Our Beginnings

Our Parish was established on May 19, 1991 by the Diocese of San Bernardino in order to alleviate the overcrowding brought to Our Lady of the Valley Parish by the growing number of faithful in the Hemet Valley/San Jacinto area. Originally celebrating Mass in a small building on Palm Avenue, called Buckboard Ranch. Holy Spirit Community moved to its present headquarters at 26340 Soboba Street between Mayberry and Whittier Avenues in Hemet, in June 1992. Beginning in 1991 with 260 families, we have grown to over 900 families. Our founding pastor, Rev. Silvio D'Ostilio, C.S.Sp, a member of the Spiritan Order was originally with St. John's parish in Tucson AZ. In 2004 Fr. D’Ostillo celebrated his fifth anniversary; retiring to care for aging priests at the Spiritan Retirement House, Casa Laval, in Hemet.   Gerald R. Barnes, Bishop of San Bernardino Diocese facing a shortage of priests appointed Joyce Frichtel as the Pastoral Coordinator of Holy Spirit Parish.  She has the responsibility of leading and officially administering the parish community without a resident pastor. Msgr. Thomas Wallace is the Priest Moderator, the canonical pastor; providing supervision and support to the Pastoral Coordinator. Holy Spirit is assisted by Rev. Richard Bordonaro as Priest Minister, Permanent Deacons Fernando Vera and Glenn Harmon and Senior Deacons Jack Henke and A. MacDaniel. 

Holy Spirit Parish is a welcoming community, where the people are united and show forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit. They are well described in the words of St. Paul to the Galatians:(5:22) "The fruit of the Holy Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control."

The Parish
Traditionally the San Jacinto Valley has been a mecca for retirees who were attracted to the area by the mild winters and clean air. However, in recent years the number of young families has increased dramatically. This increase is expected to continue largely due to the completion of the Diamond Valley Reservoir and Recreation Area south of Hemet.

Holy Spirit parish boundaries range from Yale Street in downtown Hemet east to the San Bernardino National Forest; and from the San Jacinto River in the north to the mountains in the south. Our parish is increasing in the number of Spanish speaking  parishioners and we have added a Sunday Spanish Mass to accommodate their needs.

Programs
At Holy Spirit we have a vibrant Faith Formation Program that focuses on the needs of both young and adult parishioners. The program which has been in operation for the past ten years has evolved into a multifaceted ministry that encompasses RCIA, for those who wish to become fully initiated into the church, Marriage Preparation, Infant Baptism Adult Confirmation and Faith Formation for elementary, junior high children and older teens. A revitalization program called  "Remembering" is also available for adults who have been away from the church for a lengthy period of time. 

Holy Spirit has a full schedule of out-of-church activities as well. The Life Chain for the Pro-Life movement, our annual parish pilgrimage up the hill to Idyllwild with the Youth Group, and our outdoor Mass celebrating the feast of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost followed by the annual family picnic, are among these. Our social schedule includes the fall Harvest Fest, Annual Golf Tournament, Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta, Mad Hatter Ball, Mardi Gras Dinner Dance with a Silent and Public Auction.

The Future
The future at Holy Spirit is bright. We are growing. We are serving. We are constant in our faith in the Lord. We inaugurated our first structure on our parish property, a multi-purpose building, on September 9th, 2001. Come and visit. This building is being used for the celebration of Mass and for all social gatherings of the parish. Set up for Sunday Mass, the building holds 900 faithful. The structure also serves as classrooms for education and with full scale kitchen designed to help us enjoy and celebrate the social aspects of parish life. When set up for social gatherings, the hall will accommodate 112 tables with room for dancing.