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In 1959, the year Pope John XXIII announced the calling for the First Ecumenical Council since 1870, six Sisters of Charity of the Infant Mary, a teaching order from Argentina, arrived to open the school. Originally, the Holy Family Catholic School was headed by Mother Amalia. In subsequent years as Citrus Heights has grown so has Holy Family.
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By the early 1960s, the old chapel was getting smaller and smaller. On June 7, 1965, Bishop Alden J. Bell dedicated the new church, and the old church was moved to the back of the parking lot to serve as a social hall. The old church building (now the Arts Center) was later expanded to meet the growing needs of the parish family.
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In 1992 as Bill Clinton was elected to President and Kristi Yamaguchi became the first American figure skater to win a gold medal since Dorothy Hamill, a Preschool and Children’s Center was added to Holy Family School. The program has fostered creativity, social interaction and developmentally appropriate activities. In 1994, two additional classrooms were completed to accommodate the growing school.
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In 1995, with the approval of Bishop William K. Weigand, Father Cantwell began a three-year fund drive to erect a much-needed Community Center. The architectural firm of Comstock and Johnson Architects, Inc., Duane M. Johnson, Architect was selected. The fund drive was successful so Jackson Construction Company was chosen for the work that began in 1998 and which was completed in 1999.
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During this same time frame, another successful local campaign was won. On November 5, 1996, after petitions were circulated and signed, voters went to the polls where a resounding 62.5% of them voted to incorporate Citrus Heights, effective January 1, 1997. The community of Citrus Heights was now the first new California community to incorporate since 1963.
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Today, twenty-six different organizations carry out the mission of Holy Family. Three parishioners have answered God’s call to religious vocations. Francis Stevenson, Sister Lydia (Lynn) and Sister Margaret Schneider. Moreover, Holy Family Parish proudly celebrates over fifty years of accomplishments through faith in God, prayers, dreams and farsightedness!
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