Watsonville Celebrates Rebirth of St. Patrick’s : Landmarks: Ceremony marks the completion of a replica of the church, which was devastated in the Loma Prieta earthquake.

More than four years after an earthquake devastated its 86-year-old church, a Catholic congregation celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by completing its new one.

The new St. Patrick’s is a replica of the beloved old church--and an emblem of this farming community, its hardships and its hopes.

“It is a landmark both physically and spiritually. It’s a real focal point in the community. It’s a prominent symbol that people identify with,” Mayor Lowell Hurst said.

“So it’s really significant that it’s been brought back from the rubble,” he said. “It’s a testimony to the spirit of the people of Watsonville.”

Members of St. Patrick’s set the new cornerstone into the right front corner of the new church Thursday. The old cornerstone was previously set into the opposite side.

The ceremony was conducted in the church plaza, which was crammed with several hundred people, many wearing green to mark St. Patrick’s Day.

“This is a wonderful day and I’m glad you’re all here to share,” the pastor, Father Michael Miller, told the gathering.

The crowd included Alma Torres, who said it felt “good to have our church back. Our spirits are more uplifted now. We feel more together.”

The old stained-glass windows and doors were installed in the new building, which has a modern interior.

“It’s a magnificent structure. It looks better than the old church did,” said Leo Ruth, a parishioner and retired engineer who coordinated the project.

Services won’t be held until May, and the formal dedication will take place Oct. 17--the five-year anniversary of the Loma Prieta quake.

Watsonville, 70 miles southeast of San Francisco, was hit hard by the magnitude 7.1 temblor. One person died, and about 1,900 homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged, according to city officials.

St. Patrick’s, a large Gothic-style church built in 1903, suffered serious structural damage. At first, the congregation thought it could repair the building. It was chagrined to learn that would cost about $1.2 million more than the $2.5 million initially available, Ruth said.

Demolition of the church was a blow to residents of Watsonville, non-Catholics as well as parishioners.

“That was a grand church. It was part of our hometown, part of our Main Street. And when they had to demolish it, it was like we had lost an old friend,” said Tana Roberts, a deputy city clerk.

“But the new one looks so much like the original one I can hardly remember it being torn down now,” she said. “It’s like replacing an old friend.”