About Mater Ecclesiae · Thornton, California
Mater Ecclesiae is a Catholic mission church in the small rural community of Thornton, California, in the southern Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta region of San Joaquin County. It is officially a mission of St. Anne's Catholic Parish in Lodi and falls under the Diocese of Stockton. The parish takes its name from the Latin title "Mater Ecclesiae" (Mother of the Church), a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Pope Paul VI and later formally recognized by Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis. Mater Ecclesiae serves its rural Catholic community with Sunday Mass celebrated in both Spanish and English, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, sharing pastoral staff with St. Anne's in Lodi. The mission is perhaps best known regionally for the extraordinary events of 1981, when parishioners reported that a statue of Our Lady of Fatima had moved across the church to the altar on its own — a story that drew thousands of visitors and prompted a formal diocesan investigation.
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (Mater Ecclesiae — Mother of the Church)
- Rector
- Father Brandon Ware
- Diocese
- Diocese of Stockton
Why belong here
Mater Ecclesiae offers a small, bilingual Catholic community in the heart of Thornton's rural Delta country, where Sunday Mass is celebrated in both Spanish and English and weekly Eucharistic Adoration and Sunday Confession are available. As a mission of St. Anne's Parish in Lodi, it shares the larger parish's pastoral team, faith formation programs, school, and more than 40 lay ministries — from liturgical service and music to religious education and outreach to the sick — while preserving its own intimate mission identity. It is a welcoming place for Delta-area farm families and longtime Thornton Catholics seeking a close-knit parish rooted in Marian devotion and the traditional sacramental life of the Diocese of Stockton.
Mass times at Mater Ecclesiae
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Second Sunday — per published online schedule)
Adoration times
- Thursday: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM (per Discover Mass); also listed as 5:15 PM – 7:45 PM by third-party directories
About Mater Ecclesiae Mission
Mater Ecclesiae is a Roman Rite Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Thornton in the southern Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. It is a mission of St. Anne's Catholic Parish in Lodi and is part of the Diocese of Stockton. The mission shares its physical address — 26500 Sacramento Boulevard — with a small Catholic community that celebrates Sunday Mass in both Spanish and English, offers weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and provides the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Sundays. The parish draws its name from the title 'Mater Ecclesiae' (Mother of the Church), a Marian designation used by the popes and now commemorated in the universal liturgical calendar.
- Type: Mission church (of St. Anne's, Lodi)
- Diocese: Diocese of Stockton
- Rite: Roman (Latin)
- Patron title: Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
- Languages: Spanish, English, Bilingual
History of the Thornton Mission
Mater Ecclesiae developed as a rural mission of St. Anne's Parish in Lodi to serve the scattered Catholic population of the southern Delta. The broader Catholic life of the Lodi area — of which Thornton was a part — traces back to Mass celebrated in private homes beginning in 1869 and to the 1876 founding of the Woodbridge mission under Father O'Connor as an outreach of St. Mary's in Stockton. Mater Ecclesiae itself was best known in the wider region for the extraordinary events of 1981, when parishioners reported a statue of Our Lady of Fatima moving across the church on its own — a story that drew thousands of visitors and prompted a formal diocesan investigation concluded by then-Bishop Roger Mahony in 1983.
- 1869 — First Masses celebrated in private homes in the Lodi area
- 1876 — Catholic mission established at Woodbridge by Father O'Connor as a mission of St. Mary's, Stockton
- 1981 (April–September) — Reports of a 'miracle' statue at Mater Ecclesiae draw thousands to Thornton on the 13th of each month
- 1983 (June 8) — Bishop Roger Mahony announces at a Thornton press conference that the events are not 'a miracle in the eyes of the Catholic Church'
- The Our Lady of Fatima statue reportedly remains in the church today
The 1981 Our Lady of Fatima Statue Reports
Beginning in April 1981, parishioners at Mater Ecclesiae told priests and one another that a statue of Our Lady of Fatima had moved — apparently untouched by human hands — roughly 20 feet across the church to the altar. According to longtime Thornton resident Al Amaro, the statue was reported to have moved on the 13th of each month from April through September 1981. Word of the phenomenon spread rapidly and thousands of people traveled to the small mission to view the statue and pray. The Stockton Diocese, then led by Bishop Roger Mahony (the future Cardinal Archbishop of Los Angeles), appointed a commission of four area priests to investigate. On June 8, 1983, at a press conference in Thornton, Mahony told assembled reporters that the events did not constitute 'a miracle in the eyes of the Catholic Church.' Father Harmon Skillin, who became pastor of St. Anne's and Mater Ecclesiae in 1983, later recalled that he had to manage the pastoral fallout of the episode and the steady stream of visitors. The statue reportedly stopped moving on September 13, 1981, after diocesan officials relocated it within the church; it is still in the building today.
