With the grand opening of the new Holy Rosary Church less than two weeks away, the Woodland City Council is expected to issue a proclamation commemorating the dedication.
The council is scheduled to approve the proclamation at its Tuesday meeting in City Hall, 300 First St. The council meeting gets under way at 6 p.m.
A Mass of Dedication is planned for noon, Wednesday, March 11, at the church, located on the northeast corner of California and West Cross streets.
The proclamation speaks to the planning for the new church construction, which began 25 years ago, “resulting in the redevelopment of a pastoral center, a remodeled Holy Rosary School, the completion of the Community Center, and the construction of the new church …”
Ground was broken at the site of the church in early May 2024.
The proclamation also explains the “community had outgrown the old church and needed a bigger church for our growing parish.
“Additionally, ongoing maintenance and necessary repairs for the old church posed a significant financial burden,” the proclamation states. “With the sale of the old church in 2022, masses have since celebrated in the Holy Rosary Community Center,” located just north of the new church.
The old church — located at 301 Walnut St. — seated roughly 500 people and the proposed church will accommodate slightly more than 1,000, according to church officials. The former church was sold in December 2021 and now houses a new congregation.
The new Holy Rosary Church will be the fifth Catholic Church in Woodland and retains “the historic stained-glass windows, statues and Stations of the Cross paintings from the previous church,” the proclamation continues.
Built 156 years ago in 1870, the first Catholic church was on Main Street between Elm and Walnut streets and dedicated to the memory of the Holy Rosary of the Virgin Mary. It lasted only a year, due to construction and weather-related issues, according to church records.
A second church opened in 1874. A third structure was opened in 1913 and the fourth building (at 301 Walnut) opened in 1949.
“The last time Woodland witnessed such a ceremony was in 1949,” the council’s proclamation continues and a “very large crowd of parishioners and friends of Holy Rosary are expected given that the church’s occupancy is 1,040 people.”
The council main celebrant, according to the city, will be The main celebrant will be Most Reverend Jaime Soto, Bishop of Sacramento, as well as Auxiliary Bishop Rey Bersabal and invited Bishop Emeritus William Weigand and the Priests of the Diocese of Sacramento.
Bishop Soto attended the 2024 groundbreaking, joining Holy Rosary Father Jon Molina and others in the faith community in blessing the first phase of construction.
The ceremony is scheduled to include anointing of the altar which symbolizes “Christ, the Anointed One, and the walls of the church signifying its sacredness as a place of worship,” the proclamation concludes.
The new church is the second to be opened in just about a year. In late February 2025, Woodland’s Muslim Mosque & Islamic Center formally opened after years of construction.
More than 500 people from throughout the community and across Northern California attended the long-awaited event with Mosque President Mohammad Shafi saying the opening was a testament to a “community united in purpose celebrating the completion of this sacred space and house of worship (which will be a) center of learning, faith and peace for generations to come.”
The 16,206-square-foot structure is located at the northeast intersection of East Street and Oak Avenue. In addition to community and prayer rooms, it includes a number of study areas, outside children’s play area and small garden.