CHURCH READIES NEW BUILDING; CARDINAL TO ATTEND OPENING.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer

When morning Masses come to a close today at St. Peter Claver Church in Simi Valley, so, too, an era will end at the Catholic church that is opening a new house of worship Saturday.

More than 1,000 parishioners and Cardinal Roger Mahony, head of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, which includes Simi Valley, are expected to celebrate the opening of a new $3.2 million church.

But that doesn't ease the bittersweet process of shuttering the old building, where babies have been baptized, couples wed and Mass celebrated for more than two decades.

Parishioner Jim Carper gets choked up when he talks about sacraments celebrated at the church, where he converted to Catholicism 10 years ago and watched his now-college-age daughter receive her first Holy Communion.

``There's hundreds of stories like that,'' said Carper, chairman of the dedication committee. ``There's been so many weddings, funerals and baptisms.''

In fact, there's almost been too many. With more than 2,300 families in the parish and a church that can hold just 700 people, the noon Sunday service is typically celebrated by a spillover crowd.

The church is one of two main Catholic congregations in the city that were started 25 years ago when the valley began growing with new residents. Ever since St. Peter Claver opened in what was supposed to be a temporary facility at the corner of Cochran and Stow streets, there's been constant plans for a new, permanent building.

Under construction for the past 18 months, the $3.2 million facility located across the church's 1-acre lot from the old one is a mission-style structure, with a half-moon-shape interior for wide rows of pews.

Without a single major donation, the project was paid for through parish fund-raisers, from bingo night profits to pennies collected in a water bottle at the back of the church - the Pennies from Heaven campaign, which netted about $7,000.

When it was time to break ground, parishioners came to the ceremony with clumps of dirt from their yards to contribute to their new house of worship, Carper said.

``It's a beautiful new building and place of worship,'' said the church pastor, Monsignor Gary Bauler. ``I hope we can build something great for God, of peace and hope and love.''

On Saturday, Mahony will join hundreds of parishioners from across the area for the long and tradition-steeped ceremony of blessing the new church, from the walls that hold it up to the people who hold it together.

Church members are expected to gather outside, while the building remains locked until the cardinal accepts the keys from the builders and passes them along to the pastor to unlock the door.

But today, there will be another ceremony unfolding. Before the old church is closed and changed from a place of worship to a multipurpose meeting room, parishioners will begin an hours-long procession that involves taking down the crucifixes, statues, banners, candles and other religious items and walking with them into the churchyard.