St. Monica Catholic Church (Santa Monica, California)
| St. Monica Catholic Church | |
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| 34°1′23″N 118°29′50″W / 34.02306°N 118.49722°WCoordinates: 34°1′23″N 118°29′50″W / 34.02306°N 118.49722°W | |
| Location | 725 California Avenue, Santa Monica, California |
| Country |
 USA
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| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | www.stmonica.net |
| History | |
| Founded | Parish founded in 1886 |
| Dedicated | Church building dedicated July 1926 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of Los Angeles |
| Division | Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | José Horacio Gómez |
| Bishop(s) | Edward W. Clark |
| Assistant priest(s) |
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| Pastor(s) | Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson |
St. Monica Catholic Church, one of the largest Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is in Santa Monica, California. The church, located at 7th and California Streets, was erected in 1925 and served as the inspiration for the 1944 film classic Going My Way with Bing Crosby. It is also the home parish of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. The Duval Center, one of several buildings on the St. Monica campus, was designed by Frank Gehry and built in 1998. There are two schools associated with St. Monica Catholic Church: St. Monica Catholic Elementary School for grades TK-8 and St. Monica Catholic High School for grades 9-12, both of which are located on the same site as the church.
The parish was established in 1886. Prior to the formation of St. Monica, the nearest Catholic church was at Olvera Street in Downtown Los Angeles. The current church opened for Christmas in 1925. At the time, the Los Angeles Times reported: "The opening of St. Monica's Church, ranked in the cathedral class and probably the finest Catholic Church of its kind on the Pacific Coast, will be celebrated with solemn high mass at 5 o'clock Christmas morning. For the first time the interior splendors of this remarkably beautiful and dignified religious edifice will be revealed to St. Monica' parish, and many out-of-town visitors are expected." The church was not officially dedicated until July 1926, at which time the Los Angeles Times reported: "A crowd numbering many thousands surrounded the handsome limestone structure on California avenue and Seventh street, the overflow standing under the towering eucalipti of the city park opposite the church. ... Strains from the great pipe organ of St. Monica's floated to the overflow crowd outside to give at least a hint of the sacred services within."
In 1994, the church itself was damaged in the Northridge earthquake and Mass was held in the gymnasium until repairs could be made.
Frank Gehry, a Santa Monica resident, designed an adjoining hospitality center, the Duval Center, which was built in 1998. In 2002, the New York Times wrote in 2002 the Gehry-designed building "contributes to the outreach efforts that, along with good liturgies and preaching, are parish hallmarks."
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Wikipedia