Some 36 years after losing their church to an earthquake, parishioners of St. Patrick Parish in Los Angeles joyfully inaugurated their brand new church --- on St. Patrick's Day, of course.
Parishioners of this immigrant and working class community patiently waited in a long line March 17 for the opening of the doors and then slowly and shyly entered their new church.
But Cardinal Roger Mahony, the presiding celebrant, encouraged them to keep coming forward. "Today is an historic day. No one should be standing outside," he said. In time the church was filled with young children, youth, parents, and the elderly.
To demonstrate solidarity with their Irish patron saint, numerous parishioners wore green colors. One enthusiastic teen dyed her hair green. Outside, bright green balloons danced with the wind.
The focus, though, was on the new building. "It's amazing. It's beautiful," Everardo Barrera, a young adult parishioner told The Tidings, as he scanned the spacious, sun-lit church and the stained glass window at the front of the altar.
The Rite of Dedication, celebrated in Spanish, lasted nearly three hours and included sacred rites of blessing the building and its people with water, as well as rites of anointing, incensing, covering and lighting the altar. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel also was inaugurated and blessed.
"We celebrate with great gratitude God's grace and the gift of this marvelous, magnificent church," said the cardinal. "This is a day of great joy. We're all united in joy.
"The Word of God gives life and hope," he continued. "This is a sacred place from which to proclaim God's Word."
As a Eucharistic Church, the consecration of the host and wine into the body and blood of Christ allows the faithful "to transform ourselves into the Body of Christ," said Cardinal Mahony. "When we leave, we leave transformed to go out into the community and to our neighbors."
St. Patrick was one of the church's great evangelizers, said the cardinal, and he urged parishioners to follow the saint's example.
One of the oldest parishes in Los Angeles, the church was established in 1903 and has long served as a welcoming place for immigrants --- beginning with the Irish and Germans in the early 1900s, then African Americans in the 1920s and '30s, Mexicans in the 1950s and Central Americans since the 1980s.
The new church at Central Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard, south of Downtown L.A., was built in a redevelopment area of Los Angeles and is part of the community's revitalization efforts.
Following the liturgy, Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry was on hand to present a certificate from the city to Father Francisco X. Ramirez, pastor. The church, she said, "is central to the community. It's important for our future."
Father Ramirez proclaimed it an "extraordinary day." He thanked the many priests, donors, collaborators and parishioners who made the church a reality. "This is a good place to pray," he said. "It's a good place to bring to God our joys, difficulties and sorrows."
The parish, noted Cardinal Mahony, shares a bond of unity with the old St. Vibiana Cathedral and the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Six stained glass windows from St. Vibiana's were donated to the church as well as the statue of St. Patrick.
The altar, ambo and crucifix base were fabricated by Tortorelli Creations, the same company that created the cardinal's chair at the new Cathedral. The pews were constructed by The Wood & Iron Factory, which also built the pews at the Cathedral.
St. Cecilia Church in South Los Angeles donated an antique marble baptismal font and two marble pillars.
The project architectural company was Armet Davis Newlove AIA Architects and the general contractor was Del Amo Construction. The archdiocesan project manager was Richard Villacorta, and Franciscan Brother Hilarion O'Connor assisted the project in its early stages and through governmental requirements.
The original church building was damaged and reconstructed after a 1933 earthquake. Another earthquake in 1971 destroyed the church, and for more than three decades a small parish hall served as a make-do church for this low-income community.
Stockton Bishop Stephen Blaire, formerly Auxiliary Bishop of the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region, and Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson, pastor of St. Monica Church in Santa Monica, initiated the idea to build a new church with support from nearly all the parishes as well as Catholic donors in the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region.
The parish also benefited from proceeds from the Cardinal's Awards Dinner in 2003. Under the leadership of current Our Lady of the Angels Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark, the project broke ground in April 2005.
St. Patrick's previous two churches were unreinforced structures built with construction methods of that time. Construction of this new St. Patrick Church included implementation of the latest seismic building codes required by the city and state.
Total construction costs are estimated to be $7.2 million. To date, more than $4.7 million has been raised and the capital campaign is ongoing.
Over many years, parishioners sold tamales, carne asada and menudo and sponsored parish fiestas to raise $1 million for the church. Families joined together to raise money for the pews.
"Thanks be to God that we could realize this dream through many sacrifices," said Cirilo Isidro, parishioner.
"We were all united to make this church. We worked hard," said Floricela Cuautla, parishioner. "I'm very happy, because now we have our church."
Three large donations came from the Ahmanson, Carrie Estelle Doheny and Conrad N. Hilton Foundations.
The church is holding a second dedication event March 24 at 1 p.m. to honor the many parishes and donors who helped with the project. Editor's note: Potential donors interested in contributing to the St. Patrick Church Building Fund can visit www.stpatrickla.org or call (310) 215-0703.
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