Modbee St. Stanislaus story #1
History
Special Section
Modesto’s first Roman Catholic church marks 130 years
By Heidi Howell
Special to Bee Creative
The
legacy established by the original St. Stanislaus Parish in 1878 rolls
forward this Sunday as the freshly minted St. Stanislaus Catholic
Church on Maze Boulevard is dedicated.
But before the baton is passed, let’s take a moment to review some of the history behind this shiny new house of worship.
With
no established Catholic churches in the area in 1862, former miner and
devout Catholic John Murphy found a way to help bridge the gap. He
began transporting “guest” priests from Stockton by horse and buggy to
conduct masses in his home in Murphy’s Switch – the town he founded
that was later named Salida.
As a side note, among the
descendants of this notable pioneer is longtime parishioner Myrne
Hammett Madonna. The former co-owner of Hammett’s Women’s Wear in
McHenry Village is also the great granddaughter of John Murphy.
Fueled
by an increasing need for a permanent pastor, Murphy and other
residents eventually persuaded Archbishop Montgomery to send two
priests to the area to offer mass in various homes. They traveled from
Stockton by horse and buggy, then were ferried across the Stanislaus
River.
In June 1878, Modesto’s first Catholic church, a small
wooden chapel with about 200 seats, was dedicated. Located between J
and K streets, the land was purchased for roughly $750 and building
costs totaled $3,600. Mass was held every two weeks in the modest
building, which measured 28 feet by 48 feet. In 1881, the Rev. Patrick
Walsh became the resident pastor, and masses were increased to once a
week.
There were about 100 member families in the territory at
the time, and 1,700 Modesto residents. The majority of families were
Irish, with the remainder of Basque, Italian, Portuguese and Mexican
descent.
The growing parish of 500 member families warranted the
construction of a larger church that could accommodate 600 people.
Ground was broken in May 1913 for a Spanish Colonial-style church made
of wood, steel and concrete. It was dedicated the following December.
People
turned out by the thousands to witness the laying of the cornerstone.
Some traveled on foot, others by horse-drawn carriage, train and even a
few were conveyed by that curious new machine, the automobile. After
the 8 o’clock mass, there was a parade through town, led by the Modesto
Brass Band.
The historic St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, which
still stands at Seventh and J streets, measures 48 feet by 112 feet and
features two 75-foot towers. Originally equipped with a humble reed
organ, the church cost $23,500 to build. Additional initial fees
included $4,000 for fittings, $1,500 for pews and memorial windows totaling
$1,000.
The church is named after St. Stanislaus of Krakow,
the patron saint of Poland. Centuries later, there would be another
bishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla, who eventually became Pope John-Paul
II.
“St. Stanislaus is the mother parish of all the other
Catholic Churches,” says Tom Byrne, currently a volunteer for the
church’s capital campaign. “Next to fall in line was Our Lady of
Fatima, then St. Joseph’s followed by St. Jude’s in Ceres and most
recently, Holy Family. This is the original church. I love to remind
people when I ask for contributions that we were the mother parish;
Honor thy mother.”
Myrne Hammett Madonna, who was baptized in
the second St. Stanislaus church, recalls a long history with the
parish community. “My son was in the first class of St. Stanislaus
School and he and my daughter both graduated from there,” she says.
“The church has a lot of meaning to me because I grew up there, my
parents married there, I was married there; it’s just history in my
family. I’m so sentimental about the old church.”
Madonna has
watched the new church being built and says that although it doesn’t
have the same meaning as the older one, it is “very beautiful.”
Ida
Dusi has been a member of the St. Stanislaus Catholic Community for 50
years. She still walks to church each day to attend daily mass at the
Seventh and J building. “The old church reminds me of my church in
Italy,” she says. “It makes me feel good. We love the old church.” Dusi
hasn’t yet seen the new church in person, but hopes to attend the
dedication. “I’ve heard it’s beautiful. It looks like a cathedral.”
