345:, leading to church and parish consolidation. Before the construction of St. Charles, eleven masses and three priests were needed to serve the population; only 1250 seats were available across the Good Shepherd parish. With the new church, the number of services needed is reduced to five and two priests suffice. A large church in a central location had been a diocesan ambition for some time. The land was purchased by the diocese beginning in the 1940s, in anticipation of population growth; some was sold in 2006 to raise funds for the project.
376:, and an outdoor garden with native plants. After its opening, services have been very well attended, with some travelling to the church from throughout California. At its completion, it surpassed the previous highest-capacity Catholic parish church in the United States,
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grew rapidly during the 20th and early 21st centuries, including its
Catholic population; between 1980 and 2023, the Diocese of Fresno increased from 307,000 to 1.2 million Catholics. At the same time, there has been a
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style. Marc
Russell of Radian Design Group was the church's architect. The interior decorations were designed by Rolf Rohn and painted by Mural Arts, who also painted the
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style with large artworks inside. Construction cost $ 21 million. It serves 14,000 families as part of a larger parish with three other churches, hosting three
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is 82 feet (25 m) wide, and the church covers 34,000 square feet (3,200 m); the dome is 98 feet (30 m) wide and 66 feet (20 m) high. The
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Alex Chavez is the church's pastor. It is part of the Good
Shepherd parish, which is made up of St. Charles, two other churches in Visalia, and one in
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is decorated with angels, saints and local pastoral scenes. To fit the size of the church, the painted figures are life-size, and a
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is painted with a depiction of the creation of the universe, derived from a photograph taken by the
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668:"The US's largest Catholic parish is opening in Visalia. Look inside the $ 21 million church"
638:"St. Charles Borromeo Church 'Creates an Environment Which Makes You Think of the Eucharist'"
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said that the church "creates an environment that makes you think of the
Eucharist".
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casino. It has an open interior with clear sight lines to the altar. There are three
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Construction began in 2011 and the church opened on
February 2, 2023, holding its
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21st-century Roman
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behind the altar has a 7 feet (2.1 m) tall Jesus sculpture.
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in North
America, seating 3148 worshippers. It is built in the
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mass on that date, which was attended by 3200 people. The
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683:"The Art in America's Largest Catholic Parish Church"
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Saints whose relics are housed in the church include
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The church can seat 3148. It is the largest
Catholic
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653:"St. Charles Borromeo Church now open in Visalia"
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666:Ortiz-Briones, Maria G. (August 15, 2022).
758:Mission Revival architecture in California
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392:in North America. Its design evokes the
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768:Roman Catholic churches in California
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233:34,000 sq ft (3,200 m)
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651:Navarro, Elisa (February 3, 2023).
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773:Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno
681:Seed, John (February 20, 2023).
18:Church in Visalia, United States
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284:Good Shepherd parish, Visalia
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643:National Catholic Register
129:February 2, 2023
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378:St Matthew in Charlotte
425:Hubble Space Telescope
358:Joseph Vincent Brennan
249:98 ft (30 m)
241:66 ft (20 m)
225:82 ft (25 m)
370:Our Lady of Guadalupe
246:Dome diameter (inner)
306:St. Charles Borromeo
51:36.2972°N 119.3467°W
24:St. Charles Borromeo
314:Visalia, California
238:Dome height (inner)
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578:Ortiz-Briones 2022
374:Our Lady of Fatima
336:The population of
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718:Official website.
464:Faustina Kowalski
456:Peter the Apostle
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201:$ 21 million
198:Construction cost
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299:Alex Chavez
214:3,148 seats
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42:119°20′48″W
732:Categories
474:References
350:dedication
312:church in
230:Floor area
142:Dedication
133:2023-02-02
39:36°17′50″N
605:Seed 2023
295:Pastor(s)
153:Dedicated
433:crucifix
211:Capacity
91:Catholic
67:Location
628:Angelus
443:Worship
429:reredos
410:Trinity
396:in the
366:shrines
338:Visalia
332:History
268:Diocese
131: (
126:Founded
113:History
97:Website
77:Country
71:Visalia
449:Goshen
427:. The
421:cupola
289:Clergy
280:Parish
273:Fresno
121:active
118:Status
406:bells
308:is a
254:Bells
222:width
177:Style
462:and
417:nave
415:Its
372:and
220:Nave
193:2011
106:.org
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102:www
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