Monday, December 01, 2008

By SUE NOWICKI
snowicki@modbee.com

last updated: July 12, 2008 06:52:06 AM

The copper dome shimmers in the valley's 100-plus-degree heat. Mosaic floor tiles are taking shape, solid wood doors are hung and other finishing work is going on inside, as trees and shrubs settle into the dirt behind the grand building on Maze Boulevard.

St. Stanislaus Catholic Church is -- after more than 10 years of planning, fund-raising and construction -- nearing completion. The contractor, T.B. Penick and Sons, should be finished with its part of the 26,250-square-foot project in a couple of weeks.

That leaves the inside furnishings, stained-glass windows and other objects to be completed by the parish, working with a liturgical

consultant, Brother Joseph Aspell, who is based in San Jose.

"I want to have people in it on the 11th of October (the initial target date), but there is more to finishing the interior than meets the eye. The building is so beautiful, we must do the inside right," said Monsignor Robert Silva, sent to the parish from the diocese office in Stockton to complete the project that has proved a challenge to three previous pastors.

A fourth, the Rev. Ramon Bejarano who leads Holy Family parish in north Modesto, will take over as pastor at St. Stanislaus on

Sept. 1. Father David Dutra, ordained to the priesthood a year ago, joins the parish on a part-time basis Aug. 1.

Finished or not, the church is inspiring, filled with graceful lines and luminous light.

"I give real credit to the architect who envisioned this building with its play of light," said Silva. "Having been the pastor of the Cathedral (of the Annunciation, in Stockton) and having restored all those magnificent windows, it's a different era. The cathedral is a place where the people come to look up, to be lifted up. The understanding of this church is that God is with us. God is light.

"They're both correct -- it's different eras, different emphasis."

Parishioners excited

The St. Stanislaus parish includes 4,500 families at last count. Monica Gunn has been a member since 1989 and worships at the original church building at Second and J streets in downtown Modesto. That building, which seats 388, will become a chapel for smaller gatherings after the new church is completed.

"It's gorgeous," Gunn said of the new structure. "I'm looking forward to a newer place to worship in."

Pat Torres, a parish member for about 30 years, said she's excited to see the end in sight.

"I'm hoping that it will draw a lot of people to come and worship here," she said. "A lot of people have left, and I hope they come back."

She's especially looking forward to the Adoration Chapel, a room dedicated to special worship and prayer.

"I enjoy adoration, and I think it will be beautiful, so it will draw me into prayer and meditation," Torres said. "It will be a nice place to go, an oasis."

Alicia Lozano has been a member of the parish since 1997, shortly after moving to Modesto from Southern California. She and her husband were part of the first building campaign to raise money for the project.

"It's definitely a glory to God, an amazing edifice," said Lozano, who has six children, ranging in age from 15 to 22. She attends the LifeTeen Mass at the community center at St. Stanislaus parish school with her husband and teenagers.

"It's worth waiting for. I feel like we had a teeny tiny little part of it, but that teeny tiny part is so huge and fulfilling," she said. "With every one of us doing a little bit, look what it's brought. It's OK that it's taken so many years."

Silva said, "I am really, really impressed with the project core committee that over a period of seven to 10 years put this project together. They really did a miraculous job."

Silva, who arrived at the parish in December after the sudden resignation of the Rev. Lonachan Arouje, said his biggest challenge was "to come in at the time I did and have to pick up in the middle of the stream and be the chief decision-maker when these people had been working on it for so long. I had to do it -- to get it done and figure out how to pay for it."

The initial $15 million to the contractor included $10 million donated by parishioners plus a bank loan. Silva said it will take an additional $10 million to pay off the loan and finish the project.

Silva said his task came with a warning.

"I was told: 'Don't you fall in love with those people because I have other work for you,' " he said with a laugh. "I said, 'You're too late.' The people here are wonderful. I'll leave a piece of my heart here."

That piece of his heart will be left behind in September when the new pastor arrives and Silva returns to his full-time job as director of pastoral leadership for the diocese. Although he'll be gone when the project is complete, he has no hesitation when asked about the best part of the new church.

He said it conveys "God is alive and with us, and he's not staying in his heaven. That makes us alive ourselves. Even if people don't believe in God, the building radiates hope."

Bee staff writer Sue Nowicki can be reached at 578-2012 or snowicki@modbee.com.

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