CASHION, Ariz If there is a phrase the faithful live by concerning their physical worship spaces, it is that the Church is the body of Christ – its people. So, when parishioners of St. William in Cashion lost their building to fire last week, including religious education classrooms, their food pantry and parish hall, they knew they could lean on their pastor, Fr. Andres Arango, as well as one another. A close-knit, largely Spanish-speaking community of predominantly blue-collar families, St. William has anchored the Catholic population of the east Avondale area since the 1960s, when it was built as a mission to serve immigrant farmers. Growth eventually forced St. William to seek a larger building, and in 1981, it bought a former Southern Baptist church at 111th Ave. and 3rd Street, renovated it, and dedicated it the following year.
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