Parishioner
Jenny Kenoyer moved from Patterson to Modesto in 1940. She is an
extraordinary minister of communion for St. Stanislaus and heads the
Lazarus ministry, which provides receptions for funerals. Two
interesting historical facts from the church’s bygone days she
mentioned were the death of Reverend Father P. Smith, who suddenly
dropped dead at the altar during mass in April 1898, and one day in the
1980s when “someone came in the church and knocked over and broke every
statue. Father John Silva got people to donate the money to restore
each statue.”
Although the old church will always be close to
her heart, Kenoyer thinks the new church is “fantastic.” Commenting on
its massive size, she observes, “People say it’s such a huge church,
but I’m thinking 95 years ago when they had 600 people and they built
the older church that’s there now, they probably said, ‘Why are you
building such a big church?’ Well this new church is going to stand 100
years from now and people are going to look back on it and say, ‘Why
didn’t you build a bigger church?’” Kenoyer adds that the
soon-to-be-dedicated church is God’s house and “I believe that God
deserves the best.”
Project Core Team member Ann Endsley says
the 95-year-old church has “been the site of many weddings, baptisms,
funerals and celebrations, both happy and sad.” Current plans for the
site include continuing to host smaller funerals, weddings and
small-scale liturgies. Daily masses will carry on as well, although the
new church will be the primary location for sacraments and Sunday
masses.
Calling the historic church a “landmark,” Endsley
says, “It’s almost like a mission down there. People see the cross;
they’re drawn to it. It’s a beacon in a way, where people can go for
solace and help. It’s a real treasure to all of us – not just to us,
but to our community.”
More historical information on St.
Stanislaus Catholic Church can be found in fall 2008 issue of the
McHenry Museum newsletter, Stanislaus Stepping Stones.
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Modbee St. Stanislaus story #2
Cultural Diversity
Special Section
St. Stanislaus Catholic Community embraces cultural diversity
By Heidi Howell
Special to Bee Creative
With
staff members originating from Mexico, the United States, Central and
South America, the Azores and the Philippines, Modesto’s St. Stanislaus
Catholic Church is well equipped to serve the culturally enriched local
population.
“An ethnically diverse staff is needed for an
ethnically diverse parish – for language needs and for the different
cultural issues,” says David Martini, Project Core Team chairman for St.
Stanislaus Catholic Community. “This continues to strengthen the spirit
of oneness.”
Like many other St. Stanislaus community members,
Martini sees the benefits of a multicultural organization. The diversity
of languages among parishioners provides one indicator. Current church
figures show that just over 50 percent of St. Stanislaus parishioners
speak Spanish, with numerous registered households of Mexican,
Portuguese and Central and South American descent. Most other members in
the congregation speak English, although several countries are
represented, including the U.S., Ireland, Switzerland, Denmark and
Italy.
To make it possible for the vast majority of parishioners
to participate in liturgical services, the church holds separate masses
or Eucharistic Sacrifices. The historic church at 709 J Street in
Modesto currently celebrates six masses in English and four in Spanish
on weekends, plus a daily mass in each language, says Deacon José Reyes.
During
Pentecost, a mass is also conducted in Portuguese. On other occasions,
such as Thanksgiving, the mass is trilingual and Prayers of the Faithful
are offered in up to seven languages, he says, including Dutch,
Tagalog, Portuguese and Italian. With the new church opening on Maze
Boulevard, schedules are expected to change.
According to the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, modern church membership
is drawn from every conceivable culture and race. “The church in the
United States is changing because of ongoing immigration from Latin
America, Asia and Africa,” says Allan Figueroa Deck, S.J. Secretariat of
Cultural Diversity in the Church. “No longer is the church here made up
primarily of people of European ancestry. Today more than half of the
67 million U.S. Catholics trace their heritage to someplace other than
Europe.”
Conference statistics show that the church has seen a
strong Latin American influence. In fact, Sunday masses in more than
4,000 parishes are performed in Spanish in virtually every part of the
nation. Hundreds of other parishes provide mass and other services in
languages other than English or Spanish.
