About Us

St. Stephen the First Martyr
Catholic Church

The Latin Mass community in the Diocese of Sacramento has been served by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) since 1997.

In 2002, we moved to our current location in south Sacramento, a few blocks east of US-99 (5461 44th Street, Sacramento, California 95820). The Bishop of Sacramento placed us under the patronage of St. Stephen the First Martyr, the holy deacon martyr whose story is told in the Acts of the Apostles and whose martyrdom prompted the conversion of St. Paul. The discovery of the relics of St. Stephen was a historic moment in the life of the early Church; we celebrate our parish festival every year on the anniversary of this event.

Our parish makes use of the traditional rites of the Catholic Church for Holy Mass, the Sacraments, other rituals, and the prayers of the Divine Office, as encouraged by Pope St. John Paul II in his Ecclesia Dei Adflicta and Pope Benedict XVI in his Summorum Pontificum. In the latter’s explanatory letter accompanying his decree, Pope Benedict affirmed that, “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too.”

We enjoy a full parochial life, with events, groups, and activities aimed at promoting the spiritual lives and community of all our parishioners.

Bishop Emeritus William Weigand stated: “The traditional Latin Mass community of St. Stephen the First Martyr is a blessing for the Diocese of Sacramento.” We are very grateful for the constant support of the Diocese as we remain faithful to the charism granted to us by Holy Mother Church.

Mass & Confessions

Parish Societies

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

Meet our priests

Fr. Joshua Curtis, FSSP

Pastor

Fr. Curtis began his priestly studies at the Pontifical College Josephinum, in Columbus, Ohio. After two years, he transferred to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska. He was ordained in 2014.

Fr. David Franco, FSSP

Parochial Vicar

Fr. Franco entered Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in 2008; he was ordained in 2015.

Fr. David Lopez, FSSP

Parochial Vicar

Fr. Lopez entered Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in 2015; he was ordained in 2022.

Fr. Evaristus Eshiowu, FSSP

In Residence

Fr. Evaristus entered the seminary in Nigeria and was ordained in 1983. He incardinated with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in 2004, after five years of temporary incorporation.

Contact the parish

History of our parish

Previous Clergy

1998
Fr. John Rizzo
assigned as rector

1999
Fr. John Rizzo
Fr. Evaristus Eshiowu

2000
Fr. Joseph Terra
assigned as rector
Fr. Evaristus Eshiowu
Fr. John Berg

2001
Fr. John Berg
assigned as rector
Fr. Ulrich Theurer
Fr. Carl Gismondi

2002
Fr. John Berg
Fr. Carl Gismondi
Fr. Stephan Dupre

2003
Fr. John Berg
Fr. Stephan Dupre
Fr. Angelo Vanderputten
Fr. Eric Deprey

2004
Fr. John Berg
Fr. Stephan Dupre
Fr. Angelo Vanderputten
Fr. Eric Deprey

2005
Fr. John Berg
Fr. Robert Novokowsky
assigned as rector
Fr. Eric Deprey
Fr. Jerome Lebel

2006
Fr. Robert Novokowsky
Fr. Eric Deprey
Fr. Jerome Lebel

2007
Fr. Robert Novokowsky
Fr. Eric Deprey
Fr. Jerome Lebel
Fr. Matthew McNeely

2008
Fr. Robert Novokowsky
Fr. Matthew McNeely
Fr. Federico Masutti

2009
Fr. Matthew McNeely
assigned as pastor
Fr. Federico Masutti
Fr. John Lyons

2010 & 2011
Fr. Matthew McNeely
Fr. John Lyons
Fr. Michael Stinson

2012
Fr. Matthew McNeely
Fr. John Lyons
Fr. Hugues Beaugrand

2013
Fr. Matthew McNeely
Fr. John Lyons
Fr. Hugues Beaugrand
Fr. Evaristus Eshiowu

2014
Fr. John Lyons
assigned as pastor
Fr. Keven O’Neill
Fr. Hugues Beaugrand
Fr. Lee Perry
Fr. Zachary Akers

2015
Fr. John Lyons
Fr. Lee Perry
Fr. Zachary Akers

2016 & 2017
Fr. John Lyons
Fr. Joshua Curtis
Fr. Dominic Savoie

2018 & 2019
Fr. Joshua Curtis
assigned as pastor
Fr. Dominic Savoie
Fr. Graham Latimer

2020
Fr. Joshua Curtis
Fr. Graham Latimer
Fr. David McWhirter
Fr. Evaristus Eshiowu

2021 & 2022
Fr. Joshua Curtis
Fr. David McWhirter
Fr. Stephen Braun
Fr. Evaristus Eshiowu

2023
Fr. Joshua Curtis
Fr. David McWhirter
Fr. Evan Schwab
Fr. Evaristus Eshiowu

2024 & 2025
Fr. Joshua Curtis
Fr. David Franco
Fr. Evan Schwab
Fr. Evaristus Eshiowu

Never experienced a Latin Mass?

Solemn High Mass

In 2024, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter ordained a young man who had grown up at St. Stephen the First Martyr, Fr. Jacob Kasak. He returned to the Diocese for a First Mass, which he offered at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. This was a Solemn High Mass, the highest expression of the Mass shy of a Pontifical High Mass, which is characterized by a bishop serving as the principal celebrant. A Solemn High Mass is distinguished from a Sung Mass (sometimes called simply a High Mass) by the inclusion of a deacon and subdeacon as ministers. They are vested in the dalmatic and tunicle, respectively. The Mass followed a Sacred Heart procession through the city.