St. Clare Parish celebrates new year with opening of landmark church

Over the past nine years, St. Clare parishioners have participated in Masses in an amazing variety of locations—from a giant tent to member’s homes, schools, a community church and even the dining room of their pastor’s rectory.

Their children have attended religious education classes in an equal number of locations.

And all the while the parish has grown from 40 to more than 800 families.

So when the much-anticipated day of dedication of the new St Clare Church at 1950 Junction Blvd. in west Roseville arrives Jan. 27, it’s a safe bet everyone will be there.

“We’ve been packing and unpacking and growing,” said Father Colin Macdonald, pastor of St. Clare, which serves the western part of Roseville in Placer County and the Antelope and Rio Linda areas of Sacramento County. “This is a very friendly parish with a lot of warmth, very much community. They wanted a home.”

That new home is a 28,000-square-foot church in a Spanish-colonial mission design. It will feature a tile roof and stucco exterior enhanced by more than 40 arches. In addition to the church, which has a seating capacity of 1,100, the new facility will also include an administrative wing.

Christian Brother William Woeger, director of the office of worship for the Archdiocese of Omaha, Neb., has served as principal consultant overseeing the interior design of the new church.

Brother Woeger, who has been a design consultant for scores of churches nationwide, said a primary goal of the project was to create a place of worship which would allow people “to experience the fullness of what Roman Catholic ritual is able to do.”

For example, the baptismal font at the front of the church makes a very strong statement of its own.

“When you walk through the water of baptism to enter the body of Christ, you are renewing yourself to live out your Gospel vows,” Brother Woeger said.

Ruth Kaiser, coordinator of the parish’s transition and growth committee, has been working nonstop for three years on the building project. She said every inch of the new church and administrative wing with room for religious education classes will be put to immediate use.

“If building projections for growth in our area are correct, we will need a large church,” she said. “When this parish sees a need, people volunteer their time and talent.”

When Father Macdonald arrived at St. Clare in 1994, approximately 50 families attended Mass and 30 children were enrolled in the religious education program. That was before Diocese of Sacramento officials expanded the parish boundaries to include west Roseville and its Del Webb Sun City retirement development.

Ray Aguilera, chairman of the building committee, said the new church is already making a statement about St. Clare in the community.

“The building itself, which will be the tallest building in Roseville, makes a statement for unity and spiritual feeling for everyone,” he said. “The people in the parish are ecstatic about their church.”

The dedication Mass and blessing of the church will begin at 3 p.m. on Jan. 27. Bishop William K.Weigand will preside, assisted by Father Macdonald and Deacon Carl Kube, who serves the parish. Priests who have served the parish in the past and area pastors are also invited to attend. A reception will be held following Mass.

The new church has “been a long time coming,” said Ann Silver, a longtime parishioner. “Now that the day is almost here, we’re definitely ready for it.”

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[Catholic Herald - Cover Page]