At first glance, the immense nature of Turlock’s Our Lady of the Assumption, a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Stockton, can make it difficult for onlookers to notice all of the little details. 

“The width of the windows, the height of the steps, and every single detail was looked at very closely for an entire year where in which we refined the concept,” said Father Manuel Fontes Sousa.

Dedicated in 1998, the Our Lady of the Assumption church is the architectural work of Gary Gery, who has also served as an adjunct architectural professor at Modesto Junior College. 

In terms of size, the church stands tall at 70 feet when looking at its highest point and reflects the architectural style of a Gothic church in order to — according to Sousa — point to “heaven more directly”. 

“This building was at first intended to be lower, but at the last minute we decided to raise it up by another six feet and I think it made a difference in terms of the beauty and elegance of the windows and the building,” said Sousa. “I thought height was very important to make the spirits soar.”

According to Sousa, the tower has three doors into the entrance that signify faith, hope, and love—the three theological virtues—and two doors that give into the church through the tower that signify the divine and human nature of Jesus Christ.

Upon entering the building, parishioners will notice twelve columns that represent the Twelve Apostles, as well as separate the vestibule of the church from the worship space. 

When it comes to letting in light, the church incorporates four rose windows that border the discovery cross for the Portuguese from the 14th and 15th centuries. Serving as the major windows of the church, each rose window points to the cardinal points to signify the building’s relationship to the whole universe.

In total, Our Lady of the Assumption has 27 windows, including four stained glass windows in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel to the left of the altar. These windows depict Abraham and Melchizedek, The Last Supper, the disciples of Emmaus, and a synthesis of the Book of Revelation, featuring the sacrificial lamb and many other passages. 

Although the church could potentially add more stained glass windows, Sousa reports that he and parishioners opted not to— and for a good reason. 

“We have not advanced with more stained glass windows in part because people like to see the trees outside, the birds, and so forth,” said Sousa. “We like to see the colors of the sunset and we like a church filled with light.”

Regarding the artwork in the church, Our Lady of the Assumption enlisted the services of Portugal artist João José de Sousa Araújo and Canadian liturgical art company, Bramante Studios. 

Sousa attributes Sousa Araújo with a variety of artistic contributions to the church, including the murals, bronze work on the altar and the pulpit, the tabernacle, and the baptismal font, which depicts a bronze Jesus Christ being baptized in the Jordan River by Saint John. For a number of his works, Sousa Araújo incorporated Portuguese blue tile, an addition that came be easily seen in the fountain outside of the church. 

Bramante Studios created the four banners behind the altar in front of the worshippers, as well as the two banners behind the baptismal font and the two banners between the vestibule and the worship space. The company was also responsible for producing the Corpus of Christ on the cross. 

“There is a uniqueness to it. Instead of the head falling to the right, it falls to the left,” said Sousa. “Bramante Studios is one of the best liturgical art companies in the whole world for contemporary art in my opinion.”

According to Sousa, the Our Lady of the Assumption church holds approximately 681 people at the ground level. However, when overflow in the choir loft is included, the capacity draws closer to 1,000 people. 

“We wanted a modern church that also would be at the same time traditional, while also having a likeness to medieval churches,” said Sousa. “We wanted a church that would remind us of the churches in our country of origin, but also that would be modern and would speak to the modern imagination.”

The Mass schedule for Portuguese-speaking parishioners are as follows: 9 a.m. on Monday, 9 a.m. on Friday, 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, 8 a.m. on Sunday, and 11:15 a.m. on Sunday. For English-speaking parishioners, the Mass schedule is as follows: 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, and 6 p.m. on Sunday. 

The office at Our Lady of the Assumption is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The church is located at 2602 S. Walnut Rd. in Turlock. For more information, call 209.634.2222 or visit olassumptiont.net