as pastor of Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Mecca, California.
Father Michael K. Barth, S.T. superior general of his order, wrote:
Once again, this zealous missionary earned the love of his people and the larger community through his tireless ministry on behalf of others, especially those in need.”
This is no more evident than in this pandemic, which saw Father Valdovinos organize food distribution, testing sites, and continued to advocate for the people he so loved.
In order to protect the people, all services to remember, honor and pray for Father Valdovinos will be held virtually. He will be laid to rest in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City.
We echo the beautiful words of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity:
We entrust him now to God, the giver of all life and implore Our Lady of Guadalupe to welcome him into the kingdom. … God’s will is always life eternal. For us, as a people of Faith, life does not end, it is transformed.”
Catholic Extension Society is grateful to Father Valdovinos for his life of service toward Catholic faith communities, especially within the Extension dioceses that transformed under his steadfast care.
We have worked in solidarity with the faith communities in the Coachella Valley for many years, and the missionary community to which he belonged, the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity across the U.S.
In honor of Father Valdovinos’ memory and legacy, you can make a donation below to support the many communities that are served by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity.
