SAN JOSE — Frances Valdez has spent nearly her entire 72 years worshiping and celebrating the milestones of her life at the historic Holy Cross Church, a place that’s become like a second home. It’s where she received her First Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Confirmation, and where her children were baptized.
On Friday, she’ll witness the church’s remarkable rebirth.Frances Valdez, 72, had her First Holy Communion back in the mid-50’s at Holy Cross Church in San Jose, Calif. She reminisced Tuesday, May 25, 2018, about the old church destroyed by fire four years ago and reopening later this week after a rebuild. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Like many parishioners, Valdez watched in horror one November morning as the century-old church — a cultural and religious icon east of Japantown — was ravaged by a mysterious four-alarm fire in 2014.
“It broke everybody’s heart,” said Valdez. “It was part of the family.”
But Valdez was certain she’d see the church rise again. That affirmation will come Friday when the freshly-rebuilt Holy Cross church on N. 12th and Jackson Streets is inaugurated, ready to welcome the city’s faithful Catholics for generations to come.
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https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/05/23/after-burning-down-in-mysterious-fire-holy-cross-church-prepares-to-open-its-doors/
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