Let us as a community welcome back our Associate Pastor, Fr. Alberto Villafan, OFM. Fr. Alberto was away from the parish on a year sabbatical, to care for his parents in Mexico. There, he helped serve at his nearby Parish as well. He has now returned to continue his assignment with us at Mission San Luis Rey Parish.  Please continue to pray for his parents and extend a warm welcome to Fr. Alberto when you see him! - August 2023

I was born and raised in Mexico, Chavinda, Michoacan.  I arrived in the United States in 1986. I joined the Franciscan Friars in 1990. I graduated from Holy Name College in 2000, in Oakland, California. In 2004, I graduated from the Franciscan School of Theology, in Berkeley, California. I was ordained as a priest in 2005 at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Los Angeles, California. I moved from Los Angeles to Oakland, California, Saint Elizabeth Parish, to work as an associate pastor. I worked there from 2010 to 2016. Then I was transferred to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Guadalupe, Arizona to serve as a pastor. I was there from 2016 to 2020.