Even the threat of a blustery spring storm that swept through the Sierras did nothing to dampen the spirits of well over 700 people who filled the new church for St. Theresa Parish in South Lake Tahoe April 16.

For parishioners, friends and area residents, the dedication day was one to savor. Deanna Brothers, whose parents first brought her as a child to St. Theresa 30 years ago, saw the day as filled with promise and rebirth for the parish community.

“This is a stronger-fitting church for the whole new generation that is coming,” she said.“It’s a beautiful structure designed to bring everyone together.”

A mother with children offers a prayer by a stained glass portrayal of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Cathy Joyce/Herald photo

At the dedication Mass, celebrated by Bishop William K. Weigand, Msgr. Murrough Wallace, pastor of St. Theresa, spoke of the milestone as part of the journey begun 49 years earlier with the parish’s founding.

“Now to celebrate the personal enrichment, to celebrate the faith that we have, we build a house which becomes a faith-filled building because we are here,” he said. “When we can say…the spirit of God dwells within each one of us personally, this building will be transformed into the house of the Lord.”

Dedication festivities included a reception at Harrah’s Hotel following the Mass. A Friday reception held in the new social hall included tours of the facility.

Built of granite fieldstone with interior accents of oak and knotty pine, the 15,000 square-foot church facility design is rustic alpine with elegant expanses of blue-green stained glass windows.

The church sanctuary features a 30-foot panoramic view of the Sierras and lofty roof radiating down from the altar area.

“One of the design goals was to create an inspirational environment,” said Lyn Barnett, chairman of the parish’s building and finance committees. “As people walk closer to the altar, there is a feeling of becoming closer to God.”

Planners utilized recycled knotty pine paneling, oak pews and an altar table from the old church, furthering another design goal.

“Anyone who was part of the old church will be able to walk into the new church and feel at home,” Barnett noted.

Other components of the new church facility are a gathering area with a liturgical art wall and a social hall which will also serve as a multi-purpose room for St. Theresa School.

The new church, which will accommodate 700 people, will eliminate overcrowding at Masses that were typically standing room only especially during the summer months.

“Part of the reason we built this church was to handle our summer visitors—about 2,000 people from all over the country who make our church their home away from home,” Msgr. Wallace said.

More space was lost three years ago with the closure of an outdoor chapel near Stateline when the property was needed by a private water district for a water filtering plant.

The new church eliminates the need for a special Mass schedule to accommodate summer visitors. A year-round weekend Mass schedule includes six Masses.

Financing the $2.75 million project was accomplished through a fund-raising campaign begun three years ago which raised approximately $850,000, coupled with parish savings, the seed money of which was left to the parish by members of the Globen estate, St. Theresa parishioners in the late 1950s. “We had a tremendous response from a very supportive parish community, including many large donations from our summer visitors,” Msgr. Wallace said.

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