San Jose pews in progressGreat progress is being made on the mission church in Cholla Bay.

Beautiful doors and windows have been installed, thanks to contributions by local people and the support of the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe; and pews will be installed by the middle of March.

Willie Fenderson and his wife Janet attended Mass at San Jose’ church in December, and he volunteered to build pews with kneelers for the little church. He said, “I built all the pews for our mission church in the White Mountains of Arizona. I can build three or four and bring them down in March.”

Willie went back to Pinetop, set up a GoFundMe account online and asked for $800 to pay for the materials for eight pews. Donations went over the top so he is building a ninth pew and the fund remains open at gofundme.com.

Parishioner Bob Keller said, “We were blessed to have the Cholla Bay Homeowners Association loan us stacking chairs but even with that help, we had standing room only two weeks in a row. The pews are a God-sent and so is Willie Fenderson and the people who contributed to the fund.”

A bi-lingual Catholic Mass is offered every Sunday at noon in the little church and all are welcome. Just follow the road past Wrecked at the Reef as it winds toward Cholla Bay. The church is on the right and easy to spot with its new white windows and doors.