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, [1] and Mary Beth Lutz was the principal of the school. [2]
Monsignor Michael J. O'Connor, a native of County Kerry, Ireland, was assigned in 1955 to establish the parish. He is credited with choosing the church's name, selecting design of the sanctuary, development of its school. He remained at St. Mel's until his retirement in 1985. [3] He served as pastor until 1985 and remained at the parish into the late 1990s. During his time at St. Mel's, the parish grew from 415 families to 5,000 families. [4] O'Connor died in 2005 at age 95. [5]
The main church structure is an A-frame built with poured concrete and 80-foot steel beams. It was considered "radical" and "daring" at the time. [3] It was designed by Los Angeles architect Earl Trudeau. [6] The church was built on a seven-acre parcel that had previously been a walnut grove. Work began in February 1956 for what was referred to as "the most modern and largest Catholic church and school" in the San Fernando Valley. [7] It was the first building costing more than $500,000 planned for Woodland Hills. [8] Construction of the church was completed in the summer of 1958. [9]
Before the church building was constructed, Mass was celebrated in a variety of settings including the Tarzana Women's Club House and the Canoga Park Theater. [10]
The school opened in 1956 with staffing by the Immaculate Heart Sisters. The Sisters of St. Louis assumed responsibility for staffing the school in 1958. [10]
In 1985, Monsignor John Naughton took over as pastor. He retired in 1990 and was replaced as pastor by Monsignor Padraic Loftus. [10] As of 2010, Monsignor Helmut Hefner was the church's pastor.
In January 1994, the Northridge earthquake caused $1 million in damage to the church. [11] During repairs to the church, services were held in a temporary structure on the grounds of the church; the temporary structure was dubbed "St. Mel in the Field". [12] A $2 million renovation and repair program was completed in 1996. Cardinal Roger Mahoney presided at the rededication. [11]
In 1999, a large mural (33 feet by 24 feet) depicting angels was installed on both sides of the altar. The mural was painted by Yugoslav artist RaDeSha and was titled "St. Mel Crystal Angels". [13]
It was also where the funeral of Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro was partly held in 1992. Porcaro and his family attended the church growing up.
Panorama City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. It has a generally young age range as well as the highest population density in the Valley. More than half of the neighborhood's population was born abroad, the majority being from Mexico. Known as the Valley's first planned community after a transition from agriculture to a post-World War II housing boom, it has been home to several notable residents. It is now a mixture of single-family homes and low-rise apartment buildings.
Robert Stanton Waterfield was an American football player and coach. A skilled player, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily as a quarterback, but also as a safety, kicker, punter and sometimes return specialist with the Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. His No. 7 jersey was retired by the Rams in 1952. He was also a motion picture actor and producer.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. The cathedral is named for Mary, mother of Jesus, and is located at 7525 N.W. 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida, United States. Since June 2010, Archbishop Thomas Gerard Wenski has served as the archbishop of Miami, Rev. Christopher Marino is the cathedral's rector.
Thomas Victor Dolinay was the second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church.
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.
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.
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.
St. Catherine of Siena is a Catholic church and elementary school located on Sherman Way in Reseda, California, in the city of Los Angeles. The parish, which is now more than 50 percent Latino, has a membership of more than 1,300 families.
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. The church and school are named in honor of Elizabeth of Hungary.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Raymond Peter Hillinger was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as a bishop of the Diocese of Rockford in Illinois (1954–1956) and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago (1956–1971).
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church and parish in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region. The church is located at 2727 W. Pico Boulevard in the Byzantine-Latino Quarter of Los Angeles, California. The Mission Revival style church was built in 1904.
St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church is a Catholic church in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region. The church is located on Sunset Boulevard in the affluent Brentwood section of Los Angeles, California.
Shepherd Church is a nondenominational megachurch based in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, California, USA. The senior pastor is Dudley Rutherford.
Joseph Vincent Brennan is a prelate of the Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Latin Church Diocese of Fresno in California since 2019. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California from 2015 to 2019.
Westminster Presbyterian Church is in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Westminster Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii and Pacific Presbytery. The congregation, established in 1904, is one of the oldest African American Presbyterian churches in California and west of the Mississippi River.