Parish church destroyed and 65 Catholic schools forced to close by LA wildfires

Corpus Christi Catholic Church in the suburb of Pacific Palisades has been destroyed by one of the wildfires rampaging over Los Angeles.

The fire left only the frame of the building standing. A message on the parish website from Mgr Liam Kidney, the church’s pastor – accompanied by a picture of the ruined church – reads:

“My dear parishioners, here is the terribly sad news of our church and of our community this morning. The priests are safe with family and friends. Let us pray for each other during this transition.

The message continues: “I have no words. Our beautiful church in Pacific Palisades, as of this morning. Praying for my hometown, the LAFD [Los Angeles Fire Department] and everyone effected by these horrific fires.”

The message concludes with the Mgr’s signature and the Latin words “Siempre Adelante! [Always ahead!]”

The parish also oversees Corpus Christi School, which educates children aged 5-14. A video on the school’s website shows the church as it burns while a news reporter attempts to confirm whether the school has suffered damage.

In addition to Corpus Christi, 65 Catholic schools across the region have been forced to close due to the wildfires sweeping Southern California.

Wildfires have wreaked havoc across Los Angeles this week, fuelled by hurricane-level Santa Ana winds, extremely low humidity and dry conditions. Currently a total of 150,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders, with 37,000 residents evacuated so far.

The Palisades fire, which has spread across the neighbourhoods of Santa Monica, Brentwood, Malibu, Topanga and Westwood, is estimated to now cover 15,800 acres (approximately 63.94 square kilometres).

At the time of writing, all five of the state’s major wildfires remain at 0 per cent containment, meaning firefighters have yet to establish any controlled boundaries or barriers to stop the fires’ spread.

Corpus Christi parish, established in 1950 by Cardinal James Francis McIntyre, is widely regarded as a testament to the cardinal’s efforts in expanding Catholic parishes during the 1950s – often seen as the heyday of American Catholicism, when 75 per cent of Catholics attended weekly Mass.

For the first 14 years after its founding, the parish held Mass in its parish hall, as there was no dedicated church building. The first Mass in the newly constructed church was celebrated on 20 September 1964, and the church was formally dedicated on 30 January 1966. Mgr Kidney has served as parish priest since 1999.

Mgr Kidney is supported by Fr Valerian Menezes, associate pastor. The parish offers five Sunday Masses, along with daily Mass and confession.

Archbishop José Horacio Gómez Velasco, Archbishop of Los Angeles and former President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement:

“Please keep praying for all those suffering in the wildfires sweeping through southern California. My heart goes out to our neighbours who have lost their homes and livelihoods. Let’s pray for them, and let’s pray for our firefighters and first responders. May God keep all our brothers and sisters safe and bring an end to these fires!”

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Photo: Firefighters spray flames in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California, 8 January 2025. Multiple wildfires fuelled by intense Santa Ana Winds are burning across Los Angeles County. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images.)

The post Parish church destroyed and 65 Catholic schools forced to close by LA wildfires first appeared on Catholic Herald.

The post Parish church destroyed and 65 Catholic schools forced to close by LA wildfires appeared first on Catholic Herald.