1770 to 1848 During the 18th century, the Fresno area was part of the province of
Las Californias in the Spanish colony of
New Spain. In 1804, the Spanish Government split Las Californias into two provinces, with most of present-day California becoming part of the new province of
Alta California. Alta California became a Mexican state after Mexico gained
independence from Spain in 1821. In 1840,
Pope Gregory XVI erected the Diocese of California (or Two Californias) to recognize the growth of the provinces of Alta California and
Baja California. This diocese, with its
episcopal see in
Monterey, included all Mexican territory west of the
Colorado River and the
Gulf of California 1848 to 1967 Mexico ceded Alta California to the
United States in 1848 after the
Mexican–American War. At that time, the Mexican government complained to the Vatican about the Diocese of California. They didn't want the American bishop to have jurisdiction over parishes in Mexico. In 1849,
Pope Pius IX split the Diocese of California into American and Mexican dioceses; the American diocese was named the
Diocese of Monterey. The first Catholic church in
Mariposa, St. Joseph's, was dedicated in 1857. In 1859, Pius IX renamed the Diocese of Monterey as the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles to recognize the growth of
Los Angeles. St. Mary's Parish was founded in Visalia in 1861; it is the oldest parish in the Southern part of the Central Valley.In 1867, Our Lady of Mercy Church was dedicated in
Merced.In
Bakersfield, St. Francis was erected a parish in 1884, the first in that city.Four member of the
Sisters of Mercy in 1910 expanded a small hospital in Bakersfield to start Mercy Hospital; it is today Mercy Hospital Downtown. In 1922,
Pope Pius XI divided the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles, with the northern section becoming the
Diocese of Monterey-Fresno. The Fresno area would remain part of this diocese for the next 45 years.
1967 to 2000 Pope Paul VI created the new Diocese of Fresno in 1967 by splitting the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno into two dioceses. He named Auxiliary Bishop
Timothy Manning of the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles as the first bishop of Fresno. After two years in Fresno, Paul VI named Manning archbishop of Los Angeles. To replace him, the pope appointed Bishop
Hugh Donohoe from the
Diocese of Stockton. In 1979,
Pope John Paul II appointed
José de Jesús Madera Uribe as
coadjutor bishop of Fresno to assist Donohoe. After Donohoe resigned in 1980, Madera Uribe automatically became bishop of Fresno. In 1991, John Paul II named him as an auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. The next bishop of Fresno was bishop
John Steinbock from the
Diocese of Santa Rosa, appointed by John Paul II in 1991.
2000 to present In 2003, the Diocese of Fresno was one of only four dioceses in the
United States that did not participate in the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops review of the
Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Steinbock died in 2010. In 2011,
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop
Armando Xavier Ochoa of the
Diocese of El Paso as the next bishop of Fresno. Ochoa retired in 2019. As of 2026, the current bishop of Fresno is Joseph Vincent Brennan, formerly an auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles. He was appointed by
Pope Francis in 2019. The diocese in November 2020 removed Reverend Guadalupe Rios from St. Joseph's Church in Selma and obtained a
restraining order barring him from the church and its employees. While serving the order on Rios, the Selma police seized an
assault rifle and handgun of his from church property. The church secretary said that Rios threatened her with a gun at one point. Rios' housekeeper sued the diocese in 2021, claiming that he physically and emotionally abused her during a four-year romantic relationship.
St. Charles Borromeo Church in
Visalia opened in 2023, becoming the largest Catholic
parish church in North America.
Sex abuse In February 2019, Bishop Ochoa announced an outside investigation of the diocesan for all allegations of
sexual abuse against clerics since 1922, with a report to be issued to the public after the investigation had concluded. In 2021, the diocese released a list of priests who had been "credibly accused" of abuse. In May 2024, the diocese announced that they were preparing to file for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy by August 2024, claiming that it was now facing over 150 sex abuse lawsuits from victims. On July 1, 2025, the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it tries to overcome and settle many of its 153 sex abuse lawsuits. ==Bishops==