The closest sanctuary for Glendale settlers of the Catholic faith
was the Plaza Church in the pueblo of Los Angeles, a small, adobe,
structure built soon after the founding fathers arrived. It gave way
to a larger church in 1818, funded by local citizens and called the
Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels.
Although remodeled and enlarged several times, the Plaza Church
still stands on Main Street in Los Angeles and is the oldest
religious building in Los Angeles.
No Catholic church for settlers in the outlying area was
constructed until many years later. Glendale's Catholic families had
to travel by horse and buggy over miles of dusty roads to attend
services in Los Angeles or San Gabriel.
Finally, in 1907, Bishop Conaty appointed Father O'Neill to visit
Catholic families in Glendale and find out if there was a need for a
local church.
Receiving a positive response, he organized a congregation. For
nine months, services were conducted at a local hall.
An acre of land near Lomita Avenue was donated by Mrs. Emmeline
Childs of Los Angeles. According to "Glendale Area History," edited
by E. Caswell Perry and Carroll W. Parcher, this acre was part of the
old Childs' tract, which at one time encompassed a triangular area
between Glendale Avenue and Chevy Chase Drive, with Windsor Road as
the southern boundary and the intersection of Glenoaks Boulevard and
Glendale Avenue as the northernmost point.
The Holy Family Catholic Church was dedicated in September 1908,
with Bishop Conaty performing the rites. Father O'Neill also
organized a congregation in Burbank that was dedicated a short while
later. He served as head of both congregations for three years, until
Father Campbell took over the Burbank church.
Holy Family's first building served as a sanctuary for only six
years. By then, it was outgrown and a much larger church was built,
with the original structure converted into a school.
Father O'Neill served his congregation faithfully for 16 years
and bid his Glendale friends farewell with a banquet at the Tuesday
Afternoon Club.
After dinner, California's poet-laureate, John Steven McGroarty,
presided as toastmaster and introduced prominent speakers. One of the
invited guests was Mrs. John Lawson, who collected the first dollar
for the church building fund. She was a "Glendale pioneer and a
staunch friend of the honoree since he arrived to take charge of this
parish," according to the Glendale Evening News, April 1923.
* KATHERINE YAMADA is a volunteer with the Special Collections
Room at Central Library. To reach her, leave a message at 637-3241.
The Special Collections Room is open from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays
or by appointment. For more information on Glendale's history,
contact the reference desk at the Central Library at 548-2027.
