St. Mary's Fontana Ca

History of St. Mary

Originally named Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Mary, Fontana, was established on April 18, 1939, as a Mission Church to San Salvador, Colton. The first church, with a capacity of 200 to 300 persons, was located on Slover Avenue. Fr. Ernest Sack purchased 5 1/2 acres on Jurupa and launched a building campaign for a new church. Fr. Steven Porter continued the campaign.
Fr. Cliff Marquis, S.T., supervised the completion of the project. With a seating capacity of 1,200, St. Mary Church today is home to a multicultural congregation consisting, not only of Native Americans and citizens from all over the United States, but of people from Mexico, Central America, The Philippines, and several African nations.
In March, 2001, the Columban Fathers, a missionary society, assumed responsibility for the parish and continue today with the goal of building the planned church.