Bishop visits Virginia City to give homily at final St. Mary's Mass

St. Mary's in the Mountains Catholic Church is just like the mountain Jesus Christ prayed on, said Bishop Randolph Roque Calvo of the Diocese of Reno as he celebrated the final Mass at the historic church Sunday before it is closed to the public for structural restoration.

The church will be reopened in about a year.

The bishop credited Bishop Patrick Manogue, then known as Father Manogue, the first priest of St. Mary's parish, who built the church. He later became the first bishop of Sacramento.

"Father Manogue built a monument," he said. "He did not want it to be a monument to himself, but that is what it became."

"But it's more than a lifeless historical marker," he said. "It does what monuments are supposed to do, engage us in a conversation with history."

He saluted the Irish miners who built St. Mary's, only to see it burn in the great fire of 1875, when they built an even more ornate church, "even in a place where whiskey flowed from 110 saloons."

Bishop Calvo said the church was not just a building, but is where believers gather and worship, and although most Catholics in the region worship elsewhere, from the time the Comstock's population has dwindled, it was still important to keep this church open.

He said now the church is not only a tourist attraction, it is, for those who still worship here, a place of seclusion, away from the busy Truckee Meadows.

"Jesus went to the top of the mountain to pray," he said. "Monasteries are often built on secluded mountaintops."

He said the Diocese will do what it can to keep St. Mary's in the Mountains open for generations to come, even if it must close for awhile for restoration.

"The past and present speak to the future," he said. "The future does not speak, but waits to see what we bring to it."

The bishop estimated the closure would last, "about a year, hopefully less."

And when the church reopens, the bishop, who has been to St. Mary's only once before, said he would be back to preside over the rededication.

The church was full for the final Mass, with many parishioners of other parishes attending and participating. Armand Arnett of St. Ann's Catholic Church in Dayton served as head usher, and others from St. Ann's provided a barbecue lunch in St. Mary's basement after the Mass.

Knights of Columbus councils from Reno and Sparks were in attendance as well, providing a full color guard.

Bishop Calvo said the coming together of Catholics from the region for the occasion was good for the Diocese.

"It's good to mark the beginning of the project, and continue the momentum of the restoration, so St. Mary's can continue to be a force in the community," he said.

- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-7351.