The $21m project, which was funded by the Diocese of Fresno and donations from parishioners, is the product of a wider strategy to accommodate the growing congregation, while also addressing the shortage of priests. Since 1980, the number of Catholics in the diocese (which covers an area larger than Ireland) has risen from 307,000 to 1.2 million, largely due to Latino and Asian immigration. But, at the same time, the number of priests has declined by over a quarter. Gruelling hours, a requirement of celibacy, the ban on women priests and global sexual abuse scandals have all been major obstacles to attracting new talent. The answer, instead, has been to consolidate.