Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church stands at 1138 Wright Street in southwest Reno, Nevada, where Bishop Thomas K. Gorman established the parish in November 1938. Today it is a parish of roughly 2,300 families served by two priests and a Catholic school that has educated generations of children since 1951. The parish's motto is: "We strive to welcome all who come to give thanks to God in Christ through the Spirit. Come and see us."
Founded in 1938 for South Reno
Our Lady of the Snows was carved out of Reno's existing territory south of Thoma Street and Marsh Avenue to serve the growing Catholic population on that side of town. The first pastor, Rev. Martin Duckham, never made it to his new assignment: he fell ill on a trip back to Ireland and Father John J. Ryan took over as administrator.
The early days were makeshift. Mass was first celebrated in a house at 836 Humboldt Street that doubled as rectory and church. When that filled, Mass moved to the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. DeChesne at 595 Walker Street, then to the Tower Movie Theatre on First Street between Virginia and Center, and finally to the home of Angelo and Assunta Belmonte at 3036 Plumas Street. Bishop Gorman laid the cornerstone for the new church on August 13, 1939, with Governor Carville and Mayor Frolich in attendance. The church was dedicated that October, at which point Father Ryan was officially named pastor.
The first parish mission was held in 1940, the first First Communions (thirty-seven children on May 19) and Confirmations (ten girls and nine boys on May 26) followed soon after, and by September of that year membership had tripled. A new rectory on Wright Street opened in 1941, and Msgr. Patrick J. Connors, who became pastor in 1945, set in motion the next great chapter of the parish.
A School, an Expansion, and Generations of Pastors
In 1950 Msgr. Connors broke ground for a parish school. By the fall of 1951 Our Lady of the Snows School opened its doors to the first four grades, taught by Dominican Sisters from San Rafael, California. Enrollment grew so quickly that the building had to be doubled by 1957, and the first eighth-grade class graduated in 1956. In 1960 the church itself was enlarged to double its seating capacity; Bishop Dwyer dedicated the new structure on February 26, 1961, and the parish marked its Silver Jubilee in 1964.
After Msgr. Connors retired, a succession of pastors took the helm: Father Donald F. Carmody, Father Maurice Welsh (in 1970), Brother Matthew Cunningham as the first Christian Brother principal of the school, Father Joseph Baldus (in 1972), Msgr. Carmody again (in 1975), and Father Leo E. McFadden (in 1976). Father McFadden remodeled the church and dedicated the new look on December 19, 1977, then built a separate house for the priests on the Rosewood property in 1987. The Sisters of the Holy Family have been part of the parish since 1940, serving in religious education and other ministries.
Msgr. Thomas Meger took over in 1994 and oversaw another redecorating of the church interior. When illness forced his retirement in 1999, Father Bob Buchanan became pastor, joined by Sr. Marie O'Connor, OSF, who led a series of parish renewal weekends. Father Bob and Sister Anita Minihane were succeeded by Father Vincent Fallon SS in 2003, and Father Tony Vercellone served until 2019, when the current pastor arrived.
Father Bob Chorey and the Parish Today
The current pastor is Father Robert W. Chorey, who grew up in Ohio, moved to Nevada to work as a geologist in the gold mines around Elko, and was ordained in 2002. He served as parochial vicar at St. Albert the Great and St. Teresa of Avila, was named Pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine in 2004, and held several diocesan roles (Moderator of the Curia, Chancellor, Co-Director of Vocations) before being appointed Pastor of Our Lady of the Snows in 2018. In 2022 he stepped back from the diocesan positions to focus full-time on the parish.
Father Boby John Malancheruvil serves as Parochial Vicar. Deacon David Norman (and his wife Teri) assist with infant baptisms and other ministries. The parish is supported by a Parish Council, Finance Council, Parish Building Committee, School Board, and Corporate Board of lay men and women, who meet monthly to guide the work of the community.
Mass and Reconciliation Schedule
The weekend Mass schedule offers a Vigil Mass on Saturday at 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM, and three Sunday Masses at 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 5:00 PM. Weekday Masses are Monday, Thursday, and Friday at 8:00 AM, Tuesday at 6:30 PM, and Wednesday at 8:45 AM (a school Mass). On First Fridays the 8:00 AM Mass is followed by the Anointing of the Sick for anyone facing serious or chronic illness or surgery.
