St. Mary's Catholic Church (Los Angeles)

Last updated
St. Mary's Catholic Church
St. Mary Catholic Church, Los Angeles.JPG
St. Mary's Catholic Church at the corner of Fourth Street and Chicago Street in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
St. Mary's Catholic Church (Los Angeles)
34°02′29″N118°12′53″W / 34.041445°N 118.214683°W / 34.041445; -118.214683
Location407 South Chicago Street
Los Angeles, California 90033
Country United States
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website stmaryschurchla.com/
History
FoundedParish founded: November 20, 1896;127 years ago (November 20, 1896)
Dedication Church building dedicated: January 17, 1926;98 years ago (January 17, 1926)
Architecture
Architect(s) Thomas Franklin Power
Architectural typeNorth Italian-Byzantine
Groundbreaking 1924
Completed1925
Administration
Archdiocese Archdiocese of Los Angeles San Gabriel Pastoral Region
Clergy
Archbishop José Horacio Gómez
Pastor(s) Fr. Jim Nieblas, SDB

St. Mary's Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. [1] It was founded on November 20, 1896. The church building was dedicated on November 14, 1897, by Bishop Gregory Montgomery. [2]

Contents

St. Mary's Church is the fifth oldest parish in Los Angeles, [3] and was the first parish church founded to serve the neighborhood of Boyle Heights. [2] St. Mary's boundaries once included Sacred Heart parish to the north and Our Lady Queen of the Angels Church, as well as the former Cathedral of Saint Vibiana to the west. St. Mary’s extended eastward to the Puente Hills and southward to the limits of the Wilmington parish. [4]

It has been administered since the 1960s by the Salesians of Don Bosco. In the mid-1990s, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (also known as the Salesian Sisters) began administering St. Mary's Catholic School, it was the third parochial school established in the Diocese of Los Angeles in 1907. [5]

Church art & architecture

1897 church

The first church building was built in 1897 on the corner of Fourth and Chicago Streets in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights. The building seated 400. The architect R.B Young built the church in a Romanesque style. John Hanlon constructed the building and donated the white and gold high altar and side altars. [6]

1926 church

In 1923, the original church was demolished to accommodate growing membership, and a new facility was built in 1926. [2] It was dedicated by Bishop John Joseph Cantwell. [2] The prominent Los Angeles architect Thomas Franklin Power designed the church in a North Italian-Byzantine architectural style: "It seemed to me that the North Italian-Byzantine afforded the best medium of architectural expression; and the style developed has marked beauty." [6] The church's interior and exterior columns feature architectural elements borrowed from prominent Byzantine and Romanesque architectural buildings. Power describes the interior design, saying: "Other motifs taken from the Sta. Sofia at Constantinople, from the Cathedral and St. Apollinaris at Ravenna and from St. Mark's at Venice furnished bits of detail for capitals and panels of various portions." [6] The statue of St. Joseph in the sanctuary is one of the few elements of the original church building that is still in use today.

Original red brick Church on Fourth Street and Chicago Street in Boyle Heights. The Church was reconstructed to accommodate more seating. Exterior view of Saint Mary's church in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, between 1880-1915 (CHS-5125).jpg
Original red brick Church on Fourth Street and Chicago Street in Boyle Heights. The Church was reconstructed to accommodate more seating.
The church in 1926. Notice the spire on the bell tower, which is no longer there. St. Mary's Church Boyle Heights 1925.png
The church in 1926. Notice the spire on the bell tower, which is no longer there.

Church bell and bell tower

The original bell from St. Mary's 1896 church building is still in use. The bell tower at St. Mary's was originally 136 feet tall and included a steeple and roman cross. During renovations, the steeple was removed. The tower received damage following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, resulting in repairs and the closure of the sidewalk.

Church embellishments

The 1926 St. Mary's Church building was embellished by noted Eastside artist Candelario Rivas. [6] Many of the embellishments have been painted over during renovations and post-Vatican II changes to the sanctuary.