Figueroa also notes that
changes have occurred in terms of styles of prayer and worship as well.
“People incorporate customs brought from afar,” he says. This shift has
paved the way for increased societal unity. “Today American Catholics
are becoming a human bridge to other worlds, linking their country in
solidarity to populations, Catholic and non-Catholic, across the seas as
never before possible.”
St. Stanislaus Deacon José Reyes agrees
that diversity has a way of enriching the lives of the church and its
people “in the many different expressions of faith and getting to know
how other cultures worship. To see all of that in the same place makes
me feel that the kingdom of God is diverse. We are all equal in His
eyes. And although we are not created the same, our diversity is what
makes us interesting!”
One can be bilingual without being
bicultural, Reyes observes. “It’s not just the language that people
speak, it is understanding and respecting the core values of various
cultures that matters. If we want to truly reach integration of
different cultures, it’s important that we understand not only the
language – which is just a superficial aspect of a culture – but also
the core values of the culture.”
Church activities unite members
and help them get to know one another. Reyes says parishioners are kept
well informed about upcoming events. “Our Sunday bulletin, where we
announce all our activities, is published in both English and Spanish.
From the pulpit, announcements are made as well.”
One recent
multicultural event held at the new St. Stanislaus Catholic Church,
called “Taste of the Parish,” featured a multi-lingual concert and foods
prepared by parishioners. St. Stanislaus office manager Betty Lee says
many cultures were represented, as people brought soda bread from
Ireland, desserts from Mexico, Polish vegetables, Swedish timbales and
even an Italian frittata.
Reflecting some of the diverse
backgrounds of the local community are two statues located in the St.
Stanislaus church on J Street. One is a shrine to Our Lady of Fatima,
which serves those of Portuguese and other ancestries, while the other
honors Our Lady of Guadalupe, and invites Mexican and other Hispanic
parishioners to pay their respects.
Office manager Betty Lee is
grateful for the multicultural opportunities offered by the St.
Stanislaus Catholic Community, where her daughter witnesses customs from
various countries. “Just recently we learned about the Feast of the
Epiphany, and the traditions that my daughter’s friends celebrate with
the Three Kings visiting baby Jesus,” Lee says. “It all happens right
here in our parish. We don’t have to travel far distances or read it in a
book; we can experience it first-hand. It’s definitely a blessing that
feels richer when you can experience it that way.”
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Modbee St. Stanislaus story #3
Building of the new church
Special Section
New Catholic Church result of ‘blood, sweat and tears’
By Heidi Howell
Special to Bee Creative
Just
over 10 years ago, the long uphill climb to plan, design, build and
dedicate the new St. Stanislaus Catholic Church on Maze Boulevard began.
Many of those in attendance at the upcoming Dedication Mass have helped
bring this stunning edifice to fruition.
A Project Core Team
comprised of lay parishioners and church staff has met weekly for a
decade to move the project forward. “Any group that meets so often
understands that it takes the ‘blood, sweat and tears’ of dedication to
complete a task of this magnitude,” says David Martini, Project Core
Team chairman.
Tasks included assisting the architect, assessing
worship and ministry needs, choosing a general contractor and overseeing
construction of the largest Catholic church in the area.
Costs
for the 26,250-square-foot building and site improvements total roughly
$16,000,000, plus municipal, consultant, architectural and other fees.
Team
member Tom Byrne says the project began “when Bishop Donald Montrose
told Father Bill McDonald that he wanted Father Bill to build a new
church.” McDonald admonished the group to build a church where “when you
walk in, you feel called to pray.”
A master plan was developed
and a number of challenges ensued, including parish school concerns,
family and work commitments of committee members, and pastors with
varying personalities and skills, Byrne recalls. “The blood, sweat and
tears come over time. We had to say a prayer and take a leap of faith.”
The
group originally thought the building could be constructed and paid for
in five years, but later realized it wouldn’t happen.