Reconciliation is heard on Saturdays from 2:00 to 3:00 PM or by appointment. A Parish Holy Hour is held on the second Tuesday of every month from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, and Adoration continues after the Thursday morning Masses until 11:30 AM. Civil Holiday Masses are at 9:00 AM, and Holy Days of Obligation are celebrated at 8:30 AM, 12:10 PM, and 6:30 PM. Masses are livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel.
Three parking lots are available near the church, school, and offices. Street parking is permitted as long as private driveways are not blocked.
The Sacraments
The parish prepares members for the seven sacraments in accord with the Diocese of Reno and the Code of Canon Law. Infant baptisms (children up to age seven) are celebrated during Sunday Masses throughout the year, not during Lent, with a required Baptism Preparation Class on the second Monday of each month via Zoom. Parents are expected to be active members of the parish who attend Mass weekly and contribute to parish ministry. Godparents must be practicing Catholics who have received Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion; if married, they must be married in the Catholic Church. Children above the age of seven follow the OCIA process, and adults enter through OCIA as well.
First Reconciliation is typically received in the second year of religious education. First Holy Communion follows. Confirmation is now conferred in the seventh grade following a two-year preparation that includes Family Faith Events rather than individual service hours, with the diocese having lowered the age in order to conflict less with school and sports. Marriage preparation requires a minimum of six months of contact with the priest, participation in Engaged Encounter weekends, and FOCUSS. The Anointing of the Sick is offered on the first Friday of each month after the 8:00 AM Mass, or by request.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA
Adults who wish to join the Catholic Church enter the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA). The parish team walks with inquirers through a process of formation and catechesis that culminates at the Easter Vigil, when participants are baptized, confirmed, and receive First Communion. The same process is adapted for children above the age of seven who have not yet been baptized. Practicing Catholic adults who have not yet been confirmed can also prepare for the sacrament. Baptized Catholics who have been confirmed are also encouraged to serve as OCIA sponsors.
The Welcome Home Project: A New Parish Center
The biggest project on the parish's plate is the Welcome Home Project, a long-awaited plan to construct a new Parish Center that will transform how the community gathers. The plan calls for a large gathering space with a warming kitchen, smaller breakout rooms, an outside patio, ADA-compliant offices, storage, and a day chapel. The space will host parish hospitality events, youth ministry gatherings, funeral and wedding receptions, adult faith formation meetings, children's religious education, school events, and diocesan gatherings, and will provide overflow space at Easter and Christmas.
The Construction Cabinet and Building Committee reformed in 2019 and moved through schematic design into Design and Development, completed in October 2021. The parish received approvals from the City of Reno in January 2024 and is finalizing the plans to raise the remaining funds. A $7-million gift helped push the project to roughly $18.5 million pledged of the total cost. The new center will rise on the parking lot behind the existing offices, with the current offices razed for additional space and a new lot built on parish property to the west of Wright Street. The existing Parish Center at 1200 S. Arlington Avenue will continue to be used. Father Bob's framing is simple: "Over the past 80 years the parish has adapted and changed our facilities to meet the growing needs."
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic School
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic School sits at 1125 Lander Street, a short walk from the church. The school inspires students to love learning and challenges them to reach their highest potential, partnering closely with parents. It nurtures the whole child, spiritually, physically, and intellectually, within a faith-based community that welcomes and serves all. Application is done online through snowsnv.org, with applicants providing a certified birth certificate, immunization record, and baptismal certificate. The school's principal is Tim Fuetsch. The school serves as the academic backbone of the parish, and its community life is interwoven with parish activities including school Masses on Wednesdays.
Religious Education for Children
Catechetical Religious Education (CRE) classes are offered for children who do not attend the parish school or Bishop Manogue Catholic High School. Preparation for First Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation runs through these classes, and the parish also offers a Special Religious Education track for children with particular needs. Children's Liturgy of the Word is offered during the 10:00 AM Sunday Mass for five-year-olds, kindergartners, and first graders; the children leave Mass at the beginning and return during the Presentation of Gifts, with the season running September through April. The Director of Religious Education, Zelda Casares, oversees this work with assistant Breana Vazquez.
Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry at Our Lady of the Snows gathers middle schoolers preparing for Confirmation and high schoolers who have already been confirmed, building on Catholic Religious Education through spiritual, social, and service events. Teen Service Ministry gives young people concrete ways to put faith into action, with retreats offered throughout the year for deeper formation. The Coordinator of Youth Ministry and Confirmation is Glaicy Morrison. The program follows the three goals set out in Renewing the Vision: empowering young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, drawing them into responsible participation in the Catholic community, and fostering their total personal and spiritual growth.
