St. Elisabeth of Hungary Church and School

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St. Elisabeth Church St. Elizabeth Church, Van Nuys.JPG
St. Elisabeth Church

St. Elisabeth of Hungary Church and School, originally known as St. Elizabeth Church and School, is a Catholic church and elementary school located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. [1] The church and school are named in honor of Elizabeth of Hungary.

Contents

Founded in 1919, it is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in the central San Fernando Valley. The current church building was dedicated in 1950.

The church gained some notoriety as part of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles after Father Michael Baker was reassigned to the parish from 1987 to 1991. Since 2023, the church has been led by its eleventh pastor, Rogationist priest Father Shinto Sebastian.

History

Early history

The parish of St. Elisabeth was founded in 1918 as a mission of the Holy Trinity Church (now known as St. Robert Bellarmine) in Burbank. [2] Rev. Victor M. Egas was the first pastor. When he arrived in 1919, the central San Fernando Valley had no Catholic church and no priest's residence. He organized the parish which began with 103 families. [3] He also supervised the construction of a church building. [4] [5] The new church building was designed by D. Piepenstock. [4] A ceremony of benediction was held for the laying of the cornerstone in November 1919. [3]

The church was dedicated on March 14, 1920. Bishop John Joseph Cantwell officiated at the ceremony and consecrated the new church. [6] [4]

Rev. C.A. Kimmons took over as pastor at the end of 1920. [7] Kimmons was reassigned in March 1924. [8]

Rev. Edmond Keohan, a native of County Waterford, Ireland, was the pastor from 1924 until his death in April 1947. [9] [10]

Construction of new church

In May 1947, the Rev. Patrick Francis O'Dwyer, a native of County Tipperary, Ireland, was appointed as the pastor at St. Elizabeth. [11] O'Dwyer was credited with overseeing a dramatic expansion of the parish, including construction of a new church building, convent, and social hall, and the expansion of the school. [12]

Construction of the new church began in early 1949. The building was constructed with reinforced concrete, structural steel roof framing, and a tile roof. The design was described as "a restrained modern style." [13] [14] The church was designed by architect George J. Adams with assistance from Armet and Davis. [13]

Services were first held in the new church prior to Christmas 1949, though the formal dedication did not occur until November 1950. [14] Archbishop James Francis McIntyre and Bishop Timothy Manning officiated at the dedication. [15]

At the time of its dedication, St. Elizabeth's was the largest church in the San Fernando Valley. [13]

Father O'Dwyer, later elevated to monsignor, remained as the pastor at St. Elizabeth's for nearly 25 years until his death in January 1971. [16]

Child sexual abuse scandal

In 2002, the Los Angeles Times published a front-page story revealing Father Michael Baker's serial sexual abuse of boys. Baker met with Archbishop Roger Mahony in December 1986 and confessed to having had sexual contact with children. [17] After his confession, Baker was temporarily assigned to St. Elisabeth, a parish with a school serving children from kindergarten to the eighth grade, in the summer of 1987 and then on a full-time basis from 1988 to 1991. The reassignment was conditioned on a Baker having no contact with minors. [18] The archdiocese learned in February 1989 that Baker was counseling a young boy in violation of the restriction. [19] A St. Elisabeth's student later came forward stating that he was repeatedly molested by Father Baker from 1989 to 1992. [20] In addition, a former St. Elisabeth altar boy filed suit against the archdiocese in 2002 alleging that he was sexually abused by Father Baker beginning in 1990 when he was 12 years old. [21]

Mahony later apologized and assumed full responsibility for allowing Baker to remain in the ministry. [17] [22]

Recent history

In 2001, the Rogationist Fathers began the direction of St. Elisabeth Parish.

On February 22, 2019, the heart of St. John Vianney visited St. Elisabeth's as part of the "Heart of a Priest" relic tour. [23]

School

St. Elisabeth Catholic School was founded by the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. The school opened on September 11, 1928. The original school was a one two-story building with four classes and an auditorium.[ citation needed ]

The school, serving students from kindergarten through the eighth grade, celebrated its 90th anniversary in September 2018. [24]

Actress/comedian Julie Brown is an alumna of St. Elisabeth.[ citation needed ]

Pastors

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Home". St. Elisabeth Church. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Parish's 75th". Los Angeles Times. October 1, 1994. p. B11 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "Bishop Cantwell To Be Here On Sunday: Will Officiate at Corner Stone Blessing Of New Catholic Church". The Van Nuys News. November 28, 1919. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 "Catholic Church Dedicated Sunday". Van Nuys News. March 19, 1920. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Rev. Egas Leaves Pastorate of St. Elizabeth Parish". Van Nuys News. December 16, 1920. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "St. Elizabeth Catholic Church To Be Dedicated". Van Nuys News. March 12, 1920. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Christmas Celebration at St. Elizabeth Church". The Van Nuys News. December 30, 1920. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Local Cleric Assigned To Important Parish". The Van Nuys News. March 4, 1924. p. 9.
  9. 1 2 "Father Keohan Dies After 23 Years in V.N." Valley Times. April 17, 1947. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Edmond Keohan's High Mass Today". Valley Times. April 18, 1947. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Rev. O'Dwyer Assumes Pastorate at Van Nuys". Van Nuys News. May 6, 1947. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "European Tour is Ordination Reward-Gift to Rev. O'Dwyer". Van Nuys News. July 1, 1954. p. 8C – via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 3 "Largest Valley Church Plans for Dedication". Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1950. p. II-3 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 "Archdiocesan Leaders Join in Dedication of New St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church Sunday". The Van Nuys News. November 23, 1950. p. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Catholic High Clergy Leads Dedication of St. Elizabeth's". The Van Nuys News. November 30, 1950. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
  16. 1 2 "Rites Held for St. Elisabeth's Msgr. O'Dwyer". The Valley News. January 28, 1971. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 "Cardinal Mahony Kept Cleric's Abuse Secret for 16 Years". Los Angeles Times. May 16, 2002. pp. A1, A18–A19 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Memorandum from Monsignor Curry to Archbishop Mahony" (PDF). Archdiocese of Los Angeles. July 25, 1988. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Memorandum from Monsignor Thomas Curry to Archbishop Mahony" (PDF). Archdiocese of Los Angeles. February 24, 1989. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  20. ↑ "D.A. Reopens Case of Alleged Sex Abuse". Los Angeles Times. October 20, 2005. pp. B1, B11 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Ex-Altar Boy Alleges Priest Abused Him". Los Angeles Times. May 21, 2002. pp. B1, B9 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Lloyd Vries (May 8, 2002). "Church Coverup Scandal Hits L.A." CBS News.
  23. ↑ Pablo Kay (March 6, 2019). "Relic of 'holy priest' offers chance to pray for church and her ministers". Catholic News Service.
  24. ↑ "St. Elisabeth Catholic School". Los Angeles Times. January 28, 2019. p. B4A – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ "Msgr. William Duggan, 74; Founded St. Didacus Church". Los Angeles Times. August 2, 1990. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. 1 2 3 "St. Elizabeth Church". Angelus News. July 17, 2012.

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