History Of St Vincent De Paul
The building that is now St. Vincent's Church came to San Joaquin as a donation from the Enrico Bellando family. It had been the Kearney Grammar School. In 1953 Fr. O'Hara accepted the building and named it after Mrs. Vincenzia Bellando. Some pews were given from St. Ann's in Riverdale. They still remain on the side. Men from Tranquillity and San Joaquin made the main pews and converted the building to St. Vincent's Church. Joe Romeiro, Pete Niboli, Manuel Armas, Bill Braun Sr., Domingos Romeiro Sr., & Jr., and Adolpho Selzer worked under the direction of local carpenters, Frank Martin and Frank Snyder.
The statue outside was also donated by the Bellando's in honor of their father, Enrico, in 1956.
The catechism building was a converted military structure from Lemoore Air Base during Fr. Kelly's years. Tony Carvalho donated a dairy heifer as a raffle prize to help pay for it. There wasn't much money left for an entrance to the church so some called the tiny addition a birdcage. Fr. Barnes widened both steps and the entry.
Fr. Cariglia added the stained glass windows. The Chi-Rho symbol appears on all the side windows representing the Greek letters for Christ. Families donated the cost of the windows and their names are listed on each. Fr. Cariglia referred to the windows behind the altar as the Marion windows. Mrs. Marie Mott made the light fixtures at her home in San Joaquin.
Fr. Barnes and Seminarians Ray Dreiling and Stephen Bulfer constructed the altar and the wooden bases for the statues that still remain.
Remodeling took place again in 1999.
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