St. Elisabeth of Hungary Church and School

Last updated

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 2015, the church has been led by its tenth pastor, Rogationist priest Father Vito DiMarzio.

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church</span> Church building in Manhattan, New York

St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Manhattan on West 49th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. The parish has served the theatre community in a special way since 1920, and its parishioners have included many actors, such as Bob Hope and Gregory Peck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Grace (Encino)</span> Catholic church and elementary school in Los Angeles

Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church & School is a Catholic church and elementary school located in Encino, Los Angeles, California, at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and White Oak. The parish operates the Our Lady of Grace Elementary School. Crespi Carmelite High School is also adjacent to the parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church and School</span> Catholic Church in California, United States

St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church and School is a Catholic church and elementary school located in Encino, Los Angeles. Founded in 1949, St. Cyril's was voted the "Best Parish" for music in the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of the Valley</span> Church

Our Lady of the Valley is a large Catholic church and school located in the Canoga Park section of Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest parish in the western San Fernando Valley, having been established in 1921. When the parish was established, the western Valley was sparsely populated, and most of the 620 parishioners were involved in agriculture with livestock or walnut and orange groves. At the time of its formation, the parish's boundaries covered 400 square miles (1,000 km2) from the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Ventura County line to the west, White Oak Avenue to the east, and the Santa Susana Mountains to the north. In the years after World War II, the San Fernando Valley shifted from agriculture to residential communities, and the Catholic population also swelled. The 400 square miles (1,000 km2) served by Our Lady of the Valley were carved up among nine sister parishes. Though its territory has been reduced to four square miles, the parish has grown from 620 parishioners to over 4100 families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mel (Woodland Hills, California)</span> Catholic church and elementary school in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California

St. Mel is a Catholic church and elementary school located on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. St. Mel's parish was established in 1955. As of February 2020, Father Steve Davoren was the pastor, and Mary Beth Lutz was the principal of the school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proto-Cathedral of St. Mary</span> Church in California, United States of America

The Proto-Cathedral of St. Mary or Proto-Cathedral of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church is a parish church and proto-cathedral of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, serving the Ruthenian Eastern Catholic population of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was the first Byzantine church in California. It is located on Sepulveda Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. It is the only Byzantine Ruthenian Church in the territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Family Catholic Church (Glendale, California)</span>

Holy Family Catholic Church is a Catholic parish located on Elk Avenue in Glendale, California that consists of a Catholic church and a grade school. It formerly hosted an all-girls high school. Founded in 1907, it is the oldest parish in Glendale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church (Burbank, California)</span> Californian Catholic church

St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church is a Catholic parish on North Fifth Street in Burbank, California. It includes a Catholic church, elementary school, and high school. Founded in 1907, it was one of the first Catholic churches in the San Fernando Valley. Known as Holy Trinity Parish until 1939, it was renamed in honor of St. Robert Bellarmine. The church and school buildings on the St. Robert Bellarmine campus are modeled after colonial American buildings, including Monticello, Independence Hall, Mount Vernon and the library at the University of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Andrew's Catholic Church (Pasadena, California)</span> Church in California , USA

St. Andrew's Catholic Church is a Catholic church in Pasadena, California. Founded in 1886, it is the oldest Catholic parish in Pasadena and one of the oldest in Los Angeles County. Its Romanesque Revival campanile bell tower is visible for miles and is one of the landmarks of Pasadena. The interior of the current church, built in 1927, was modeled after the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome, while the façade was modeled after the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, down the hill and slightly upriver from Santa Sabina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Augustine Catholic Church (Culver City, California)</span> Church in California, United States

St. Augustine Catholic Church is a Catholic church located in Culver City, California, part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The church is located across the street from the Sony Pictures Studios, previously the MGM Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padre Serra Parish</span>

