St. Michael Church may be the only parish in Los Angeles whose school was founded before it was established as a parish. In 1903 the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose built and staffed a two-room school, commuting from St. Joseph Church on 12th Street downtown.

Four years later the first pastor was appointed and a convent built. Then in 1908 the first church was constructed on land donated by the Wagner, Hill and Mertens families of the parish.

On Sept. 23 St. Michael's commenced its year-long 100th anniversary celebration of thanksgiving --- a "holy year," said pastor Msgr. David O'Connell. As part of its celebration the parish will embark on a stewardship campaign which will include a time for "recognizing those gifts and returning them back to the church and community."

"We must realize that everything we have is gift," Cardinal Roger Mahony noted in his homily at the Mass of Thanksgiving. At the same time, he reminded the packed assembly in English and Spanish, "we can never be more generous than God is to us. We cannot outgive God."

The centennial year will begin with St. Michael's honoring those who have generously sacrificed in building "the beautiful church, convent, school, rectory and auditorium," said Msgr. O'Connell. "We don't have to build any more buildings, but we have to build up the community. Stewardship is about all of us now."

While parish physical needs are challenging, so are attempts at building up and renewing faith life in the parish at Manchester and Vermont. Msgr. O'Connell wants "to develop ways to improve the community life of the parish and neighborhood." That includes providing more scholarships for the school and adult and youth retreat programs.

Some 1,300 families are registered in the parish, but Msgr. O'Connell estimates that 3,000 is a more realistic estimate. The average income of two people working in a home is close to $22,000 a year and most families have three children. It is an active parish with five Sunday Masses and numerous organizations and needs of any similar-sized parish.

For last Sunday's 100th anniversary celebration, parishioners prepared a chicken dinner and entertainment, and many clergy formerly assigned to St. Michael's and past parishioners gathered to visit and renew old friendships. Among those in attendance was City Councilmember Bernard Parks, whose daughter attended St. Michael's schools; he presented a proclamation on behalf of the City of Los Angeles.

Very present were the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, including Sister Georgette Coulombe, a former principal of the elementary school (1985-2000) and a member of St. Michael High School's first graduating class of 1959 (the high school closed in 1996).

"I love coming home," she declared, noting that not only she and her brother, but their parents as well, attended St. Michael School. "The family spirit that is here, no matter what culture, is absolutely beautiful and something to remember and treasure for all my life. St. Michael's will always have a special place in my heart."

Also sharing their memories were Alberta Wagner Srnka and Francis Bradasich, who grew up on the same street in the parish. Srnka --- whose family donated the land on which the first St. Michael Church was built --- now lives in Orange County, while Bradasich, at age 82, still lives in the same house in which he was born.

Srnka, proud to be "one of the last Wagners to celebrate with all of the folks here," recalled that many parishioners in her day were Croatian, German and Irish. Bradasich, whose parents were from Dalmatia, said his mother was always "so shy about her accent" but did not feel so bad after she got involved in the parish and all the other women had German accents.

"It's always been a good parish," said Bradasich, who serves as sacristan. "It's like a second home."

Forty-year parishioner Ernestine Smith is a choir member, religious education teacher and belongs to the Knights of Peter Claver. Her daughter and son attended St. Michael School. "This is my home," said Smith. "I wouldn't go any place else. I just love it."

Her friend Pat Buckley, a parishioner for 23 years, totally agrees. "It's about being a family," said Buckley, whose two sons graduated from St. Michael School. "This is my spiritual home. There's no place like St. Michael's."