After three years of anticipation and construction, Bishop Alberto Rojas consecrated and dedicated the new St. Mary Church building in Fontana on Jan. 1. The new 18,000 square foot church building, which seats 1,200 people, began construction following an October 2022 groundbreaking. During the consecration and dedication Mass Bishop Rojas, who was joined by Bishop Emeritus Gerald Barnes, blessed the church doors, the tabernacle, baptismal font and presider’s chair, anointed the church walls with chrism oil and consecrated the altar.
Before the final blessing, Father Albert Utzig, who served as pastor of St. Mary from 2012-2024 and led fundraising efforts, shared a few words about the process of bringing the new church to life. Fr. Utzig shared that he advocated that the new altar, tabernacle and crucifix were all fashioned from a walnut tree that had grown on the parish property but had to be cut down during the construction of the new church. “It had to be used and what better use than the altar, where Jesus gives his life, gives his life to us, the tree had to give its life and it gives its life to us at every Mass, always,” Fr. Utzig said.