St. Matthew's Episcopal Church and School (Pacific Palisades, California)

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Parish of St. Matthew, Pacific Palisades
Location1031 Bienveneda Ave
Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Denomination Episcopal
Website stmatthews.com
stmatthewschool.com
Architecture
Architect(s) Frederick Earl Emmons (first church)
Moore Ruble Yudell (second church)
Completed1983
Administration
Diocese Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
Clergy
Rector Rev. Bruce A. Freeman, Rev. KC Robertson, Rev. Stephen Smith
Assistant priest Rev. Greg Brown
AssistantRev. Dr. William L. Wallace
Chaplain Rev. Stefanie Wilson
Laity
Organist Dr. Haesung Park
Churchwarden(s)Darren Seidel, Sr. Warden, Heather Jones, Jr. Warden
Youth ministry coordinator Susan Anderson
Music groupDwayne Milburn
Parish administratorShawn Silletti

The Parish of Saint Matthew is an Episcopal church and lower school in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. The original church was destroyed during the 1978 Agoura-Malibu firestorm. It was rebuilt in 1983. On January 8, 2025, the church was damaged and several school buildings were destroyed in the Palisades Fire.

Contents

History

St. Matthew's Parish was founded in 1941. [1] The first church was built by the architect Frederick Earl Emmons. [2] On May 2, 1949, an Episcopal preschool on Swarthmore Avenue was opened for twenty-four children. [3] The parish moved to a 28-acre lot on Bienveneda Avenue at the Garland Ranch in 1953 and an elementary school was added with over two-hundred students. [1] [3] The original church building was destroyed by the 1978 Agoura-Malibu firestorm. [1] [4] The congregation hired the architectural firm Moore Ruble Yudell to build a new church building, which was completed in 1983. [1] [5]

The congregation is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. [6]

The funerals for actors Charlton Heston and Edward Andrews were held at St. Matthew's. [7] [8]

On January 8, 2025 the church was damaged and the school was destroyed by the Palisades Fire. [6] The church and school were evacuated the day before the fire reached the parish. [9]

On October 19, 2025 the parish would reopen for Sunday services.

Notable school alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "St. Matthew's Episcopal Church". LA Conservancy.
  2. ↑ "PCAD - Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, Saint Matthew's Church #2, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, CA". pcad.lib.washington.edu.
  3. 1 2 "History". www.stmatthewsschool.com.
  4. ↑ "The 1978 Blaze Destroyed 25 Homes and St. Matthew's Church | Circling The News".
  5. ↑ "St Matthew's Episcopal Church". Pacific Palisades Historical Society.
  6. 1 2 "Outpouring of Episcopal support felt amid fires in Pacific Palisades, San Gabriel Valley foothills, Hollywood Hills". January 9, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Memorial to Mr. Charlton Heston". Charlton Heston World. Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  8. ↑ McGraw, Carol (March 10, 1985). "Edward Andrews, Veteran Character Actor, Dead at 70". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Episcopal church, 2 rectories destroyed by deadly fast-moving wildfires raging in Southern California". January 8, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Jason Segel (Actor)". Deadline. December 19, 2024.
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