.- Bishop John M. D'Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend broke ground Sunday for a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Warsaw, Indiana, reported the Times-Union.
The new church will meet the needs of the 25-year-old Hispanic parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe and serve as a shrine of pilgrimage for the faithful of the diocese.
"In the planning of our diocese for the great jubilee of 2000, we made the commitment that we would work with the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Milford, to build a church,” said Bishop D’Arcy. “For 25 years, this parish has celebrated mass in a building not worthy of the Holy Eucharist."
The church will be built on 11 acres, donated by Jerry and Savina Kralis. It will seat 500 people. The facilities will include meeting rooms, classrooms, a kitchen and dining area, a small residence and parking. The plan also includes a strategy for expansion.
The new facility will be a phased development and is to be built using as much volunteer labor and community involvement as possible.
"This is a great day for us,” Bishop D’Arcy told the crowd. “We're addressing the needs of Hispanics and other immigrant groups.”
The design of the church is the result of an international design competition, which was open to all. The diocese received 256 entries from around the world and announced the winner Dec. 12, on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The diocese selected the firm Ruben N. Santos, Oakland, as the winner.
The diocese originally announced in September 1999 that the new Hispanic church and shrine with social and educational facilities would be located on a seven-acre site in Milford. However, since then, the diocese received the donation by the Kralises in Warsaw.
