On May 22 700 people gathered to help St. Bruno Church in Whittier celebrate 50 years of serving the community with a reception and jubilee Mass presided over by Cardinal Roger Mahony.

The parish started out in a grocery warehouse in Whittier with 1,100 registered families. The current church was built in 1956 and hosted its first Mass on Aug. 15 of that year. Today the parish registers 2,400 families with many of the founding families still attending.

Father Patrick O'Dwyer, St. Bruno's pastor, noted that he has witnessed many changes during his 20 years serving the St. Bruno community.

"The parish has become much younger than when I arrived 20 years ago and the ministries have grown a lot in my time here with a lot more involvement by parish members," said Father O'Dwyer. "What began in a grocery warehouse 50 years ago has now matured into a Community of Faith that is community minded and mission orientated."