Renovation of a new shrine is underway at Saint James Parish in Davis. Some Catholic parishioners say this is a loss that they’re mourning.
Davis resident, José Granda, has been a member of this parish for 45 years. He was also the designer of the initial image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in front of the church, and says it took about 60 volunteers to finish it in 1989.
Part of the original image included tiles from Mexico and was blessed in the neighboring country by a bishop.
Now, Granda says, they feel left out. “Nowadays we talk about inclusion. In this case, they did the complete opposite. They excluded the Hispanic people from the shrine – we built the shrine, by the way, it took us three years, all volunteers,” Granda said.
Officials at Saint James Parish tell KCRA 3 that the shrine was decaying. They add that a process was followed to gather parishioners’ opinions. Granda said he wrote letters and even collected signatures before the renovation began.
“Being renovated means that they are going to put it back to the original way that it was. In this case, they chose deliberately to destroy the shrine that was a concentrated place of prayer, and put instead something foreign to the devotion of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” he adds.
At the same time, other residents say they are OK with the decision. “People have strong opinions about everything. There’s very little that goes on in Davis, very few actions or anything that happens, so there isn’t a strong — maybe a minority, but still vocal,” said Carl Schwedler, a Davis resident.
Full story at kcra.com
So what are they putting in its place?
Another image of Our Lady of Guadelupe. Click the link.
Good question. It seems as if the ethnicity of the neighborhood might have changed. When that happens at churches, older statues and so forth are often changed with newer and different ones. Usually a church tries to take into account the major ethnicities in that church in some way.
Actually the video does show what the new shrine will look like, and it is a beautiful newer shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Somehow I missed that. Evidently the gentlemen who built the first shrine is upset because they did not use the tiles from the first shrine, or so it seems. Things fade, though, and need to be redone. Perhaps it is possible to use a few of the older tiles in the new area to honor the gentlemen and those who made the first shrine.
He thinks by complaining he’ll get some money to go away.
He is an older man, and he and some of the older parishioners have fond memories of that shrine. All of us are sadden at times when things we love are torn down.
In our area there was an older building that was historical. An architect was hired to preserve some of the old along with building some more modern parts. At first I thought, “Yuck, that is going to look awful,” but when he was done it really looked great, and now we have a unique building that is a combination of the old and the new. Just a thought.
If you spent 3 years building something and other people decided to take it down, you might be upset too.
This article is spectacularly devoid of useful content. See this for more information: https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/tv/some-davis-parishioners-feel-excluded-as-our-lady-of-guadalupe-shrine-is-renovated/vi-AAQ7inq
Frankly, I am with the protesters on this one.
It is the exact same video as the one in the link.
Oh my gosh. What is this guy upset about? First, a renovation doesn’t mean back like the original. That would be a restoration. Renovation is like a remodeling. The old, decayed image of Guadalupe is being replaced with a new image of Guadalupe. What’s the fuss? Tell me what’s a-happening. What’s the fuss?
A lot of work and effort was put into the building of the shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. I understand why he would be upset. Surely a compromise could be met? “Touching up” the shrine with some skilled artisans should be possible.
Do we go around the Missions of California renovating them and replacing them? No – we preserve what has been built. I feel for this man.
Well, the damage has been done– the renovation is completed. The pastor should meet with José Granda et al. and yes, find a creative solution. I don’t think feelings hurt this bad bodes well for the parish’s future.
that’s life