In the early 1960s, rural Santa Clara County, California forecasted an unprecedented population and housing growth. Keeping pace with the incoming faithful, the Archdiocese of San Francisco planned new parishes in the soon-to-be-established neighborhoods.

One area, named “New Bethlehem” by real estate speculators, thus witnessed the peaked rooftop of Our Lady of Peace Church rise above acres of pear orchards and dirt roads. Though her seed was planted, an unexpected turn of events nearly shut down the poor, fledgling parish.

This is the remarkable story of the priests and people who turned a futureless church into a mecca of faith and conversion with a simple hope for the future, zeal for souls, and unwavering love for Christ and His Mother. Surrounded by high-tech, hotels, and highways, Our Lady of Peace Church and Shrine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary today sits in the heart of Silicon Valley where millions of visitors and passers-by receive her welcome.

It started with a prayer.