The Sanctuary mural depicting the Annunciation of Mary. The mural is painted on canvas. The canvas is in two pieces, and the stitching can be seen in the lower section of the mural. Sanctuary Mural2.jpg
The Sanctuary mural depicting the Annunciation of Mary. The mural is painted on canvas. The canvas is in two pieces, and the stitching can be seen in the lower section of the mural.

Annunciation sanctuary mural

The mural depicting the Annunciation of Mary in the church sanctuary was commissioned and painted by ecclesiastical German artist Theodore Brasch. [6]

George Yepes' original 1992 mural on display during Easter Vigil services at St. Mary's Catholic Church (Los Angeles) Altar at St. Mary Catholic Church, Los Angeles.JPG
George Yepes' original 1992 mural on display during Easter Vigil services at St. Mary's Catholic Church (Los Angeles)

George Yepes resurrection mural (1992)

In 1992, renowned Chicano muralist George Yepes donated a large, three-panel canvas mural of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ painted with trompe l'oeil elements. [7] The mural features a resurrected Christ where the Church's crucifix currently stands. The mural is painted on three large canvas panels and has a custom wooden, steel, and metal frame on which the canvas is stretched. The mural is occasionally displayed during Easter Vigil services.

Visit by future Pope Pius XII (1936)

In October 1936, while on a tour of the United States, Italian Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli accompanied Archbishop Cantwell on a tour of the then-diocese. [8] Along the way, they made a brief stop at St. Mary's Church. [6] Three years later in March 1939, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected as Pope and took on the name of Pope Pius XII. "St. Mary's could rightfully claim to have been visited by a Pope, even if it was a few years before his election." [6]

Current church building

Few elements of the original 1896 Church remain. The statue of St. Joseph in the sanctuary of the Church is original to the 1896 Church. A statue of St. Patrick was donated to the Salesian parish in Watsonville, California, by Father Avelino Lorenzo, SDB, pastor of the Church at various times.

Original pipe organ

The original pipe organ by Kilgen of St. Louis is still in use and can be seen in the choir loft.

1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake damage

In 1987, the Church was devastated by the Whittier Narrows earthquake, which caused major structural damage and led to the current remodel. [9] Fr. Avelino Lorenzo, SDB, then-pastor of the parish, led an effort to repair and reinforce the church building, raising nearly $770,000 in repair funds. [2]

1994 Northridge earthquake damage

In 1994, the Church was once again closed due to the Northridge earthquake, which caused only cosmetic damage to the outside walls and inside artwork. [10] Pastor Fr. Avelino Lorenzo, SDB, led the effort to restore much of the plaster-work of the Church. [10] The work was completed by United Staff and Stone Co. of Los Angeles. [10]

Church appearances in movies

Blood In Blood Out (1993)

Shot (2017)

Pastors that have served St. Mary's Catholic Church

  1. Fr. Joseph Doyle (1896-1900) d.1900
  2. Fr. Joseph Barron (1900-1910) d. 1910
  3. Fr. Joseph McManus (1910-1918)
  4. Fr. John Gallagher (1918-1919)
  5. Fr. Thomas O'Regan (1919-1937) d. 1957
  6. Msgr. Thomas O'Dwyer (1937-1960) d. 1966
  7. Msgr. James Dessert (1960-1965)
  8. Fr. Albert Negri, SDB (1965-1968)d.1971
  9. Fr. Charles Farina, SDB (1968-1974)
  10. Fr. Rafael Sanchez, SDB (1974-1980)
  11. Fr. Roger Luna, SDB (1980-1984)
  12. Fr. Joseph Farias, SDB (1984-1987, 2002-2010)
  13. Fr. Avelino Lorenzo, SDB (1987-1996, 2010-2011) d. 2020
  14. Fr. Jim Nieblas, SDB (1996-2002) (2022–2023) along with Santa Isabel
  15. Fr. Francisco Muñoz, SDB (2011-2013)
  16. Fr. Jesse Montes, SDB (2013-2018)
  17. Fr. Rafael Saiz, SDB (2018–2021)
  18. Fr. Marco Cesar Riveros (2021-2022) (2023-Present) along with Santa Isabel [11] [12]

