The festival committee decided to move the date of the annual Summer Festival so that it would be held closer to the date of the anniversary. The parish celebrated its anniversary one week ahead of the Feast of St. Matthew, due to the Priests’ Convocation being held the week leading up to the feast day.
This year also marked the 15th anniversary of the parish celebrating Mass in Spanish. Since establishing a Mass in Spanish, the parish has continued to grow more diverse, embracing its multicultural community.
“To those who have helped to establish this diverse and beautiful community to its present, let us remember them in our hearts, in prayers and in our ministries,” Father Alexander Sila, SVD, said in a written statement to the parishioners. “Upon all, we put together all our commitment to God who calls us from many different backgrounds to work together with him for the salvation of the world.”
The two-day festival featured food booths, entertainment, games, live music and a silent auction, among other activities. The parish continued the celebration with a parish picnic Sunday afternoon.
Throughout the weeks leading up to the festival, parishioners brought in pictures from parish events, celebrations and parish directories. Committee members developed a parish history slideshow from the photos collected. The slideshow was available for viewing throughout the festival at the parish center and in the festival tent.
The parish was founded on September 1, 1973, to ease the growing pains of St. Edward Parish, Corona. The church was dedicated on May 6, 1979 and the Parish Center was completed seven years later. Several parishioners present at the festival and contributors to the history slideshow were present when the parish was first founded.