1974 - 1983: Fr. Ed Fronske served as pastor in Overton at St. John's Mission Church. There were approximately 15 -20 Catholics who would gather for Mass each week, either in a private home, or at the Valley Inn Motel (room #6) which was graciously donated by its LDS owner. Gloria Hernandez, one of the few who participated in these earliest Masses still has the three inch statue of Christ The King that was used as their patron saint.
1984 - 1991: Catholics traveled to St. George, UT or Overton to celebrate Mass. During this time the appointed priests at St. John's in Overton were only available to the people of the valley for visits and special needs. 1991: Bishop Walsh of Las Vegas appointed Fr. Frank Yncierto as pastor of St. John's in Overton. At the same time, Bishop Walsh learned that the LDS church wished to sell their former meeting hall in Bunkerville. The building was purchased for $90,000. Because the property changed ownership close to the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and because of its proximity to the Virgin River, the mission was dedicated "La Virgen de Guadalupe."
Sunday, February 16, 1992: Many Hispanic and Anglo parishioners were elated to have their own place of worship. Michael G. Waite, Bishop of the LDS Church emotionally "turned over" the chapel to the Catholic Church. He said his own father helped to build the church as well as many other pioneers. He was barely able to contain his feelings as he expressed the happiness he felt that the building would remain a church.
October 1, 1999: Our mission church was established as a parish with Fr. Gustavo Cruz as pastor.
Father Clarence[/caption] Father Clarence came in late 2002 and was with us until 2006. He helped make many upgrades to our church in Bunkerville. The building was painted, the spire replaced with a steeple with cross and bell. A covered outside social gathering area was added as well as a handicap ramp.
Fr. Bob Puhlman came to our parish in 2006 to help us build a new church in Mesquite. Our parish had grown to almost 1,000 families, and with its continued growth it was time to think about building a new church.
The Canyon Crest property, 10 acres, was graciously donated by Building Developer Brian Vail. Through prayer and the generosity of our own parishioners and benefactors, we broke ground on February 19, 2009. This is Bishop Joseph Peppe blessing the land before groundbreaking.
This is the procession of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our new church was consecrated on December 12, 2009.
On Sunday, January 30, 2022 after a 9:45 a.m. bilingual Mass concelebrated by Father Blaise Baran, Pastor, and Bishop George Leo Thomas, the mortgage was ceremonially burned.
The original amount of the mortgage loan from the Diocese of Las Vegas was $1,748,920 on August 1, 2010. On November 30, 2021, through hard wowwrk, dedication and prayer, the final loan payment was made. It took 11 years to pay off the mortgage.