St. Mary's Catholic School

St. Mary's school opened on the morning of September 15, 1907, at the corner of 4th and Breed Streets. In 1949, the school was moved to its current site near 4th and St Louis Streets, across Hollenbeck Park. The new school was dedicated on April 8, 1951 by Archbishop McIntyre.The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary staffed the school upon its beginning until 1992, when the Salesian sisters took over. The school was re-dedicated in 2009 by Fr. Joseph Farias. [13] The school closed on June 9, 2022 after 115 years. [14]

Salesian community

On July 1, 2021,Santa Isabel Church located at 918 South Soto Street, next to Bishop Mora Salesian High School became under the administration of Salesians of Don Bosco. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Misioneros Servidores de la Palabra agreed to merge St. Mary's and Santa Isabel into one parish. [12] The Salesian community in Boyle Heights consists of St. Mary's Church, Santa Isabel Church and its school, St. Bridget, Bishop Mora Salesian High School, Salesian Family Youth center - 3218 Wabash Ave (not active), Salesian Family Youth Center - 2228 E 4th st (active).

Mass Schedule
St. Mary'sSanta Isabel
Saturday Vigil Mass: 7pm (Spanish)Saturday Vigil Mass: 5pm (Spanish)
Sunday Mass in Span: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 7pmSunday Mass in Spanish: 8am, 11am, 5pm
Sunday Mass in English: 8:30am & 11:30amSunday Mass in English: 9:30am
Masses Tuesday - Friday: 8am (Spanish)Masses Tuesday - Friday: 7pm (Spanish)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Bosco</span> 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic priest, educator, and writer

John Melchior Bosco, SDB, popularly known as Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer of the 19th century. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the ill effects of industrialization and urbanization, he dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salesian High School (Los Angeles)</span> Catholic High School in Los Angeles

Bishop Mora Salesian High School is an all-boys Roman Catholic high school founded in 1958 and operated by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the community of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, California. It is named after Francisco Mora y Borrell, Bishop of the former Monterey-Los Angeles Diocese. The high school is associated with the religious order, the Salesians of Don Bosco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Bosco Technical Institute – Tarlac</span> Roman Catholic school in Tarlac City, Philippines

Don Bosco Technical Institute in Tarlac City, or simply Don Bosco Tarlac, is a private Catholic school for pre-school, grade school and junior high school boys. In 2016, it opened its co-educational senior high school department. The first Don Bosco school in the Philippines, it is the only academic-technical school in Tarlac. Its campus is located in Sto. Cristo, Tarlac City, Philippines.

St. Anthony’s Higher Secondary School, is an educational institution of the Catholic Church, belonging to and managed by the Salesians of Don Bosco Educational Society .Guided by the religious and educational philosophy of St. John Bosco, the school was founded to bring school education within the reach of the common man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica</span> Roman Catholic church and shrine

The National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica Catholic Church is a Catholic church in Royal Oak, Michigan. A designated national shrine, the church building is well-known for its execution in the lavish zig-zag Art Deco style. The structure was completed in two stages between 1931 and 1936. The sanctuary, at 2100 West Twelve Mile Road at the northeast corner of Woodward Avenue, is a parish of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Its construction was funded by the proceeds of the radio ministry of the Father Charles Coughlin, who broadcast from its tower in the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Casimir Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church</span>

St. Casimir Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church was a church in Sioux City, Iowa. Sioux City was the second westernmost city in the world to have a Lithuanian church. Designed by the architect William L. Steele and built in 1915, the church was demolished in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in Malaysia

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching is a Metropolitan Latin archbishopric of the Roman Catholic Church in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is however remains dependent on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

<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">Joseph Thomas McGucken</span> American prelate

Joseph Thomas McGucken was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (1941–1955), coadjutor bishop and bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento (1955–1962) and archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco (1962–1977).

