Saint Christopher Church of Moreno Valley
History:
St. Christopher parish was founded on October 6, 1957, by its first pastor, Rev. John R. Domas. The first Mass was said in a garage near the corner of Perris Boulevard and Sunnymead Boulevard. Known Catholics in the area then took a door-to-door census of the Moreno Valley area and recorded approximately 150 Catholic families.
For six months, services were held at the Edgemont Women’s Club Community Hall on Cottonwood Avenue near Highway 395.
As the parish grew, services were moved to John Descher’s “walnut shed” near the corner of Perris Boulevard and Highway 60.
It was during this stay that a search for a permanent location was initiated. After considering several properties, plans were submitted to Most Reverend Charles Francis Buddy, Bishop of San Diego, for a church to be built at the present location of Perris Boulevard and Cottonwood Avenue. With the approval of the Bishop, five acres of property were purchased for $9,000 in March of 1958.
Ground breaking ceremonies for the new church took place on June 1, 1958. Construction of the new church began the following day. Newell Baumunk supervised the parishioners who did a large part of the work. Personnel from March AFB also donated generously of their time. In addition, the ladies of the parish contributed significantly to the effort by serving lunch to the volunteer workers each Saturday during the six and one-half month construction phase.
The original construction was an “L” shaped building consisting of the church, a hall, and a rectory.
Seating capacity of the church was 300 with plans for “any future growth” being accommodated by seating for 150 more in the hall behind the altar
