Breaking ground

After the fire, St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus Parish begins building new church

The Valley Catholic
EDCOUCH — More than two years after a fire destroyed their church home, Bishop Daniel E. Flores and church pastor Father Ernesto Magallón broke ground on the new St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus Church on Dec. 11 after the noon Mass.

“The community has worked so hard for years to make this dream a reality,” Father Magallón said. “We are very happy. We look forward to spending Christmas 2012 in our new church home.”

Fashioned in eclectic, Spanish style, the new church will feature a combination of cantera stone and stucco. Rodolfo Molina of Milnet Architectural Services in McAllen designed the sanctuary, which will seat about 400. Construction of the new church is expected to take about nine months.

Renovations were being made in the original church when the fire broke out on Oct. 18, 2009.

Masses are currently celebrated in the parish hall, which the parishioners have transformed into a beautiful place of worship with flowers and decorations.

The new church will be paid for with insurance benefits and with money raised through fundraisers.

“It was a very painful time for our community, but we responded well to the tragedy,” Father Magallón said. “Through our faith, we made it through that dark time and we are stronger today.”

The 2009 fire was the second time the parish community endured a blaze. The original church, which was built in 1948, was destroyed by a fire in 1954. Another church was blessed and dedicated in 1956.