HISTORY
Chapel of Memories (Saint
Catherine's Catholic Church) built in 1917 was the first building to be
built as a church in Temecula. Father John J. Burri was assigned to the
community. In 1916 he announced plans for the construction of a catholic
church. Soon after, Joe Winkels lead the community effort and started to
organize fundraising events and a big fiesta was thrown by Mahlon
Vail. The event was a huge success and raised
enough money to build the church and buy Father Burri a new car. Mass
was held there until 1980's when a new and larger church was built on C
Street and Santiago Road.
Located in the heart of historical Old Town
Temecula Sam Hicks
Monument Park, this quaint chapel has been
meticulously restored and renovated to represent its early 1920's
origin.
The stained glass used throughout the
facility is a combination of original glass circa 1880's and new
matching glass that was obtained from the original glass factory still
in operation today. All of the new pews are accurate replicas, using one
of the original pews as a model for construction.
The Chapel is set in a beautiful
tree-lined park with a large rose garden on the south side and a private
patio on the north side for gatherings and receptions.
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