Mario Cañedo
Assistant Pastor - Administrator and Spanish
Mario oversees the Spanish Congregation and is responsible to teach the Word of God in Español. Mario and his wife, Patty, have three boys and have been serving for over 12 years here at Calvary Chapel Rialto.
Mario grew up in Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego, California. His father was a life-long sailor and was home off and on due to deployments. His mother was at home with the children in San Diego. Grandma and the rest of mom’s family were in Tijuana, so it was a constant commute between countries.
At the age of 18 Mario joined the U.S. Army where he served honorably for 21 years. 18 of those years he served as a Chaplain’s Assistant. On 13 December 1984, while at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, through The Navigators, a Christian organization that reaches out to service members, he met and accepted the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior. He was baptized at Salem Baptist Church in Kentucky, a little Southern Baptist Church, which demonstrated that God’s love has no barriers.
During his second tour of duty it was a hardship to be alone in Hawaii. So our good Lord blessed him with a lovely wife, Patricia Ann Rivera (Patty). He knew that the Lord had blessed him with a wonderful gift. They fell deeply in love chasing sunsets, courted and within 7 months they were married. They have been married for 20 years and have three wonderful sons, Mario (Danny), Aaron, & Andrew.
Mario and Patty have been active in ministry since meeting in Hawaii. They have served in missions, children’s ministry, outreaches and disciplining. They have been at Calvary Chapel Rialto for over 12 years. Mario has had the opportunity to minister, as he puts it, “as a missionary to the military”, as a Chaplain’s Assistant in Panama, Bosnia - Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Cuba, and in other state side duties.
Mario was called away from Calvary Chapel Rialto for a brief period of time in 2006. He was the associate Pastor at Calvary Chapel Pomona under Pastor Fausto Flucker for six months. During that time, Mario was called back into active duty on the U.S. Border Mission in San Diego. Mario continued to commute between San Diego and San Bernardino. Mario was given the responsibility of the Spanish Congregation of Calvary Chapel Rialto on 1 October 2006 and continued his Army responsibilities through the end of the 2006.
Mario was ordained on 12 November 2006 with his wife and children at his side and came on full time staff on 2 January 2007. He retired from the U. S. Army California Army National Guard in June 2007.
“O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Psalm 34:3