St. Cecilia Catholic Church (Los Angeles)
Encyclopedia
St. Cecilia's Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region
of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
. The church is located at 4230 South Normandie Avenue in the South Los Angeles section of Los Angeles
, California
USA. The Lombard Romanesque church was built in 1927.
between 42nd and 43rd Streets, was dedicated in August 1910. The first pastor of St. Cecilia's was the Rev. Paul Dillon.
In December 1919, Reverend Edward H. Brady took over as the pastor at St. Cecilia's. During the 1920s, Father Brady led the effort to construct a new church to house the parish. Plans for the new church were approved in March 1926, and the cost was estimated at approximately $225,000.
The new church was dedicated in November 1927 with Bishop John Joseph Cantwell
celebrating the dedication Mass.
In May 1943, St. Cecilia's was consecrated
by Bishop Joseph T. McGucken
, making it only the third church in Los Angeles to be consecrated. (The Cathedral of Saint Vibiana
and St. Vincent being the first two.) Relics from the tomb of Saint Cecilia
in Rome were sealed in a niche of the altar during the ceremony.
In January 1953, Father Brady died of a heart attack at the St. Cecilia's rectory. At the time of his death, he had served as the pastor at St. Cecilia's for 34 years. In March 1953, Monsignor Patrick J. Dignan became the third pastor of St. Cecilia's.
In January 1954, St. Cecilia's dedicated a new convent at the parish.
. In July 1927, as the structure was being built, the Los Angeles Times reported:
The church was built with a seating capacity of 1,000.
St. Cecilia went through a period of declining membership. With a pastor who did not speak Spanish in a neighborhood dominated by Spanish speakers, Masses "rarely topped 200 people, a fraction of the church's capacity."
In 1997, Father Luigi Zanotto, a Comboni Missionary
, arrived at St. Cecilia. Under Father Zanotto's leadership, Colombian nuns were brought to the parish, and parishioners from Oaxaca
were invited to arrange special Masses. In 2001, the parish acquired a painting of the Virgin of Soledad
, a symbol of importance to Oaxacans. With the installation of the Virgin of Soledad, St. Cecilia became a center for Oaxacans from throughout Southern California.
Father Zanotto encouraged other ethnic groups in the community. A group of Guatemalan parishioners commissioned a 9-foot black wooden statue of the "Black Christ of Esquipulas
," a national and religious icon for Guatemalans. Parishioners from El Salvador
commissioned a statue of Salvador del Mundo, the patron saint of El Salvador.
A group of ethnic Nigerian parishioners installed a shrine to the Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi
, a Nigerian priest who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998. The shrine was dedicated at a July 2003 mass presided over by Cardinal Francis Arinze, a Nigerian who has been mentioned as an eventual candidate for the papacy. A Nigerian priest, Father Michael Ekwutosi Ume, was brought in to celebrate a biweekly Mass in Igbo
, "complete with traditional dancing and singing."
By 2003, Father Zanotto has turned St. Cecilia into a thriving multi-ethnic parish. In 2003, Father Zanotto was transferred to New Jersey. When the new pastor ended the practice of holding monthly Masses honoring each ethnic saint, the parishioners resisted. After eight months, another pastor was installed, and he resumed the monthly ethnic Masses.
As of 2008, the congregation of St. Cecilia Church was made up mostly of Latino immigrants. Four Spanish language Masses are held at the church each Sunday.
with Sister Mary Paul as the first principal.
As of 2009, the St. Cecilia school offered education for 272 students from kindergarten through the eighth grade.
Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region
The Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region is a pastoral region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Roman Catholic Church. It covers Downtown and central Los Angeles west to Malibu, south to LAX. The current regional auxiliary bishop is Bishop Edward W. Clark...
of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
. The church is located at 4230 South Normandie Avenue in the South Los Angeles section of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
USA. The Lombard Romanesque church was built in 1927.
Early history
St. Cecilia's was established as a new parish serving southern Los Angeles in 1909. The original parish church, located on Normandie AvenueNormandie Avenue
Normandie Avenue is one of Los Angeles County's longest north-south streets. With a stretch of about 22.5 miles , it lies between Vermont Avenue and Western Avenue, starting off north of Franklin Avenue. At Wilshire Boulevard, the Metro Purple Line intersects at an underground subway station. ...
between 42nd and 43rd Streets, was dedicated in August 1910. The first pastor of St. Cecilia's was the Rev. Paul Dillon.
In December 1919, Reverend Edward H. Brady took over as the pastor at St. Cecilia's. During the 1920s, Father Brady led the effort to construct a new church to house the parish. Plans for the new church were approved in March 1926, and the cost was estimated at approximately $225,000.
The new church was dedicated in November 1927 with Bishop John Joseph Cantwell
John Joseph Cantwell
John Joseph Cantwell was the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.Archbishop Cantwell was born in Limerick, Ireland. He was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco on June 18, 1899 and was initially assigned as curate of Berkeley's St. Joseph The Worker...
celebrating the dedication Mass.
