Priest reflects on 38 years of service, community, and calling

HOLTVILLE — Surrounded by parishioners who filled the church to capacity, Father José Alfredo Moreno celebrated 38 years of priesthood on Sunday, marking a milestone he decided to honor early due to a packed December schedule.

Moreno, ordained in December 1987 in Mexicali, has served congregations throughout the Imperial Valley and beyond—from Westmorland and Calipatria to Calexico, Chula Vista, and most recently at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Holtville. “Practically everyone in the Imperial Valley knows you,” the interviewer told him. He nodded with a laugh. “Yes, yes, yes… 38 years of ordination.”