Saint Rita's Catholic Church
St. Rita's Parish Staff
St. Rita's Catholic Church is a diverse parish and is part of the Diocese of Fresno governed by the Bishop Armando Ochoa. This parish is led by our Pastor, along with support from our deacon, staff, and various councils made up of parishioners. We engage parishioners in the day-to-day work of our ministries.
Rev. Iván Hernández Melchor, V.F., Pastor
Fr. Iván Hernández Melchor was born on August 5, 1977, in the city of Morelia, Michoacan Mexico. Fr. Iván is the second oldest of six siblings. In 1993, he immigrated to the United States. He entered St. John's Seminary and Seminary College in 1999 at Camarillo California. He studied there for four years and obtained a double major Bachelors of Arts degree in Philosophy and Spanish with Honors. On January 8, 2007, he became a United States citizen in Fresno California. After completing his studies at St. John's, Fr. Iván transferred to St. Patrick's Seminary and University at Menlo Park California. As part of his formation, he did a nine month internship at St. Helen's Catholic Church in Fresno California.Fr. Iván graduated from St. Patrick's Seminary on May 8, 2009 with three post graduate degrees: Master of Arts in Divinity, Baccalaureate of Sacred Theology, and a Master of Arts in Theology. He was ordained to the Priesthood on May 23, 2009 in Fresno California by Bishop John T. Steinbock of the Diocese of Fresno. After his ordination, he was associate pastor of St. Phillip the Apostle in Bakersfield California and on February 22, 2015, he was named pastor of St. Rita's Catholic Church.
Deacon José Alvarado
joe@stritacatholicchurch.com
(559) 686-3847
My name is Jose Alvarado. I am married to Liz, and we have two beautiful daughters, Seleste and Cassandra. After serving in the U.S. Marines, we moved to Tulare in 2006. Since 2006, we became parishioners of St. Rita. I have been blessed to serve in multiple ministries and committees. With gratitude, joy, and love I will serve the Lord and our community as a Permanent Deacon in the Diocese of Fresno.
Deacon José A. Cortez
jose@stritacatholicchurch.com
(559) 686-3847
My Name is Jose A. Cortez I have been married to my wife Blanca for 27 years. We have 5 wonderful children, Steven, Julissa, Yesenia, Omar and Oscar. We are blessed to have our daughter-in-law, Alexis and our beautiful granddaughter Gabriella Rose. I was born in Guanajuato Mexico, emigrated to the US at the age of 15, and came to Tulare. I have been employed as a Manager at a local Dairy for over 23 years. God calls his servants in many different ways, we are excited and blessed to serve our brothers and sisters of our community in the name of Jesus Christ.
Deacon Michael Grijalva
mike@stritacatholicchurch.com
(559) 686-3847
My name is Michael Grijalva, and I am married to Yesenia. We are natives of the Los Angeles basin and have 2 children, Michael and Matthew. We are “cradle Catholics” who are humbled and grateful beyond words to accept the call to this holy office of service. We pray for each one of our parishioners and look forward to being able to share our love of Christ and each other with you and are blessed to serve the Lord, and our parish family.
Deacon Mario Vasquez
mario@stritacatholicchurch.com
(559) 686-3847
Deacon Mario was ordained to the diaconate on October 22, 2017. He is happily married to his wife Celina, and together they have three children.
Lizeth Alvarado - Office Manager/Bookkeeper
lizeth@stritacatholicchurch.com
(559) 686-3847 ext. 15
Lizeth joined Saint Rita's Catholic Church in October 2013 as office manager and bookkeeper. She has twenty-five years of experience in customer service, and within those years, eighteen of them have been in management. Her responsibilities as office manager and bookkeeper include monitoring and reporting on income and expenses of resources; monitoring ministries and group accounts; monitoring risk management functions of the parish; overseeing the operations of the facility and parish grounds; schedules usage of facilities; evaluates office volunteers; and serves in various ministries and maintains the team schedule for liturgical ministries. She is always willing to assist and serve her community. Lizeth is happily married to Joe Alvarado and together they have two daughters. She has been a member of Saint Rita's Catholic Church since 2006.
Janet Frausto - Office Assistant
campaign@strita@stritacatholicchurch.com
(559) 686-3847 ext. 12
Janet joined the staff of St. Rita's in 2008. She was the secretary for the Religious Education Office for five years. Janet then became the Capital Campaign Assistant in November 2014. She is working together with Father Ivan and the Capital Campaign Committee to raise funds to build a new church for the community of St. Rita's.
Bertha Melchor de Hernandez
Señora Bertha is Father Ivan's mother and a beloved member of our staff. She works from Wednesday to Saturday. Señora Bertha ensures that Father Ivan's house and the offices are clean. She is also a wonderful cook and prepares Father's meals.