“Some
stressors we had no control over,” Byrne says. For example, “There were
issues resulting in a 14-month tug of war over Maze Boulevard being a
highway. We couldn’t go forward in that time and the prices of steel and
concrete went through the roof.”
The Project Core Team started
as a group of 12 parishioners and ended up like a family, Byrne says,
adding that the team and others have spent “many thousands of hours”
bringing the church to this point.
Current team members include
David Martini, Joan O’Neil, Tom O’Donnell, Dan Sciabica, Tom Byrne,
Betty Lee, Ann Endsley, Sally Tanaka, Greg Dias, Deacon José Reyes and
the current Pastor, Father Ramon Bejarano. Past members were Jeff
Persons, Tom Gallo and Cindy Murray.
All are to be commended for
their service. “Hundreds of others have helped as well,” Deacon José
Reyes says. “It would be impossible to thank them all by name.”
Team
member Ann Endlsey says the new church blends many classical elements.
“We have traditional pointed gothic arches that celebrate our history
and faith, but they’re made out of new materials.” There are also
rounded arches, which the pews match.
“We wanted to look to the
future of the church, our world and our kids, but respect the heritage
of the past,” Endsley says. One very classical element is the ambulatory
around the church. “It’s like the walkways used for processions in the
early church.”
Symbolism is found in the way the interior
baptismal font is aligned with the altar, crucifix and future depiction
of the risen Christ. “These things are all in line to signify the
progression of life,” she says.
Decorated in mostly neutral
tones, the church is “a really peaceful, calm place and the colors have a
lot to do with that,” Endsley says.
The church is built in a
cruciform design, explains Betty Lee, office manager for St. Stanislaus
Catholic Community. “If you look at it from an aerial view, it’s in the
shape of a cross.”
Lee says the design incorporates the church
community’s mission statement, which reads in part, “Gathered around
Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, we seek to build a strong family of
faith,” she notes. “The pews actually surround the altar, and the altar
comes out into the congregation, so you literally gather around the
table of the Lord.”
It’s very emotional to see the church and
know what has gone into building it, Lee says. “Not just hours, but time
and tears and toil.” Worshiping in the new church, which seats 1,326,
will allow masses to be held in one building. “We’ll get to see and sit
with more of our parish family and we won’t be separated anymore.”
Built
in the middle of a vineyard, the church has special significance in the
Christian world, Deacon José Reyes says. “Since Jesus’ times, vineyards
and wine have been part of our ritual celebrations. In preparing the
site for the building, we tried to preserve as much as we could of the
vineyard.”
“The landscaping gets you sort of settled down and
calm and ready to go in to worship,” Endsley says. “The paths, gathering
plaza and the four oak trees bring people into the center.”
Bishop
Stephen E. Blaire of the Stockton Diocese is pleased to see the church
come to completion. He says it’s been so long in the planning and there
have been many delays along the way, but “it’s a very good feeling to
know that the church building is finished and it is ready to be
dedicated, to be used.”
The church has been needed for a long
time because the older church has not been able to accommodate the
increasing Catholic population, he says. The new church is “a credit to
the people of St. Stanislaus parish that they have persevered through
these years.” He’s confident that the parishioners will rally to pay for
the building. “It’s a wonderful tribute to the generosity of the
people.”
The Rev. Ramon Bejarano says the new church is a house
of God where people will feel at home and “can come and have a personal
encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Dedication Mass for
the new St. Stanislaus Catholic Church located at 1200 Maze Boulevard in
Modesto begins at 3 p.m., Wednesday, February 15. Due to space
limitations, attendance is by invitation only to registered parishioners
and a few community members.
One of the most solemn masses in
the Catholic Church, a Dedication Mass can last up to three hours, Reyes
says. It begins with a procession from the community center (the gym at
St. Stanislaus School) to the new church site.
The church doors
remain locked until the procession arrives, at which time a special
ceremony takes place. “Members who have been involved in the building
project will give the keys to Bishop Blaire. He will say a few words,
then open the church for the procession to enter,” Reyes says.
