Monsignor Harvey Fonseca spent his final week as a parish priest blessing hundreds of people, embracing longtime churchgoers, and receiving a few standing ovations after Mass.
Fonseca — a Dos Palos native who has lived an incredibly full life in a variety of roles in the local community — has stepped into retirement after 30 years of leadership at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Livingston.
The beloved pastor is credited for reinvigorating a poor parish, upgrading facilities, saving adored statues and helping to inspire thousands of pilgrims to come to the church — a Diocesan Shrine — and embrace salvation.
Fonseca is also known for his warm smile, friendly approach, and a somewhat dry sense of humor — often when a captive audience needs it the most…