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The Diocesan Presbyteral Council of San Diego meeting on
March 20, 2002 discussed the establishment of an additional
parish in Chula Vista in view of the demographic development
in the area. Convinced of the need to create a new parish,
Bishop Robert H. Brom of The Diocese of San Diego, issued a
decree on December 9, 2003. This historic act created Mater
Dei Parish in the city of Chula Vista, designating Reverend
Father Jovencio D. Ricafort (Father Ven) as the founding
pastor. The Diocese of San Diego allocated 11 acres for the
site of Mater Dei Church and another 40 acres as the site of
Mater Dei High School located in Otay Ranch, Chula Vista. On
January 1, 2004, Bishop Brom formally established Mater Dei
Parish by blessing the ground and a cross at the church site.
Mater Dei Parish was established without any church buildings of
its own therefore, the first parish mass was held on January 4, 2004
at the residence of Jesus and Aissa Mercader, one of the first
parishioners of Mater Dei. From then on, Sunday masses were
held in different homes of various parishioners and subsequently
at Eastlake High School Cafeteria. However, with the need for
additional space to accommodate the faithful, Father Ven contacted
the administration of Otay Ranch High School. The school
Principal, Jose Brosz, voluntarily granted permission to hold
masses at Otay Ranch High School, commencing on May 2, 2004.
In time, the number of registered families of the parish was increasing
dramatically, creating a need for two Masses on Sundays (9:00 a.m. and
11:00 a.m.) to comfortably accommodate the additional worshipers.
Eventually, the parish added two more masses, Saturday mass at 5:00 p.m.
and Sunday mass at 7:00 a.m. Starting with a handful of registered
families, Mater Dei Parish has currently grown to 1155 registered
families and continues to grow every week.
In view of the ever-increasing number of registered families, the Mater
Dei Parish community with the leadership of its pastor, Father Ven, launched
different campaigns to raise funds. An estimated cost of 15 million
dollars is needed for the construction of the Mater Dei Church Buildings.
The various fundraising activities which were launched by the parish were
the Annual Pledge of Support, the Silent Campaign, the Lend a Hand Campaign,
the Annual Dinner Dance, the Annual Golf Tournament, the Voices of Mater
Dei Concert and many more. The proceeds of these events continue to benefit
the Mater Dei Church building fund. It is the hope that through the
continued support of the parishioners and friends of Mater Dei, the dream
of building a house of worship for the Mater Dei Parish community will be
realized.
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