Padre Serra Parish is a large Catholic church in Camarillo, California, established in 1988 after the beatification of Father Junípero Serra. For its first seven years, Padre Serra's parish celebrated Mass in a room at St. John's Seminary. In July 1995, a modern 16,300-square foot church, without pews or kneelers, and with a centrally located altar, was opened. As of 1995, the parish had more than 5,000 members. In 2007, Padre Serra Church became the home parish of the first married Catholic priest in the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, San Pedro, California</span> Church in California , USA

Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish located in San Pedro, California, dedicated to Our Lady, Star of the Sea. Located on a hill overlooking the Port of Los Angeles, Mary Star of the Sea has sometimes been known as the "Fishermen’s Parish" because of its close ties with the fishing and cannery community in San Pedro. Established in 1889, the parish is one of the oldest in the Los Angeles Archdiocese. The present church, built in 1958, is the third church to serve the parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Hollywood</span> Church in CA , USA

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church is a parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles located on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood, California. The church today serves an urban, multiethnic community and is known for, among other things, its gay and lesbian ministry and its many outreach programs, including programs to assist the poor. Founded in 1904, the parish was the home parish for many actors during the classic Hollywood era of the 1920s through the 1950s, including Bing Crosby, John Ford, Irene Dunne, Loretta Young, Ricardo Montalbán and Ann Blyth. The Italian Renaissance church, built in 1928 but not completed until 1954, received a historic preservation grant in 2000 from the J. Paul Getty Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart Church, Rectory, School and Convent (Cambridge, Massachusetts)</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The Sacred Heart Church, Rectory, School and Convent make up a historic Roman Catholic church complex in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The church was built in the 1870s and 1880s to serve the parish first organized as the St. John the Evangelist Parish in 1842. The cornerstone of the church was laid on 4 October 1874. It was dedicated in 1883, and opened for Divine Service on 12 November 1876. The rectory was added in 1885, and the convent and school followed in 1902. The church is a Medieval Gothic structure designed by P. W. Ford. The complex occupies an entire city block, and has been partly taken over for Cambridge city school administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Manhattan)</span> Demolished church in Manhattan, New York

The Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary was a former Roman Catholic parish church, primarily serving Italian-Americans, that has been demolished. The church was located on 309-315 East 33rd Street, in the Kips Bay area of Manhattan, New York City. It has since been replaced by a chapel under the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Joseph on the Brandywine</span> Historic church in Delaware, United States

St. Joseph on the Brandywine, originally Saint Joseph's Church until St. Joseph's Church- Wilmington was built in 1947, is a parish of the Catholic Church in Greenville, Delaware, United States, in the Diocese of Wilmington. It is a historic parish church complex and national historic district located on Old Church Road. Since 2002 its old convent building has housed the diocesan archives, with records going back two centuries. It is also the home parish of the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Anthony's Church (Bronx)</span> Building in New York City, United States

The Church of St. Anthony is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 1496 Commonwealth Avenue, Van Nest, Bronx, New York City, near the corner of Mansion Street and Commonwealth Avenue. Founded in 1908 as an Italian Personal Parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Our Lady of Pity (Staten Island)</span> Building in New York, United States of America

The Church of Our Lady of Pity is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Staten Island, New York City. The church is located at 1616 Richmond Avenue, just south of the Staten Island Expressway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Adalbert Parish, South Bend</span> Church in Indiana, United States

St. Adalbert Parish - dubbed the "Cathedral of the West Side" - is a Catholic parish in South Bend, Indiana, United States. The parish was founded in 1910, and is one of the Roman Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Joseph (Bronxville, New York)</span> Catholic church in Bronxville, New York

The Church of St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic church located in the Village of Bronxville in Westchester County, New York. Officially founded as a parish of the Archdiocese of New York in 1922, the Church of St. Joseph consists of the parish church, adjacent parochial St. Joseph School, rectory, and parish center. It serves residents of Bronxville as well as residents of nearby neighborhoods in Eastchester and Yonkers. St. Joseph's has a permanent chaplain to serve the needs of nearby Lawrence Hospital.

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.

34°11′27″N118°27′10″W / 34.190919°N 118.452823°W / 34.190919; -118.452823