RUSKIN — Blanca Meza's life is intertwined with her church.
She was baptized in the original, tiny St. Anne Catholic Church after her mother, Josephine, became a parishioner in 1960. Her nine siblings went through religious education there. Her three children were baptized after the church expanded.
On Saturday, Meza took part in a prayer and dedication ceremony for the church's new sanctuary. It's still the warm, intimate St. Anne she has always known, just without the cramped quarters.
The close bond the church shares with its community has remained, even as 540 families in 1956 swelled to more than 1,400 today.
After 17 years, Veronica Grzybinski still drives from Riverview for Mass, even though three other Catholic churches are closer. Born and raised in Boston, Grzybinski brags about the support system at St. Anne.
"The traditional values are still there, but people are much more outgoing and everybody sings," she said.
Families grow up together at St. Anne, and diversity abounds. During particular times of the year, there are special Masses and rosary prayer sessions in Filipino, French, Spanish, Polish and Italian.
Five years ago, when the church really started getting overcrowded, the Rev. John F. McEvoy had just started as pastor. A fundraising effort for a new 21,000-square-foot sanctuary kicked into high gear soon after, aided by parishioners' donations. Although $2 million for the $6.2 million sanctuary was raised, the sour economy meant there would be no matching funds from the diocese — something that was once standard in church-building drives.
It didn't stop church members from making their dream come true.
"We were positive the whole time," said Barbara Migliaro, instructor for ministries and manager of the gift shop. "We've raised $2 million just in the past six months."
On Saturday, the church, which seats 1,000 people, was packed to standing-room capacity. Bishop Robert N. Lynch welcomed guests and offered a dedication.
Its design melds the modern and the traditional. As a nod to the church's history, the new sanctuary was placed on the site of the original church building. Religious items and relics from the old church were buried under the altar, which is placed closer to the center of the church, instead of in the front. That, church officials said, was done to improve the Mass experience.
The building itself is a classic cruciform shape. Overhead, a cupola lets in sunlight for better lighting and a warmer feeling.
Some of St. Anne's existing pieces were too small for the new facility, so local artists designed a new altar, ambo (the combined lectern and pulpit) and tabernacle table. The base of the altar is blue Brazilian granite in the shape of a cross; its top is white, octagonal Italian marble. Eight stained-glass windows depict the Beatitudes.
Using the original wood from the 1956 church, parishioner Everett Michaels handcrafted 12 crosses that are placed around the new building. The same wood is incorporated into the new Stations of the Cross. A new creche built by the Paskert family was crafted from original church wood. Church member Don Smith created a statue of St. Anne that sits on one side of the sanctuary.
"It's a church made out of love," said church member Roe Berardo, "and we are the living stones."
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