Largest US Catholic parish rises in California’s interior

By ALEJANDRA MOLINA
Religion News Service

It’s billed as the largest Catholic parish in the United States and it’s being constructed in the city of Visalia, about 200 miles north of Los Angeles, in what’s often referred to “as the heart of California’s dairy industry.” With an estimated $18.5 million price tag, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church will seat 3,200 people, will encompass approximately 33,000 square feet and is expected to open in spring 2022. “It’s the best-kept secret in the nation — little Visalia building the largest parish church in modern U.S. history,” said the Rev. Alex Chavez, pastor of a parish in Visalia. The massive church is part of nationwide trend to consolidate smaller parishes, due in part to a shortage of priests.