The new church in Bend

St Francis of Assisi new church in Bend, inside

This is the other Catholic church in the city of Bend, built in 2009, also dedicated to St Francis of Assisi. The historic church which I shared with you yesterday was becoming too small for the ever-growing population, and so Fr Joe Reinig spear-headed the campaign to build this new modern church. It is attached to the school and parish offices that were built around 15 years earlier. 

The outside of the new church in Bend

It is all new to me, as I've been there only once before, besides visiting the complex this past week, but I'm sure I'll discover every square inch within a few weeks. Contrary to what I'm used to in the Cathedral, it has just a few modern stained glass windows including one large one behind the main altar.

The new church, schools and offices (click once to enlarge)

The last photo in this post shows a photo I took a few months ago up from a hill, and shows the whole complex connected together. But most importantly, it's the people who make up the church, and I am looking forward to working with them to continue the priceless work done by previous pastors.