After exhausting all legal avenues for challenging the decision, save its own petition to the high court, the congregation held its final service Sunday at the 2563 Foothill Blvd. property, where a marquee quoted a verse from the Bible: “You joyfully accepted confiscation of your property.”
“This is saying goodbye,” said the Rev. Robert Holman, of the renamed St. Luke’s Anglican Church.
Parishioners were upset by the rulings, but had come to accept the court-mandated move-out date of Oct. 12, Holman said.
“For many of us this has been a long, hard and painful journey,” Holman said to a packed sanctuary as he encouraged members to move on from the court’s decision.
He told members to cast away feelings of anger, grief and resentment with the ruling, which will result in the church losing about $325,000 in assets, along with the rights to its name.
The congregation plans to hold its services at Seventh Day Adventist Church on Vallejo Drive in Glendale for “the foreseeable future,” after the Glendale church opened its doors to the group, Holman said.
The Episcopal Diocese will move its own pastor into the La Crescenta property to start a new congregation there, Holman said.
Visitors felt court rulings had wrongfully given the property’s rights to the diocese.
“I can remember when they signed the deed,” said 85-year-old Glendale resident Colleen Cardinale, who attended the church her whole life and was around when the congregation initially gained ownership of the property.
Both of her daughters had grown up visiting the community church, where she herself was confirmed at 11.
She had supported the congregation’s decision to break away from the diocese, but was disappointed that it resulted in the loss of the property, she said.
“I hate to see the church go back to the Episcopal church,” she said.
Dorothy Geronimi, a member of the church’s board of directors, was finding it difficult to leave a property where her children were confirmed and where the community held a memorial service for her husband, who died two years ago.
“It’s hard for me, being a widow,” said Geronimi, a congregant for 16 years. “It’s a lot of grief and loss kind of thing, but we’re doing what we have to do.”
The church programs had special inserts with driving directions to Seventh Day Adventist Church and the address of its new offices in La Cañada.
Although the move will be a challenge, the community is resolved to stay united, Holman said.
“I am so grateful to God that we will be worshiping next Sunday,” he said.
ZAIN SHAUK covers business and politics. He may be reached at (818) 637-3238 or by e-mail at zain.shauk@latimes.com.
