It was a project that began as the dream of a warmhearted Irish pastor.

But before the rennovation of Holy Family Church in Portola was finished, it would call up a mountain of support and faith from its parish community.

Father Bernard Burns, who retired in 1998 after 31 years of ministry at Holy Family, began work on improvements seven years ago by building a new parish hall. The next step was to find funds for work on the church, which had taken to occasionally dropping tiles from its ceiling. But what was needed more than anything was more room.

Former pastor of Holy Family, Father Bernard Burns (left), Bishop William K. Weigand (center) and current pastor Father Glenn Dare enjoy the festivities at the rededication of the church in Portola. Teri Nacar/Portola Reporter photo

Agnes and Jerry Gervais, who have lived in Portola for 54 years, know just about every nook and cranny in the church where both serve as eucharistic ministers. Jerry, who has served as Portola’s mayor and worked as a conductor for the former Western Pacific Railroad, trained the altar servers while Agnes played the organ and cared for the altar linens.

“We needed a church large enough to take care of the parish,” Agnes said. “It was so over crowded that people would be standing in the aisles for Mass and sometimes outside at funerals.”

The 340 families in the parish went about supporting a rebuilding of the church that would double its size and increase seating capacity to 350 people. Five new stained glass windows were put in, a new handicap entry and exits were completed, and pews and parking added.

A monthly building fund collection raised more than $200,000 for the $500,000 project.

“The parish was just incredibly supportive,” said Father Glenn Dare, who became pastor two years ago. “People in the communities of Portola and Loyalton work very well together.”

Last November, however, flames shot through the roof of the church just weeks before the renovation was complete. The news of the accidental fire shot through the community like a lightning bolt.

“It really tore us up,” Agnes Gervais recalled, adding, “but people didn’t give up at all.”

What they did, recalled Father Dare, was “regroup and start over.”

Since the fire Betty Folchi, chairwoman of the building committee, has taken to calling Holy Family “the little parish that could.”

“To do what we have done, people have fulfilled pledges and kept on giving. We’ve really pulled together,” Folchi said.

The Gervais family credits Father Dare with providing the leadership to make it all work out.

“Father knows how to get things done,” said Agnes Gervais with a chuckle. “All the stained glass windows were donated.”

On May 13, parishioners of Holy Family gathered for a special Mass to rededicate their newly rebuilt church. Also on hand was Father Burns, who flew in from Cavan County in Ireland for the event.

Bishop William K. Weigand celebrated the Mass, which was followed by a reception in the recently re-named Father Burns Parish Hall.

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