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.53 During the winter months, many ofthese workers came to Sacramento in need of charity, housing, and cloth-ing.Along with other priests working with migrant laborers, Kenny wasappalled by the poor working conditions and inhumane treatment giventhese workers.b u i l d i n g a v i s i b l e l a t i n o p r e s e n c e 235 At Kenny s urging, McGucken boosted outreach to Latinos/as in par-ishes close to the fields, such as Holy Rosary in Woodland and St.Isidore sin Yuba City.He also hosted a meeting of the so-called bracero priestsfrom the Dioceses of San Diego and Monterey-Fresno and the Archdio-ceses of San Francisco and Los Angeles in early February 1957.The gath-ering included Mexican priests from the Diocese of San Luis Potosi incentral Mexico.The clerics urged bishops to continue an ongoing consul-tation with bracero priests.They insisted on strict enforcement of federalhousing standards for braceros and urged the recruitment of additionallay catechists and priests to bring the sacraments to the camps.To pre-serve the moral life of these men, cut off from their families, they recom-mended social centers be organized for the workers.54phase three: building a new and resplendent temploMaio set to work to build a new church for the growing community,whose numbers were already taxing the well-worn Guadalupe chapel.The priest faced a number of obstacles, not the least of which was raisingfunds from the lower-income Mexicans.However, he also met opposi-tion from cathedral rector Renwald, who still claimed the Mexican chapelas part of the outreach of the cathedral parish.55 Renwald worried thatfund-raising for a new church would further stress the already precariousfinances of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.(He was glad, in fact,when the Italian church finally moved east in 1948, leaving only the Por-tuguese St.Elizabeth Church and Guadalupe under his authority.)56Renwald s fears notwithstanding, Maio launched a series of fund-raisersthat not only brought the community together but also created a nest eggfor future development.In 1951 he began a popular kermes (festival) in themiddle of summer on the grounds of St.Joseph Academy, which later tookplace at the Mexican Center at Sixth and w.This popular festival consistedof two full days of celebration and included games, raffles, dancing, andfood.The net proceeds were often sizable.Maio also expanded the annualGuadalupe celebration, adding an extravagant parade that marched vari-ous groups in the Latino/a colony down k Street to the cathedral.Elabo-rate floats and marching bands made the day a festive one.57Even more creatively, at the suggestion of restaurant owner AngelitaPonce, Maio installed alms boxes in the Mexican cantinas on the West236 s a c r a m e n t o a n d t h e c a t h o l i c c h u r c h End.Over each box he placed a picture of the morenita, the Lady of Gua-dalupe, with the words Coopere por mi templo (Give for my church).The results were fantastic.Every month he collected $300 to $400, usuallyin half-dollars.Maio eventually built up a comfortable $35,000 savingsbalance for future development.58Maio s efforts regularly encountered opposition from Renwald, butalso some skepticism from the diocesan Board of Consultors whoshared Renwald s concerns about the financial impact of a new churchin the downtown especially as the cathedral s finances were faltering.McGucken may have listened to his senior clergy but shared Maio s viewsabout the situation.The Latino/a community was growing, and the oldSt.Stephen buildings were no longer adequate.Likewise, urban renewalplans were demolishing housing and cheap residences, reconfiguring theurban landscape.The loss of housing near Third Street meant that thechapel would soon be off the beaten path for the colonia.Alkali Flats,north of the cathedral, would have been the best place to locate the newMexican church.Latino/a families continued to crowd into single-familydwellings there, which absentee landlords carved up into apartments.Butthe proximity to the cathedral and the difficulty of assembling and pur-chasing properties made building in that area impossible.Maio proposedrelocating the Mexican church to the site of the former Italian St.Mary sat Seventh and t.The diocese still owned much of the t Street property,and the area contained enough of the Latino/a community to make it via-ble.Maio envisioned all the components of a successful parish church,rectory, school, hall, and even a convent.Virtually right behind it stoodHoly Angels School.To the west of the property, new St.Stephen Hall hadbeen built in 1950
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