A CHURCH RESURRECTED
A cross, hoisted to the roof. Stained glass refurbished. Three years after Holy Cross inferno, are birth is on the horizon for this church.
It’s been three years since Holy Cross Church burned in a spectacular and mysterious fire that broke out after Sunday services and ravaged the century-old structure, and excitement is growing among parishioners as a grand rebirth is on the horizon, about five months away.
It’s destined to be a merger of old and new: Brand new building, cherished old crucifix highlighted by a dramatic new glass wall, and stained glass windows that are about 50-50 original and replacement — though it will be hard to tell the difference. And while nobody has been allowed inside the shrouded construction site at 12th and
Jackson streets just east of Japantown, a major symbolic milestone was visible to passers-by when a huge cross was hoisted to top the roof last week.
“I tell you, it has been an exciting week — I’ve been really looking forward to putting up the cross,” said Rev. Livio Stella. “That is the symbol that is central to our Christian faith, and it’s fantastic to have it standing tall in front of the church again.”
Meanwhile, Wesley Hogan of Hogan Art Glass in Campbell has finished restoring the eight stained glass side windows of the church, which were cracked and crumbling from the heat and smoke. Hogan, 76, has been a restorer of church windows for most of his life.
“They were in terrible shape,” Hogan said. “I took them apart, and probably was able to save 40 to 50 percent of the glass — one of the challenges in replacing the glass is you have to find the right kind to represent the glass that’s broken.”
He personally repainted the scenes on the glass using his longstanding familiarity and study of church windows to discern the artist and the style.
“Our job was to recreate the damaged windows so they look as if they were never damaged,” he said. “So people ask ‘What did you do?’ because it looks the same. And I think it worked out.”
In addition, Hogan is crafting what will be a dramatic backdrop to the famous crucifix — a curved blue and yellow glass wall that will be illuminated by sunlight coming in the windows behind it.
“The nicest thing about that wall is its south-facing and gets a lot of natural light,” said Ramiro Torres, the principal architect for the project. “We’re going to have five types of blue, which going from the edges to the center get lighter and when the light hits the
“Some people may have stopped coming because it wasn’t quite the same after the fire, but I believe that wherever there is God, that is all you need.” — Oscar Lombardi, parishioner
stained glass, the cross will be a radiant yellow.”
It’s a very special crucifix — immediately after the fire, parishioners at the scene wondered aloud if it was possible that the carved, medieval-style image of Jesus nailed to the cross had survived. It had, and was retrieved from the wreckage with much care and fanfare by a fire crew and crane the following day, amid cries of milagro — Spanish for “miracle.”
“It did catch a lot of sparks and it was ashy, but it’s been refurbished,” said Stella. “It will look even better than it did before.”
Torres said the church is about 75 percent complete, with most of the work here on out happening to the interior. He said the community “is very excited to see the church seem to resurrect
before their eyes.”
“For me it has been three years of intense work and dedication,” he said, “but very rewarding to see the new building taking shape.”
The fire didn’t just damage the church — a complete rebuild was needed. That means it’s now got modern, steel-framed construction. While Torres said they’re incorporating Italian architecture into the design, some parishioners say it will be hard to match the charm of the old church, which was built with intricate detailing by Italian immigrants and founded in 1906.
“You can’t replicate that old church; it was a work of art,” said Oscar Lombardi, who has been a parishioner there for about six years. “It was like entering a church in a small Italian village, nice, small, cozy and warm. But you can’t look back at what you had. This is the future, and you have to look forward.”
Holy Cross was originally built for workingclass Italian immigrants who were settling in the area, and was designated an Italian National Parish in 1911. But while services are still offered in Italian, it has since become a multi-ethnic congregation, with Latinos,
Portugese, Filipino and Vietnamese Catholics. On Sundays, a food service outside offers up Asian fare: Lumpias, rice plates, skewers of barbecued meat.
About 850 worshippers attend services each week. Stella said that, while some may have left instead of joining them at the adjacent bingo hall they now use, the numbers have remained steady.
Bishop Patrick McGrath of the Diocese of San Jose came through last December when ground was broken on the construction site, and will be back in April to consecrate the new building, Stella said. McGrath at the time reminded the congregation that a church isn’t defined by a structure, but the people inside. That’s a message that resonates for worshippers at Holy Cross.
“Some people may have stopped coming because it wasn’t quite the same after the fire,” said Lombardi, “but I believe that wherever there is God, that is all you need. You can have services in a park, or in a gym. But people are looking forward to having the church back.”