Planning For a New Church in Torreon

Father John Hertel, O.Carm., pastor of Transfiguration Parish in Torreon, Mexico, announced plans to begin construction of a new church building for the parish. “The parish community has grown much too large for the current structure,” says Father Hertel, “and most Sundays the people cannot all fit so we often need to have Mass outdoors.” He notes that the current church was never meant to serve long-term as a church and will be converted into a parish hall. Groundbreaking is slated for this summer.

	Artist’s rendition of the front of the new church building

Blueprints and renditions of the new structure have been drawn up by the local architectural firm, Urbanista Mario Sentevanez. The proposed sanctuary will have seating for 350, with pews arranged in a semi-circle around the altar. There will be a mural of the Transfiguration of the Lord displayed above the altar, and a large dome with a stained glass center for lots of natural lighting.

Fund-raising is well underway, but to offset the building cost there will be a mausoleum of 300 vaults for cremains (i.e., cremation ashes) around the interior perimeter on a second level.

Torreon is a city in Northern Mexico, four hours, by car, west of the city of Monterrey, and approximately twelve hours southwest of Houston. The Carmelites just celebrated their tenth anniversary of service in that city (see related article in this issue).