Jul 24, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Charles Town, West Virginia, has a new city landmark — St. James Catholic Church — believed to be the largest Catholic church in the state.
Bishop Michael Bransfield of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston will preside at the dedication mass for the new church this evening.
About two years ago, parishioners decided it was high time their growing congregation, currently numbering 3,400, had a new home. The old church seats only 276 people and seven services had to be held on the weekends to accommodate everyone, reported the Charles Town Herald. The parish also has a growing Hispanic population.
The parish had bought 22 acres of land for a future church site in 1999, but plans for the new church were only concretized two years ago.