Trona Catholics kept the faith as their town declined
![St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic church](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9b2be79/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2400+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F45%2F26%2F245e81f6410cb49987babae7661d%2Fla-photos-1staff-460260-me-st-madeleine-sophie-barat-trona-2-brv.jpg)
Parishioner Andrew Ledesma, left, shows Father Remigius O. Owuamanam, right, the interior of quake-damaged St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church after their first Mass following the July 4-5 earthquakes in Trona, Calif. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
![St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7412e72/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2400+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd9%2F40%2F0fd561ed46e9ba5aa60b4e0424fb%2Fla-photos-1staff-460260-me-st-madeleine-sophie-barat-trona-4-brv.jpg)
Father Remigius O. Owuamanam, right, celebrates the Eucharist in the old rectory building across from the quake-damaged St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
![St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a47d6ae/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3648+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F48%2Ffb%2F1c1cdccc444ca0c311be43b18ab7%2Fla-photos-1staff-460260-me-st-madeleine-sophie-barat-trona-6-brv.jpg)
Parishioners Andrew Ledesma, left, and Cris Vigil, right, trade earthquake stories with other parishioners in the old rectory building. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
![St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d0b5cc9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2400+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F04%2F63%2Fb9ce81a74da4af7c95f784786ed7%2Fla-photos-1staff-460260-me-st-madeleine-sophie-barat-trona-8-brv.jpg)
Parishioners of the currently red-tagged St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church attended their first Mass following the July 4-5 earthquakes in Trona, Calif. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
![St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/caf2923/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2400+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcf%2F05%2Fbb9ca4cc4ba0925dfe34e54761b6%2Fla-photos-1staff-460260-me-st-madeleine-sophie-barat-trona-11-brv.jpg)
Broken statues in the currently red-tagged St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church in Trona, Calif. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
![St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ef70b7f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2280+0+0/resize/1440x912!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4e%2Fd6%2F67770d30404593655fe71777b23d%2Fla-photos-1staff-460260-me-st-madeleine-sophie-barat-trona-1-brv.jpg)
Church council President Patricia Scyrkles removes decorative items from the currently red-tagged St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Catholic Church in Trona, Calif. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)