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Officially, he’s the Rev. Enrique (Rick) Fierros. But to members of his congregation, the accessible spiritual leader and friend is known affectionately as “El Padre Homeboy.”

“His door is always open after Mass — and there’s often a line into the sanctuary,” said parishioner Jay Tamsi.

“His love and care is real for his people and all those he serves,” echoed Juan Medina.

On June 17, Father Fierros, 57, who serves as pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Delano and St. Vincent’s Mission Church in nearby Richgrove, celebrated his 30th anniversary as a Catholic priest, and his 13th year in the Delano community.

“He’s been a strong arm of our community, but he does it behind the scenes,” said Medina. “He’s never afraid to defend our raza.”

In the 1960s, Fierros was in his second year at Ventura College, hoping to go into law and heavily involved in politics and the Chicano Movement.

“Then I had a change in my thinking, and my spirituality became a lot stronger,” said Fierros, who switched career paths, and went on to attend St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, Calif.

In 1969, Fierros spent an enlightening summer at a migrant labor camp in Delano.

“I was lucky, my family was middle class, so I didn’t realize how people lived,” said Fierros, who would return to Delano in 1994.

Today, Fierros serves 4,800 registered St. Mary’s families, and 2,000 at St. Vincent’s.

“I don’t think people realize that priests wear many hats,” said Tamsi, who’s known Fierros for 13 years and was in the first wedding Fierros performed at St. Mary’s. “In the morning, you could have a funeral, then in the afternoon, a wedding. You’re constantly catering to people’s needs.”

Tamsi praised Fierros for not just performing the sacraments, but taking the time to make sure his parishioners understand the significance of each ritual, whether it be a baptism, confirmation or marriage.

“He really takes the time to get the point across,” said Tamsi, who added that Fierros does the same with the Gospel, making sure everyone — from children to seniors — can relate to his sermons.

Fierros said he considers his main accomplishment at St. Mary’s, made up predominantly of Hispanic and Filipino parishioners, as the growing harmony between farmers and farmworkers.

“It’s wonderful to see two men, who used to be on opposite sides, now sit in church together,” said Fierros.

His other passion is encouraging higher education, and Fierros spends much of his summer going to parishioners’ homes, extolling the virtues of sending children to college.

“These are smart kids, and they’re getting offered scholarships, but it’s hard for some kids to break away, especially the girls,” said Fierros.

He said the greatest reward is seeing that young people who once worked in the fields are now teachers themselves.

“That means all of the efforts have paid off,” said Fierros, who plans to continue to live up to his reputation of a priest with love for his people and generosity with his time.

“People know I’m available to them. They have my number. They’re good about coming after me,” said Fierros, chuckling.