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OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS CHURCH
Arcadia (Los Angeles), CA |
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CHAPEL HISTORY |
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Our Lady of Angels Church was founded in
1974 by Msgr. Charles P. Donahue, a priest of the archdiocese
of Los Angeles, when his curate forbade him from offering the
traditional Roman Mass at the diocesan parish where he was
assisting. Recognizing that the Novus Ordo Missae
would be a detriment to his priesthood and the salvation of
souls, and realizing that the systematic abuse of
authority existing throughout the liberalized archdiocese would
prevent him from safeguarding either in a regular parish
situation, with the help of some traditionally-minded
faithful, he began his own chapel in order to remain faithful
to Catholic Tradition.
As with many traditional parishes, the Los
Angeles area chapel started out as a private affair in the
home of the Dawn family in Pasadena, CA, until finally the
first public Mass was celebrated on Pentecost Sunday, 1974.
Little did anyone know on that day how the parish would grow
and prosper during these years. Eventually a former Foursquare
Gospel church in Arcadia was purchased where Mass was offered
for several years.
Despite that he had been forced to become an "independent
priest", nevertheless Msgr. Donahue always desired be united
to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, and to further this
wish, he met Archbishop Lefebvre in 1976, thereafter remaining
a steadfast friend of the Archbishop (whom he considered
his archbishop, as his local ordinary was contradicting
the Faith) and his Society of St. Pius X.
As the years went by, and the crisis in the Church continued
to deepen, more and more people began to come to the chapel in
Arcadia, as it was the only church that offered the
traditional Roman Mass in the Los Angeles area. It soon became
evident that a larger, more permanent structure would be
necessary for the growing parish. After much hard work on the
part of Monsignor and the generosity of the faithful, a new
church was blessed on December 8, 1988. The church was
constructed in a Romanesque style to accommodate four hundred
plus faithful, with a hall in the lower level for parish
activities and classrooms for catechism.
As time went on, Msgr. Donahue began to decline more and more
in health. Being the good shepherd that he was, he refused to
leave his beloved parishioners bereft of a priest. It had
always been his desire that the priests of the SSPX eventually
assume responsibilities of the parish. To this end, Monsignor
purchased a large priory in Arcadia to accommodate several
priests which would prepare for the arrival of the SSPX.
On December 23, 1995, Msgr. Donahue went to his eternal reward
after 42 years as a priest and 21 years as pastor in Arcadia.
It was truly the end of an era in Our Lady of the Angels
Parish.
In August of 1996, Fr. Charles Ward, former District Bursar,
took over as pastor and prior, and with the arrival of a total
of 3 priests to occupy the priory and assist at the parish,
the traditional apostolate in Los Angeles County became more
stabilized, and a complete parish was established. From the
priory in Arcadia, 5 other missions of the SSPX are cared for
in the state of California and beyond.
As the parish continued to grow and more young families became
parishioners, the need for a school became apparent. In 1997,
Our Lady of the Angels Academy was opened, helping parents to
give their children a sound and thorough Catholic education.
Presently there are about 450 parishioners at Our Lady of
Angels Church.
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IN THE REGINA COELI REPORT |
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JANUARY
2001
[pdf @ 1167 kb; Academy celebration of Feast of the Holy
Rosary, pg. 6]
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APRIL 2006
[pdf @ 1.3 mb; Crusaders and Medieval Fair in Arcadia,
headliner]
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