Catholic Charities marked a milestone in its more than 60 years of service to northern Santa Barbara County Friday with the blessing of its new Santa María de Guadalupe Center.

The ceremony took place at the new facility, 232 North Benwiley Ave., and coincided with the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, for whom the center is named.

Fr. John Mayhew, of St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church, led the blessing, joined by a member of the Catholic Charities Santa Maria advisory board. During the ceremony, Mayhew reflected on the dignity of work and its role in charity and service.

“If we do our work well… and offer it to God, we purify ourselves and through the labor of our hands and minds we build up God‘s creation. A work that enables us to practice charity, to help the less fortunate,” M

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