CAMARILLO : Church’s Proposal to Increase Size to Come Before City Planning Panel

Eighty years ago, architect Albert Martin designed St. Mary Magdalen Church, the cream-colored mission-style sanctuary that overlooks the Ventura Freeway at Lewis Road in Camarillo.

Today, Martin’s grandson is designing another Roman Catholic church for a parish that is effectively the grandchild of the founding congregation at St. Mary Magdalen.

In the late 1970s, parishioners outgrew their building and moved to a new location at Las Posas Road and Crestview Avenue, continuing to use the old site only for special services.

But as Camarillo grew, the new church--also called St. Mary Magdalen--again proved too small.

Four years ago, about 800 families from eastern Camarillo and the Santa Rosa Valley left St. Mary Magdalen and, under the guidance of church officials, formed the Padre Serra parish, which has held services at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo.

Now, with 1,200 families, that parish is proposing to build what will be one of the largest churches in the city.

The Camarillo Planning Commission tonight will consider the parish’s proposal to build a worship hall, school, office building and an expansive garden lined with trellis-covered walkways on nearly 12 acres on Upland Road, next to St. John’s Seminary.

Father Liam Kidney, pastor at Padre Serra, said he wants a building that will have meaning for all Camarillo residents, not just church members.

“I would want it to speak to the whole community, of awesomeness, of art, of beauty, of life beyond what we have,” Kidney said.

Architect David Martin said Padre Serra Church will be dramatically different from the one designed by his grandfather.

In contrast to the long, narrow design of St. Mary Magdalen and other traditional Catholic churches--which serve to direct all eyes toward the crucifixes and images of Jesus Christ at the altar--the Padre Serra worship hall will be octagonal.

The altar will be near the middle of the room. And, instead of built-in pews that all face forward, the Padre Serra hall will have mostly chairs that can be rearranged for special services such as baptisms or funerals.

Martin said his design reflects the fact that Catholic churches are putting more emphasis on their congregations.

Kidney said the appearance of the church also may serve to attract new members. A troubled person driving by the sanctuary may be struck by the beauty of the building and the surrounding gardens, he said.

“Who knows?” Kidney said, “They may see the church and the landscaping and the tower and they may say, ‘You know, that’s what makes sense in life.’ ”