St. Brendan Catholic Church, Los Angeles

St. Brendan Catholic Church is a Catholic church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, located in the Hancock Park section of Los Angeles. The current Gothic style church was built in 1927 and has also served as a location for various Hollywood productions.

Early history

St. Brendan's was formed as a new parish in 1914 under the leadership of Father William Ford.cite news|title=Rare Services Conducted at Consecration of Church: St. Brendan's Catholic Church Consecrated|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=1957-05-17] cite news|title='Baby' Parish Growing Fast: St. Brendan's School has been completed; New Catholic Church Plans Expensive Home|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=1915-09-18] The parish was initially dubbed the "baby" parish, and in 1915 Father Ford told the "Los Angeles Times": "The growth of the 'baby' parish of the diocese has been remarkable. New families are moving in every day. The whole community is alive and developing rapidly. The congregation is enthusiastic and hopeful of great things in the future."

New church built in 1927

The parish opened a parochial grammar school in 1915 on Western Avenue, which still operates at that location. In 1927, the parish built the large brownstone Gothic church that has been used by the parish for more than 80 years. At the time of the new church's dedication in January 1928, the "Los Angeles Times" noted that the "beautiful" new church had cost $400,000, and reported: "The new building is in the old English Gothic style and is considered one of the handsomest structures of its kind in California." [cite news|title=CHURCH TO BE DEDICATED: Bishop Cantwell in Officiate Tomorrow at Rites Blessing St. Brendan's Gothic Edifice|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=1928-01-28] Designed by architect Emmett Martin, the church has been called "one of the archdiocese's architectural gems." [cite news|author=Charles A. Coulombe|title=St. Brendan, Hancock Park: 'A Little Louder, Sweetheart'|date=2002|publisher=Los Angeles Mission|url=http://www.losangelesmission.com/ed/roamincatholic/0302roam.htm]

Consecration

In 1957, Archbishop Timothy Manning honored St. Brendan's by consecrating it in a three-hour service. Consecration raises a church to the highest order, which may never be transferred for common or profane use. St. Brendan's was one of only six churches in Los Angeles to reach that level. As part of the consecration ceremony, a relic of the 6th century St. Brendan was taken in a procession through the church and then sealed into the altar.

Location in Hollywood films

Located near the Hollywood studios, St. Brendan's gothic structure has proved a popular setting, appearing in the following productions:
*"Fight Club" (the narrator attends a support meeting for cancer victims at the church)
*"Our Gang"
*"War of the Worlds (1953)" (the climactic scene in which desperate humans gathered to pray for a miracle inside St. Brendan's while Martian ships blasted away outside. [cite news|author=Samantha Bonar|title=WRITING HOME; Spaces that inspire awe; Photographer Robert Berger's new book pays homage to L.A.'s religious buildings -- some grand, others humble|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=2004-03-18] [cite web|title=Hollywood on Location: 1950's Movies|publisher=Seeing Stars|url=http://www.seeing-stars.com/Locations/50sLocations.shtml] [cite web|title=St. Brendan Parish Albums: War of the Worlds|publisher=St. Brendan's Church|url=http://www.stbrendanchurch.org/albums/thumbnails.php?album=6] )
*"Armageddon" (In an apparent nod to "War of the Worlds", the lead characters played by Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck are married at St. Brendan's at the end of the movie. [cite web|title=Armageddon Filming Locations|publisher=The World-Wide Guide to Filming Locations|date=2008-02-06|url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/a/armageddon.html|accessdate=2008-04-18] [cite web|title=Trivia for Armageddon|publisher=IMBD|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120591/trivia|accessdate=2008-04-18] )
*"Spiderman 3"

ee also

* Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region

Notes

Spiderman 3 Filming locations http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413300/locations

External links

* [http://www.stbrendanchurch.org St. Brendan's official web site]