Publisher’s note: This is reprinted with permission from the March 1976 Lake Tahoe Historical Society newsletter.

The Historical Society will honor the 25th Anniversary of St. Theresa’s Church at its March meeting. The program will be in charge of Father Grace who first came to the parish in April of 1956.

As an outreach of the Truckee parish, founded in 1885, a priest served the north shore area of Lake Tahoe for many years before Mr. and Mrs. Frank Globin invited a priest to come to their Al Tahoe resort to hold services during the summer months. The church records show the fist mass on the South Shore to have been celebrated by Rev. Michael Miles during the summer of 1926 in a small building at the corner of Sacramento and Lakeview Avenues. Twenty-five years later, Father Patrick Lyons arrived on July 1, 1951 to establish St. Theresa’s to serve his parishioners on a year-round basis. The original site of the church was that of the current Intermediate School. Twenty families of about 150 people comprised the membership at the founding. Roughly 1000 families now belong to St. Theresa’s where it is not unusual for 4000 worshipers to be served ruing Sunday services.

St. Theres’a is preparing a historical brochure for printing later in the year. Mrs. Pat Whitney, in collecting pictures for the brochure, has prepared several photographic exhibits which will be on display during the March 25 meeting.

Refreshments will be served following the program. Guests are cordially invited.