- Reported movement: April–September 1981, on the 13th of each month
- Distance reported: roughly 20 feet across the church to the altar
- Diocesan investigation: commission of four priests appointed by Bishop Roger Mahony
- Conclusion announced: June 8, 1983, at a Thornton press conference — not 'a miracle in the eyes of the Catholic Church'
- Statue remains in Mater Ecclesiae, no further movements reported
Pastoral Leadership
Because Mater Ecclesiae is a mission rather than an independent parish, it does not have its own resident pastor. It is shepherded by the pastor and clergy of St. Anne's Parish in Lodi. The current pastor is Father Brandon Ware, a Modesto native and Central Catholic High School alumnus who studied history at California State University, Chico before completing seven years of formation at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon (Master of Arts in theology and Master of Divinity). Father Ware was named lead administrator of St. Anne's after the death of Monsignor Thomas Hayes in April 2009, and was formally appointed pastor by Bishop Stephen Blaire in September 2010 for an initial six-year term. He celebrates Mass occasionally at Mater Ecclesiae and conducts some of the Spanish-language liturgies, and is well known for staying after Mass to greet parishioners. Deacons serving the St. Anne's / Mater Ecclesiae community include Deacon Porfiro Cisneros, who provides bilingual ministry.
- Current pastor: Father Brandon Ware (since 2010)
- Recent predecessor: Monsignor Thomas Hayes (d. April 2009)
- Father Harmon Skillin served St. Anne's and Mater Ecclesiae from 1983 to 1994
- Deacon Porfiro Cisneros (bilingual ministry)
Holy Week & Easter at Mater Ecclesiae
Mater Ecclesiae follows the Diocese of Stockton's Triduum schedule, with bilingual liturgies for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. The full schedule is published each year on the St. Anne's parish website.
- Holy Thursday — 7:00 PM: Bilingual Mass & Adoration
- Good Friday — 6:00 PM: Bilingual Stations of the Cross; 7:00 PM: Bilingual Liturgy of the Lord's Passion
- Holy Saturday — 8:00 PM: Bilingual Easter Vigil (typically 2–3 hours)
- Easter Sunday — Regular Mass schedule (9:00 AM Spanish, 11:00 AM English/Bilingual)
Ministries & Faith Life
As a mission of St. Anne's, Mater Ecclesiae benefits from the larger parish's extensive lay ministry network — more than 40 ministries ranging from liturgical service to religious education and outreach to the sick. Mater Ecclesiae parishioners are welcome to take part in bilingual faith formation, retreats, music ministry, and service opportunities at St. Anne's in Lodi, including the annual Pan de Vida bilingual youth retreat.
- Ministers of Holy Communion (Eucharistic Ministers) — bring Communion to the homebound
- Liturgy Ministry (shared with St. Anne's)
- Religious Education / Faith Formation (bilingual, shared with St. Anne's)
- Music / Choir (shared with St. Anne's; includes the 10:30 AM Sunday Choir)
- Pan de Vida Retreat — annual bilingual youth retreat held at St. Anne's
- Visiting the Sick / Outreach to the Homebound
- Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council (shared governance with St. Anne's)
Sacraments
The celebration of the sacraments at Mater Ecclesiae is coordinated through the St. Anne's Parish Office in Lodi. Sunday Mass, Reconciliation, and Eucharistic Adoration are available on-site at the Thornton mission, while Baptisms, Marriages, Anointing of the Sick, and RCIA are prepared through St. Anne's larger parish program.
- Baptism — preparation through St. Anne's Parish Office
- First Communion & Confirmation — Religious Education program at St. Anne's
- Marriage — preparation and celebration coordinated through St. Anne's
- Anointing of the Sick — through St. Anne's pastoral team
- Reconciliation — Sunday 10:00–11:00 AM at Mater Ecclesiae (per published schedule)
Visiting Mater Ecclesiae
Mater Ecclesiae is located on Sacramento Boulevard (State Route 12) in the unincorporated community of Thornton, in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta of San Joaquin County, between Lodi and Rio Vista. Visitors and pilgrims continue to come to the church because of the 1981 statue reports; the original Our Lady of Fatima statue reportedly remains inside the building.
- Address: 26500 Sacramento Blvd., Thornton, CA 95686
- Phone (Parish Office): (209) 369-1907
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stanneslodi.org/mater-ecclesiae
- Instagram: @stanneslodi (shared parish account)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Harmon Skillin1983–1994
Pastor of St. Anne's and Mater Ecclesiae during the years immediately following the 1981 Our Lady of Fatima 'miracle' reports and the 1983 diocesan investigation led by then-Bishop Roger Mahony.
- Monsignor Thomas Hayes
Longtime pastor of St. Anne's; died April 2009.
- Father Brandon Ware2009–present
Named lead administrator of St. Anne's after Monsignor Hayes's death in 2009; formally appointed pastor by Bishop Stephen Blaire in September 2010 for an initial six-year term. He celebrates Mass occasionally at Mater Ecclesiae and is bilingual in English and Spanish.