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Published: October 29, 2010
Churches Worth Driving To
Shrine of St. Therese, Fresno
 Name of Church: Shrine of St. Therese
Address: 855 E. Floradora Ave., Fresno, CA 93728
Phone number: (559) 268-6388
Website: www.shrineofsttherese.com
Mass times: Sundays 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon (Spanish); Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.; Saturday Vigil, 4:15 p.m.; Holy days, 8 a.m., 5:30 p.m. The Shrine has hosted the Latin Tridentine Mass before for special occasions, but none is regularly scheduled. An approved Tridentine Mass is located about 10 minutes away at St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Fresno, on Sundays at 3:30 p.m.
Confessions: Saturdays at 3 p.m. or make an appointment.
Names of priests: Fr. Michael A. Burchfield, pastor; Fr. Flordito (Dhoy) Redulla, in residence. Fr. Michael is a canon lawyer; he worked in the diocesan tribunal, and assisted with the Newman Center at Cal State Fresno. He came to the Shrine in 2007, and became its pastor last year. He serves the English community, and Fr. Flordito serves the Hispanic community.
School: No school. Religious education programs for children and adults.
Special events: Adoration Wednesdays and first Fridays, 8:30 a.m. – noon.
 Music: Depends on the Mass -- organ and choirs for the English Masses and singers with guitar for the Spanish Mass.
Fellow parishioners: Anglo and Hispanic
Parking: No problem
Acoustics: Fine
Cry room: Two side chapels can act as cry rooms
Parish bulletin: Eight pages, English and Spanish
Additional observations: The Shrine of St. Therese is an historic parish, established in 1919. It was originally named Our Lady of Victory, in thanksgiving for the U.S. victory in World War I, but was re-named for St. Therese Lisieux after her canonization in 1925. The current church was built in 1956, and is beautiful inside and out. Its interior includes 50,000 pounds of marble, of different types and colors, shipped from Italy. The altar area alone has five different types of marble. It houses a relic of St. Therese donated by Mother Agnes of Jesus (Pauline Martin), a sister of the saint. There are also many beautiful statues, paintings and other images. Church materials describe it as the first church in the world dedicated to the Little Flower.
Posted Friday, October 29, 2010 3:30 AM By Angelo
After the cononisation of St. Teresa the Little Fower. This Church in Fresno, CA. was the first to be named after her, in the world. It is a magnificent Church, with not to much damage done after the great wreckovation season.
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Posted Friday, October 29, 2010 6:06 AM By St. Christopher
Why limit the TLM to "special occasions" and shunt off the people who wish to attend Mass as the Saints attended Mass to some "chapel"?
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Posted Friday, October 29, 2010 7:59 AM By B. Knot Aphrayed
Worth it just to sing in this church! The best overall acoustical ambience of all this diocese's parishes. The parish music director is also a fine musician and excellent choral director steeped in the finest classical traditions.
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Posted Friday, October 29, 2010 8:08 AM By Ski Ven
The building looks nice.
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Posted Friday, October 29, 2010 9:17 AM By Grisha
Ah... fond, fond memories of both the church and the school, 50 some odd years later I can still remember Msgr Dowling, Fr. Mc Govern and Mother Patricia Margret. Too bad the school closed. I hope the CSJ's are still teaching nearby.
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Posted Friday, October 29, 2010 9:54 AM By Maryanne Leonard
Fresno is so blessed with stunningly beautiful churches, a good history of offering the Latin Mass at St. Anthony's and elsewhere, and a large community of the faithful. It is the home of several of my friends who worship there and a priest who was ordained there and began his priesthood there, and I admire that city for its wonderful Catholic community.
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Posted Friday, October 29, 2010 12:19 PM By Janek
The TLM should be first and foremost the Mass at the Shrine since the TLM has been around since 1500 longer than the Novus Ordo.
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Posted Friday, October 29, 2010 1:27 PM By Angelo
Ski Ven, You post that the building looks nice. The Interior
Is magnificent. The last time I went there, the communion rails were intact. Much of the art work is pure white marble. It has 2 side chapels. Unfortunatly one was turned into a multi-purpose room. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel was beautiful. Communion rails, the Altar facing "ad orientem" with a small but glorious baldachino. The Church is huge!
With very high ceilings. The Grand Altar piece is a huge carved marble depiction of St. Teresa the little Flower. This Church is the perfect setting for the Tridentine Mass. Thank God the New Order of Mass is always said with great reverence in this Church. No happy clappy Masses at the Shrine of St. Teresa.
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Posted Friday, October 29, 2010 2:13 PM By pete
Not only was Fresno the first diocese to have a church named in honor of St. Therese, but there is a statue of her in EVERY church in the diocese!
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Posted Saturday, October 30, 2010 8:22 AM By Central Valley
To see this church in it's full glory, you would have had to been at the recent Solemn High Mass offered by Bishop Joseph Madera for the 20th anniversary of the Fresno Trational Mass group. With a minor adjustment to the altar, the Mass went on as if it were the first Solemn High mass offered when the shrine was built. Words cannot describe the recent Mass by Bishop Madera, always a friend to traditional Catholics. The Extraordinary Form needs to be said there weekly if not daily. Churches like this were designed for the traditional mass. The choir loft is out of sight as not to distract the people from the action of the altar, unlike churches today where the tabernacle is in another room and the altar is converted into a Las Vegas lounge for the "band".
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Posted Sunday, October 31, 2010 4:56 AM By Angelo
Pete,It never crossed my mind, but now that I think about it, every parish in the Fresno Diocese does in fact have a statue of the Little Flower. She is the Patron Saint of the Fresno Diocese. Since she is the Patron, we should ask her intercession to obtain the restoration of the Tridentine Mass to every Parish of her Diocese.
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Posted Sunday, October 31, 2010 4:49 PM By Father G
Saint Therese parish in Alhambra, CA also claims to be the first parish in the world to be named after Saint Therese. On their parish website it states: "The parish was officially founded on December 25, 1924, and dedicated to Blessed Therese of the Child Jesus, who would not be formally canonized by the Catholic Church until May 7, 1925."
The parish now known as Saint Therese Shrine in Fresno was originally founded in 1919 as Our Lady of Victory. According to its parish website, the parish didn't formally change its name to Saint Therese until October 3, 1927.
So, Saint Therese in Alhambra is in fact the first parish in the world to be named after Saint Therese.
By the way, this parish has a weekly Sunday Mass in the Extraordinary Form.
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Posted Monday, November 01, 2010 10:54 AM By Ski Ven
Why settle for the ordinary when you can have the extraordinary?
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