Young Adult Ministry and ARC
Young adults (college-aged, single and married) and ARC (Adult Reception and Connection, a group of young adult families with children) form two interwoven communities at the parish. ARC gathers for tailgates at UNR home games, game nights at the Rock House (1045 Lander Street), and after-Mass hospitality, and is open to single or married participants. Young adults gather for faith sharing on the first Tuesday of each month and a potluck on the third Tuesday, both at the Rock House from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, reading and discussing the upcoming Sunday's Gospel. Karen Totten, the Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation, oversees these ministries.
Scripture Studies and Adult Faith Formation
Three parish Bible studies anchor adult faith formation: a Women's Bible Study, the Arise Women's Bible Study (currently paused), and a Men's Bible Study. Small faith-sharing communities give members a circle to grow in Christian living and service. Throughout the year the parish also hosts retreats for adults. The FORMED.org subscription provides thousands of books, audio talks, movies, documentaries, and studies that members can stream at home, on the go, or through apps on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Roku.
Liturgical Ministries
Liturgical ministry at Our Lady of the Snows is a wide tent. Eucharistic Ministers assist with the distribution of Holy Communion and must themselves have been baptized, confirmed, and received First Communion. Lectors proclaim the Sacred Scripture and read the prayers of the faithful. Altar Servers, boys and girls who have made their First Communion, assist the priest during Mass. Mass Sacristans prepare the vessels and liturgical ministers, arriving thirty minutes before Mass. Ushers and Greeters welcome worshippers at the door, arriving twenty minutes early for a few minutes of prayer before taking up their posts. The Director of Music Ministries, Joseph DeRosa, leads the music program.
Pastoral Care and Outreach
The parish extends care to those who cannot easily come to church. Ministers bring Communion to the homebound and visit parishioners in nursing homes. The "Needy" ministry assists parishioners and neighbors in difficulty, and a regular Food Distribution has long been part of parish life, with Deacon Dave Norman coordinating the Tuesday distributions. A funeral ministry helps grieving families plan the liturgies and readings. Catholics in Recovery gathers those seeking companionship on the journey of recovery. The parish also operates a Sister Parish Fund, supported by rebates from the annual Catholic Services Appeal.
Parish Organizations
Two long-running organizations help knit the community together. The Knights of Columbus, Council 4997, is a fraternity of Catholic men committed to charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. The Snows Women's Auxiliary (SWA) began in November 2012 among wives of Knights and has grown to about 100 women who socialize, share faith, and raise money for the parish, school, and local charities through events like a Garden Party and an annual golf tournament. SWA's mission is to promote sociability among members, charitable service to the church, and cooperation with the Knights.
Vocational Ministry
The parish takes seriously the universal call to holiness. A Vocational Chalice program asks households to take home a chalice once used by Msgr. Leo McFadden and pray daily for vocations to Matrimony and Holy Orders, returning it to the parish by week's end. The parish writes notes of support to diocesan seminarians and contributes to the Thomas S. Dolan Endowment for Seminarians, established through a $1-million gift and grown to roughly $1.6 million. Marriage ministry extends support beyond the wedding day itself, with ARC ministry offering community in the early decades of married life and other couples invited to volunteer with Engaged Encounter.
Safe Environment
The Diocese of Reno requires all adults who work with children and youth, whether as employees or volunteers, to complete the Protecting God's Children awareness session through VIRTUS, submit to a background check, and read periodic online bulletins. Those who volunteer directly with children also submit fingerprints. The parish notes that this training is required before any volunteer activity and is renewed every five years.
Online Giving and Communications
Parishioners can give online through WeShare for weekly offerings, special collections, and the annual Catholic Services Appeal (CSA), with options for one-time or recurring donations. The parish also sends regular newsletters through Flocknote, posts the Sunday bulletin online, and livestreams Mass on its YouTube channel. Father Bob writes weekly pastor's notes, and weekend homilies (often by Father Boby John) are posted as downloadable PDFs.
Parish Office
The parish offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 AM to noon. Father Bob invites parishioners to book time to meet with him through his online calendar. The mailing address is 1138 Wright Street, Reno, Nevada 89509, and the parish can be reached at 775-323-6894 or secretary@olsparish.com.