In May 1943, St. Cecilia's was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
by Bishop Joseph T. McGucken
Joseph Thomas McGucken
Joseph Thomas McGucken was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Sacramento and Archbishop of San Francisco .-Biography:...
, making it only the third church in Los Angeles to be consecrated. (The Cathedral of Saint Vibiana
Cathedral of Saint Vibiana
The Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, often called St. Vibiana's, is a former cathedral church building and parish of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles...
and St. Vincent being the first two.) Relics from the tomb of Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia is the patroness of musicians and Church music because as she was dying she sang to God. It is also written that as the musicians played at her wedding she "sang in her heart to the Lord". St. Cecilia was an only child. Her feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Anglican,...
in Rome were sealed in a niche of the altar during the ceremony.
In January 1953, Father Brady died of a heart attack at the St. Cecilia's rectory. At the time of his death, he had served as the pastor at St. Cecilia's for 34 years. In March 1953, Monsignor Patrick J. Dignan became the third pastor of St. Cecilia's.
In January 1954, St. Cecilia's dedicated a new convent at the parish.
Architecture
The current Lombard Romanesque church building was built in 1927. The church is constructed of reinforced concrete with a high altar made of carved French Caen stoneCaen stone
Caen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
. In July 1927, as the structure was being built, the Los Angeles Times reported:
"The structure represents a new departure in church architecture, as the style employed by the architect has not been utilized to any extent in Los Angeles or local communities. The design is Lombard Romanesque, a style developed in Italy during the 11th century."
The church was built with a seating capacity of 1,000.
Recent history and congregation
When St. Cecilia was established, the area surrounding the parish was predominately white. In the 1960s, African-Americans began moving into the neighborhood. By the mid-1990s, the neighborhood was made up mostly of Latino immigrants.St. Cecilia went through a period of declining membership. With a pastor who did not speak Spanish in a neighborhood dominated by Spanish speakers, Masses "rarely topped 200 people, a fraction of the church's capacity."
In 1997, Father Luigi Zanotto, a Comboni Missionary
Daniel Comboni
Daniel Comboni was a Roman Catholic missionary and Saint.-Early life:He was born at Limone sul Garda, Brescia, Italy, into a family of cultivators employed by one of the rich local proprietors...
, arrived at St. Cecilia. Under Father Zanotto's leadership, Colombian nuns were brought to the parish, and parishioners from Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
were invited to arrange special Masses. In 2001, the parish acquired a painting of the Virgin of Soledad
Nuestra Señora dela Soledad de Porta Vaga
Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga, also called "Reina de Cavite" and "La Virgen de la Soledad", is the patroness of Cavite City.-Description:...
, a symbol of importance to Oaxacans. With the installation of the Virgin of Soledad, St. Cecilia became a center for Oaxacans from throughout Southern California.
Father Zanotto encouraged other ethnic groups in the community. A group of Guatemalan parishioners commissioned a 9-foot black wooden statue of the "Black Christ of Esquipulas
Esquipulas
Esquipulas is a town in the Guatemalan departmentof Chiquimula on the border with Honduras. It serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name...
," a national and religious icon for Guatemalans. Parishioners from El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
commissioned a statue of Salvador del Mundo, the patron saint of El Salvador.
A group of ethnic Nigerian parishioners installed a shrine to the Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi
Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi
Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi was an Igbo Nigerian ordained a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Onitsha, Nigeria on December 19, 1937...
, a Nigerian priest who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998. The shrine was dedicated at a July 2003 mass presided over by Cardinal Francis Arinze, a Nigerian who has been mentioned as an eventual candidate for the papacy. A Nigerian priest, Father Michael Ekwutosi Ume, was brought in to celebrate a biweekly Mass in Igbo
Igbo language
Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...
, "complete with traditional dancing and singing."
By 2003, Father Zanotto has turned St. Cecilia into a thriving multi-ethnic parish. In 2003, Father Zanotto was transferred to New Jersey. When the new pastor ended the practice of holding monthly Masses honoring each ethnic saint, the parishioners resisted. After eight months, another pastor was installed, and he resumed the monthly ethnic Masses.
As of 2008, the congregation of St. Cecilia Church was made up mostly of Latino immigrants. Four Spanish language Masses are held at the church each Sunday.
St. Cecilia School
In September 1916, the parish opened St. Cecilia's School serving grades 1–8. The school was operated by the Sisters of St. JosephSisters of St. Joseph
The title Sisters of St. Joseph applies to several Roman Catholic religious congregations of women. The largest and oldest of these was founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France...
with Sister Mary Paul as the first principal.
As of 2009, the St. Cecilia school offered education for 272 students from kindergarten through the eighth grade.