Activities
will include the blessing of the baptismal font, sprinkling of the
community (parishioners) with water, the burning of a great deal of
incense, anointing the altar and walls with oil, and blessing the altar.
Next is the liturgy (prayer) of the Eucharist, followed by communion
and a reception.
“Before the Dedication Mass, the church is just a
building,” Reyes says. “Afterward, it becomes a church. It’s like
baptizing and confirming the church.”
When asked what she wants people to know about the new church, Betty Lee responds, “That it’s there for everyone.”
>caption
The
new church is crowned with a large copper dome topped with a 9-foot
gold-plated cross positioned directly over the altar below.
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Modbee St. Stanislaus story #4
Future
Special Section
Campus to grow, add services over time
By Heidi Howell
Special to Bee Creative
Sometime
down the road, seekers of solace will peacefully journey through the
memorial labyrinth on the sprawling grounds of the new St. Stanislaus
Catholic Church. As darkness falls, perhaps some of these same
individuals will savor joyful sounds with friends at the outdoor
amphitheatre.
Over the next few years, the St. Stanislaus
Catholic Community will put the finishing touches on its spectacular new
church. Stained glass windows, statuary, murals, wooden antique altars
and water features will grace the structure and landscape.
“The
landscaping is meant to begin the worship even before entering the
church building,” says David Martini, St. Stanislaus Project Core Team
chairman. “The walkways and spaces are for meditation, prayer,
processions, liturgical celebrations and devotions.”
Deacon José
Reyes notes, “We started building this church about 10 years ago.
Certainly we will not finish this year. This is a project for future
generations to complete as well.”
The time line is somewhat open.
“Our first goal right now is to pay the debt for this church,” Reyes
says. “After that, we will continue the master plan but it will be based
on our ability to raise funds for it. The project will be driven by the
community – where it wants to go and what the community is willing to
support.”
The most recent master plan summary states that the new
church building and surrounding site improvements are phase one of an
extensive future development that will “enable St. Stanislaus Catholic
Church to continue its 127-year history of providing a spiritual home
for people of many different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.”
Once
the main church building is finished, dedicated and paid for, future
parishioners and guests can look forward to the construction of a new
ministries building. Proposed are administrative offices, conference
rooms, outreach programs for the needy, childcare and youth centers, a
large hall with kitchen, a parish library, music rehearsal room and a
gift shop.
A priest’s home or rectory is also specified, along
with a daily mass chapel and a meditation garden. Other distant future
projects include remodeling of the community center and improvements to
the parish school.
In addition to the physical future of the building, it’s also important to consider the spiritual future of the parish.
“The
main work of the church is the salvation of souls, so our church, St.
Stanislaus, has a very rich history of ministries and reaching out to
people and to the community,” says Reverend Ramon Bejarano. He notes
that there will be an emphasis on youth and family outreach. He also
hopes to develop a jail ministry.
Built decades ago near what is
now the new church site on Maze Boulevard, are St. Stanislaus Parish
School, The Sisters of the Cross convent and the adjacent gym known as
the community center, which houses several sessions of mass. “We had
outgrown our existing (downtown) church,” David Martini says. “On
weekends, our priests celebrated as many as 12 masses, some of them for
over 1,200 people in our school gym.”
Betty Lee, office manager
for St. Stanislaus Catholic Community, says “Someday it will look like a
Catholic campus with Central Catholic High School and our preschool
through 8th grade (St. Stanislaus Parish School) on the corner of Maze
and Carpenter.”
She clarifies that Central Catholic High School,
which is part of the Stockton Diocese, is not owned by St. Stanislaus.
“But since we’re neighbors, we celebrate being there together.”
Lee
anticipates a lot of future activity at the Maze site, starting with
the ministries building that will serve all religious education. “There
will be places to meet and offices. It will be this buzzing campus of
Catholic work.”
© HHWS for The Modesto Bee
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