The Stations of the Cross at Padre Serra

Hello Friends,

When I first arrived at Padre Serra Parish, I was taken by the beauty of the entire campus. I was especially drawn to the Stations of the Cross garden. One afternoon, I was admiring the garden when Neil told me that during Lent, he would occasionally encounter pilgrims from all over Southern California who made a day trip to pray in our Stations of the Cross garden. We have a truly unique and beautiful place to pray the Stations of the Cross. I can see why people who have discovered our garden might tell their friends and make it a destination during Lent.

On this first Sunday of Lent, I am happy to report that the Stations of the Cross garden will remain open during the construction of the Youth Center. This was not always going to be the case. The original underground utility plan was designed to cut through the garden. The plan also included full restoration, but the garden would be off limits for a period of time. Fortunately, our construction contractor, Anderson Construction, figured out a way to install the utilities without disrupting the garden. You will see remnants of the trenching near the Serra Center, but the garden and pathway are intact and ready for visitors and parishioners to pray the Stations of the Cross during this season of Lent.

I invite you to set aside time during this Lent to rediscover our beautiful garden and pray the Stations of the Cross. There will be no construction activity over the weekends. On weekdays, after construction shuts down at 4 pm, the stillness returns, allowing you to prayerfully walk along the Stations of the Cross. 

On the construction front, as I write this, we are preparing to pour the first phase of the foundation. Rain is expected in a few days, and construction will halt during the rain. Once the rain stops, we should be a few weeks away from framing. Barring extended rain delays, we can expect the skeleton of the new building to take shape in March.
Seimpre Adelante! 

Manuel Leon
Business Manager

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