After more than six years of fundraising, the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Oxnard is ready to break ground for its new church --- except for needing the last $1 million required by the archdiocese to secure the loan for the project.

The 50-year-old parish, which serves nearly 7,000 families in Oxnard - many from outside of the immediate Colonia area - had hoped for construction to begin last July. But requirements from the city for the assurance of funds for the parking lot and from the Archdiocese for a combination of cash and pledges to cover 100 percent of the project's cost delayed the long-awaited ground breaking.

"The new church is much needed for the very large community we have," said Missionary of the Holy Spirit Father Ricardo DeAlba, associate pastor, adding that after the new church is built, the current church will become a much-needed auditorium and provide meeting space for parish groups.

The parish at Colonia Street and Juanita Avenue celebrates nine Masses each weekend; two more are celebrated at its parochial mission, Christ the King, at Roosevelt Avenue and Cooper Road. All 11 are filled to overflowing.

Over the past six years, major capital has been raised through the 2004 Cardinal's Award Dinner and a 2005 home raffle. The parish hopes to build a new worship space --- with a seating capacity of 1,000-plus, nearly double the current space --- on the site of the current parish school, and build a new school on the opposite diagonal corner of its lot.

Father DeAlba noted that the construction delay was a disappointment for parishioners who have worked hard to raise 64 percent of the project cost in cash and another 15 percent in pledges.

Now, as the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe approaches, the parish is gearing up for the annual celebration with a novena and one more major fundraiser: the raffle of a new car, open to anyone who wishes to purchase a $5 ticket. The drawing will take place Dec. 12.

Father DeAlba is hoping that this time the community will not be disappointed, but that, through the generosity of donations and the success of the raffle, "the dream of the new church will finally come true for our families."

Parish history
The title of Our Lady honoring her apparition to St. Juan Diego in 1531 is bestowed on 10 parishes in the Los Angeles Archdiocese --- from Guadalupe in the north to Hermosa Beach in the south. The parish in Oxnard celebrated its golden jubilee in November, but its full history extends much further to when the church was a mission of Santa Clara Church.

Early records of what was known as the Colonia area include information of an early church, brought from Mexico around 1911 by Father Jesus Ramirez, who assembled the building in Oxnard. The mission was named Christ the King and Father Thomas Barry ministered there for a short time.

The Holy Spirit Missionaries took charge when the parish was established in 1958. Father Jose Arredondo from Mexico was the pastor and later served two other terms at the parish, a total of 27 years. That original mission, however, was destroyed by fire in 1958 and by 1970 Archbishop Timothy Manning blessed a new church dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Missionaries of the Holy Spirit have continued to lead the parish through growing needs, family counseling and outreach to the poor of the area. The new pastor is Father Roberto Saldivar from Mexico, where many of the former pastors were born.

Janis Nelson and Hermine Lees contributed to this story.