<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">Roman Catholic Diocese of Vellore</span> Roman Catholic diocese in Tamil Nadu, India

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vellore is a diocese located in the city of Vellore in the ecclesiastical province of Madras and Mylapore in India.

The sexual abuse scandal in the Salesian Order is a major chapter in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in various Western jurisdictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jose L. de Ocampo</span>

Jose Lorenzo de Ocampo (1906–1995) was a Filipino architect and artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Costelloe</span> Australian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1954)

Timothy John Costelloe SDB is an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church. He is the ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Perth, appointed in February 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Our Lady of Dolours, Wadala</span>

The Church of Our Lady of Dolours, Wadala is a Roman Catholic church in Mumbai, India built in 1853. The parish of Our Lady of Dolours with its school, St. Joseph's was entrusted to the Salesians in 1948, about the same time as the Salesians settled in Matunga. The school was co-ed until the Salesian Sisters came into the Wadala Village with the Auxilium Convent for girls. The centerpiece of the church is a statue of the Pieta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Augustine's Church (Austin, Minnesota)</span> Church in Minnesota, United States

St. Augustine's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Austin, Minnesota, United States, located in the Diocese of Winona. Completed in 1896, both the interior and exterior have been well-preserved, showcasing a distinct Gothic Revival architecture style. The large sanctuary can accommodate more than 600 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annunciation Catholic Church (Washington, D.C.)</span> Church in D.C., USA

Annunciation Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Northwest Washington, D.C. Its parish church and hall and a parochial school, Annunciation Catholic School, are located along Massachusetts Avenue in the Cathedral Heights neighborhood, part of the Northwest-West Deanery within the Archdiocese of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Štumpf</span> Slovenian Roman Catholic prelate (born 1962)

Bishop Peter Štumpf, S.D.B. is a Slovenian Roman Catholic prelate who serves as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Murska Sobota since 28 November 2009. Previously he was a Titular Bishop of Musti in Numidia and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Maribor from 24 May 2006 until 28 November 2009.

References

  1. ↑ "Parish". www.la-archdiocese.org. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "St. Mary Church: The 'Grand Lady' of Boyle Heights". Angelus News. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  3. ↑ Delis, SDB, Robert (1989). The Grand Lady of Boyle Heights. Los Angeles, Calif.
  4. ↑ http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/ Retrieved 2019-1-15
  5. ↑ http://www.stmaryla.org/ Retrieved 2019-1-15
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Delis, SDB, Robert (1989). The Grand Lady of Boyle Heights. Los Angeles, Calif. : R. Delis. p. 58.
  7. ↑ Yepes, George (1992). "George Yepes Website". www.georgeyepes.com. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  8. ↑ Cochrane, Walter (March 3, 1939). "Visit to City Recalled: Airport Thronged to Greet Prelate Just Elevated to Pope". The Los Angeles Times. ProQuest   164945918.
  9. ↑ PEREZ, MARY ANNE (1994-02-13). "BOYLE HEIGHTS : St. Mary's Awaits Damage Report". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  10. 1 2 3 PEREZ, MARY ANNE (1994-07-10). "BOYLE HEIGHTS : St. Mary's to Reopen as Repairs Wrap Up". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  11. ↑ "Msgr. O’Dwyer: Nationally-known advocate for economic justice" Angelus News. Retrieved 2019-1-15.
  12. 1 2 "Message to the province" Intouch. Retrieved 2021-6-27
  13. ↑ "School History". stmaryla.org. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  14. ↑ "With dwindling enrollment, St. Mary's School set to close with the school year". boyleheightsbeat.com. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.