Parish History

St. Theresa's parish has a long and eventful history. Take a journey back to the beginning and life of our parish family.

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A Brief Timeline of our Parish History

Our history began in 1948 when Bishop Charles Buddy designated Fr. William Clavin our first pastor. St. Theresa's was part of the mission territory of the diocese of San Diego at that time. Much labor and love transformed the former army training barracks into the original church building. There were approximately fifty families in the parish at that time.

In September 1948 St. Theresa School opened for the first time its doors to one hundred and thirty students. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart staffed the school for which a convent was constructed in 1965.

In 1954, Fr. Michael O'Donohue was appointed pastor during the period in which the parish and school population grew immensely.

Later on, Father Michael Nolan became pastor in 1961 and it was under his stewardship that the present church was completed and then dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1968 by Bishop Furey and assisted by Most Rev. John Quinn, auxiliary bishop of San Diego. It is to William F. Cody, a noted architect, that we owe the architectural uniqueness of the church building.

Father Edward Connolly became pastor after the departure of Monsignor Michael Nolan and was, subsequently followed in 1985 by Father Malachy McGinn, pastor. Fr. McGinn oversaw the expansion of our parish by adding a multi-purpose building in 1986, the parish center offices along with a priests' residence in 1988. In 1992, the present state-of-the-art school building was erected.

Father David Andel, pastor associate took the position of Pastroal Administrator during the illness of Msgr. McGinn until his passing in 1997. 

Monsignor Philip Behan, was appointed in 1998 and to this day lead our parish until 2010 during which time it has grown and become the place and center for catholic worship for the West Coachella valley.

We were blessed when, in January 1999, relics of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Saint and Doctor of the Church, stopped at our parish during a worldwide tour by the French Carmelite Sisters.

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