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Father John Grace
(1956-1993)
Monsignor Murrough Wallace
(1993-2003)
Father Mark Richards
(2003-2006)
Father Michael O'Reilly
(2006-present)
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Father Patrick
Lyons, appointed by Bishop Robert Armstrong as the first pastor of
Saint Theresa Parish, came to the mountain community of South Lake
Tahoe in 1951. Less than twenty Catholic families were permanent
residents at the time the parish was established. Sunday Mass was
celebrated at the American Legion Hall until the church was
completed in 1953. Father Lyons passed away at the age of 38 after
a lingering illness. The street on which the parish is located,
Lyons Avenue, was named after him in 1958.
On April 18, 1956,
Father John Grace became the second pastor of Saint Theresa Parish.
Under his leadership, the parish flourished. As the community of
South Lake Tahoe grew (incorporating in 1965), so did the parish.
The parish hall, rectory, school and convent were built, as well as
expansions to the church. In order to accommodate the thousands of
visitors each summer, Saint Theresa assumed responsibility for Our
Lady of the Sierra Mission at Camp Sacramento from the Franciscans,
and established Saint Mary in the Pines, an outdoor chapel located
at Stateline.
Construction of
Saint Theresa Catholic School began in the spring of 1960 and the
school was ready for operation in September of that year.
Immaculate Heart Sisters staffed the school until its unexpected
closure in 1969. During its closure, the school was used as an
annex for the public school district, as well as for religious
education classes.
In May of 1993,
Father John Grace retired and Monsignor Murrough Wallace was
appointed by Bishop Francis Quinn as Saint Theresa’s third pastor.
Almost immediately, parishioners began to push for the reopening of
the parish school, and with his support, they were successful. The
school reopened its doors in September 1994 and now has classes for
kindergarten through eighth grade. Little Flower Pre-School opened
in 2003.
During Monsignor
Wallace’s tenure, the parish continued its growth. An influx of
Hispanic and Filipino workers to the Lake Tahoe region, many of whom
were Catholic, combined with an ever increasing number of visitors,
made it apparent that the parish would soon outgrow its home. As
the structural integrity of the church was examined, it also became
evident that a simple re-model would not do. Finally, when Saint
Mary in the Pines closed due to the owner’s need to use the land,
Monsignor Wallace recognized the need and made the bold decision to
build a new church.
Initially hesitant
due to their sentimental attachment to the rustic old church,
parishioners soon embraced the project, and in April 2000, the new
church was dedicated by Bishop William Weigand. A generous donation
by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Globin years earlier, decades of savings by
Father Grace, and a successful capital campaign overseen by
Monsignor Wallace, and supported by parishioners and visitors,
enabled the new church to open with no debt. A year later,
Monsignor Wallace presided over the fiftieth anniversary celebration
of the parish with a series of events.
In August of 2003,
Monsignor Wallace retired and Bishop William Weigand appointed
Father Mark Richards as the fourth pastor of Saint Theresa. In
conjunction with the Diocesan Synod of 2004, the parish pastoral
council embarked on a process of planning and renewal to address the
needs and hopes of parishioners at the dawn of the twenty-first
century. One of their first successes was the revival of the annual
parish Mass and picnic.
Father Mark Richards
was appointed Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Sacramento on
February 22nd 2006. Monsignor Murrough C. Wallace, Pastor
Emeritus was appointed Parish Administrator pro temp on February 22nd
2006. On July 16th 2006, Father Michael O'Reilly
was formally installed as the Pastor of Saint Theresa Church.
The parish currently
has 1100 registered families, with countless more part-time
residents and visitors who consider Saint Theresa their home. In
addition to the school, the parish has active religious education
and youth ministry programs, as well as on-going adult faith
formation opportunities. The parish has an active Knights of
Columbus council which sponsors many parish events, including a
monthly free pancake breakfast. The school sponsors several annual
fundraisers, including a Golf Tournament, Classy Crab Dinner, and
Derby Night.
The parish has an
active Latino population and services are offered in Spanish and
bilingually. The annual celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe
remains one of the parish’s largest events. The Filipino community
is very involved in all aspects of parish life and parishioners
always look forward to their periodic food sales which help support
their annual Christmas celebration.
Among the parish’s
most successful outreach programs are Bread and Broth, Helping
Hands, and the ministry of communion to the sick. Bread and Broth,
an ecumenical program hosted by Saint Theresa, serves a weekly hot
meal to the needy and provides food for the parish Front Door
Ministry. Helping Hands assists families who have lost loved ones
by providing a reception after funerals or memorial services. A
faithful and dedicated group of parishioners also bring communion to
the sick and homebound on a weekly basis, and the hospital gets
daily visits by retired pastor, Father John Grace.
The parish is
fortunate to have the active presence of both of its former pastors,
Fr. John Grace and Monsignor Murrough Wallace, and to have been
served by a number of parochial vicars and seminarians over the
years. As in any parish, however, it is the dedication of the
parishioners who make the parish what it is, and many in South Lake
Tahoe are proud to make Saint Theresa their home. |
