St. Paul the Apostle Church and School

Description

The complex is a part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and is staffed by the Paulist Fathers and the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, who are also active in the parochial school. Both the church and the school are named after St. Paul the Apostle. St Paul The Apostle School has 1301 total employees across all of its locations and generates $1.09 million in revenue.

St. Paul the Apostle School is a Catholic coeducational K-8 school located next to the church. Colloquially known as "St. Paul's," the school is adjacent to the community of Westwood, and admits students from the greater Los Angeles area. It is also affiliated with the National Catholic Educational Association.

History

The church traces its beginnings to the 1920s when John Joseph Cantwell, then the Bishop of Los Angeles, requested the Paulist Fathers to establish a new parish to serve the community of Westwood and the new University of California, Los Angeles campus. The parish was organized in 1928 and the priests were specifically charged with ministering to local residents, UCLA faculty and students and "the moving picture people" (employees in the film and television industry).

The current property on which the church and school are co-located on was only obtained during the 1930s. Prior to that, the priests held mass on numerous sites as they searched for a suitable location to build the parish church.

The parish school was opened in 1935. The current church building was completed in 1958.

Due to its proximity to Hollywood, the church has been attended by and held the funerals of notable personalities in the entertainment industry. It held the funeral mass of entertainer Bing Crosby, actor and radio personality Bob Crane, pioneering director and producer Hal Roach and actor Carroll O'Connor, who was also a devout parishioner.

References

References

1. "About — History: A young city, a new church...". sp-apostle.org.
2. "St Paul The Apostle School, Los Angeles California / CA School Profile, Ranking, and Reviews - SchoolDigger.com".
3. "St. Paul The Apostle School".
4. Lindsey, Robert. (October 19, 1977). "Bing Crosby Buried After Private Services". [[The New York Times]].
5. (November 4, 1992). "Hal Roach Memorial Mass Set for Thursday". [[Los Angeles Times]].
6. Hernandez, Daniel. (June 27, 2001). "Mourners Say Farewell to Carroll O'Connor". [[Los Angeles Times]].