125th Anniversary
Saint Andrew Church and the City of Pasadena
Share an Important Milestone
The year was 1886 when the first electric lights illuminated the main streets in downtown Los Angeles amidst a building boom that increased the city’s population to a then robust 18,000 inhabitants. To the northeast, the newly incorporated city of Pasadena showcased its first Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1st. It was eight days later that a young Irish priest, Father Patrick Harnett from St. Vibiana Cathedral in Los Angeles, celebrated the first Mass in the city known then by its Indian name of “Crown of the Valley” and today as the “Crown City.”
That very first Mass, held in the Los Angeles House hotel located at Fair Oaks Avenue and Colorado Street, inaugurated what would become an historic Catholic presence in this new city of Pasadena, founded the same year as the establishment of St. Andrew Church, 1886. And it should be mentioned it was only because of a petition from a small committee of locals that then Bishop of Monterrey and Los Angeles, Francis Mora, agreed to assign Father Harnett to serve some 400 Catholics in the area.
In December 1887, a plain frame building erected on the corner of Pasadena Avenue and Bellefontaine Street resembling a modest schoolhouse and capable of accommodating perhaps a few hundred parishioners, became the first site for St. Andrew Church, with Father Harnett again celebrating an inaugural Mass on the eighteenth of that month.
One year later, in 1888, St. Andrew Church welcomed its first resident pastor, Irish-born Father Andrew Cullen, who almost immediately requested that Bishop Mora put the parish under the protection of his patron saint, Andrew, one of the first apostles of Jesus Christ, a request immediately granted. At that time in church history, there was no other parish under his patronage in the State of California. Sadly, Father Cullen died two years later, in 1890.
Not long afterward, construction began on what was projected to be a permanent church location at Fair Oaks Avenue and Walnut Street. By the time that this new church was dedicated in December 1899, the population of Pasadena had grown to some 9500 residents. The total cost of building this new church was $20,000!
The current St. Andrew Church that came into being in 1927 was the result of continued population growth in Pasadena that forced church leadership to find a new location, a second permanent site and third setting in a mere forty-one years since the birth of the church in 1886. The City of Pasadena had decided to widen Chestnut Street from Fair Oaks Avenue to Lake Avenue, thereby necessitating the demolition of St. Andrew’s first “permanent” location, compensating the church some $15,000 to relocate its church once again.
This towering new edifice, located at Raymond and Chestnut Streets, is modeled after the Basilica of St. Sabina in Rome, one of the earliest Christian styles of church architecture. In fact, St. Andrew Church mirrors the plan, design, and general proportions of this predecessor, which was dedicated in 432 A.D. It also should be noted that the selection of St. Sabina to serve as an architectural model must be credited to the fifth pastor of St. Andrew, Father John McCarthy. The total cost of building this majestic monument, including the purchase of land, was less than $500,000!
St. Andrew Church is noted for the richness of its interior, the use of uncommon marble throughout, and the paintings of the Stations of the Cross located above the side columns. The first Mass at this newly located church was celebrated on May 27, 1928, and attended by Bishop John Cantwell, who proudly declared that St. Andrew Church was “the pride of the diocese and a worthy replica of the ancient church on the banks of the Tiber.”
The current pastor of St. Andrew Church, Father Paul Sustayta, has observed that each evening the illuminated bell tower “reminds us of the faith contained within these walls. We have been a beacon of hope and inspiration in Pasadena for 125 years.”
The parish community of St. Andrew invites our fellow Pasadena residents as well as everyone in the greater Los Angeles area to join us for some or all of the many festivities planned throughout its 125th Anniversary Year, 2011. We look forward to welcoming you to share in the three themes of this Anniversary Year: Honor, Celebrate, and Embrace.
Sources: “The Tidings,” May 7, 2004
“The History of St. Andrew’s Parish,” James Hourihan, 1986.
St. Andrew 125th Anniversary Events
| Date | Time | Event | Location * |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-Jan | 3pm | St. Andrew Art & Architecture Tour (English) | |
| 9-Jan | 3pm | St. Andrew Art & Architecture Tour (Spanish) | |
| 12-Jan | 7pm | Life is Beautiful Forum | |
| 16-Jan | 2pm | 125th Anniversary Mass, Cardinal Roger Mahony, Celebrant | |
| 30-Jan | 9:30am | Catholic Schools Week Mass, Tribute to the Sisters | |
| 30-Jan | 7am-3pm | Miranda Beck Scholarship Fund Pancake Breakfast | |
| 09-Feb | 7pm | Learning the Latin Mass Forum | |
| 12-Feb | St. Andrew School Auction & Dinner | ||
| 13-Feb | 12:30pm | Latin Mass, Fr. Robert Bishop, C.M.F. Celebrant | |
| 13-Feb | Society of St. Vincent de Paul Food Drive, All Day | ||
| 24-Feb | St. Andrew School World Finest Candy Sale | ||
| 26-Feb | 8am-2pm | Religious Education Retreat | |
| 17-Mar | Religious Education Congress Youth Day, Anaheim | ||
| 17-Mar | St. Patrick's Day Mass | ||
| 25-Mar | 7pm | Healing Mass, Fr. Jim Clarke Celebrant (Spanish) | |
| 26-Mar | 9am-2pm | Day of Prayer, Bishop Gordon Bennett | Church Chapel |
| 01-Apr | 7pm | Healing Mass, Fr. Jim Clarke Celebrant (English) | |
| 02-Apr | 3pm | Art & Architeture Tours (English) ** | |
| 03-Apr | 3pm | Art & Architeture Tours (Spanish) ** | |
| 06-Apr | 7pm | Awaken a Deeper Prayer Life Forum | |
| 07-Apr | 11:00am | Ecumenical Prayer Service, honoring Pasadena "first responders" | |
| 08-Apr | 7pm | Pasadena Conservatory of Music Concert (FREE) | |
| 23-Apr | 12pm | Blessing of the Animals | School Yard |
| 07-Mai | 7pm | Tall & Small Jazz Band Concert | |
| 28-Mai | 5pm | Begin Diamond Sunday Celebration, sponsored by the African-American Ministry | |
| 29-Mai | Diamond Sunday | ||
| 03-Jun | 5pm | St. Andrew School Graduation Ceremony | |
| 12-Jun | 5pm | Gospel Mass, Bishop Oscar Solis, Celebrant | |
| 23-Jul | 7:30pm | Mariachi Sol de Mexico Concert | |
| 05-Aug | Youth Rally, workshops, concerts open to area youth, sponsored by the Youth Ministry | ||
| 06-Aug | Youth Rally | ||
| 20-Aug | 6pm-10pm | Fuente de Vida Young Adult Concert with Sandy Caldera (Spanish) | |
| 09-Sep | 7:30pm | Bach to Broadway Concert | |
| 16-Sep | 9am-11:30am | Morning of Prayer, Sister Gloria Therese, OCD Presenter | Pastoral Center |
| 01-Oct | 3pm | St. Andrew Art & Architecture Tour (English) ** | |
| 02-Oct | 3pm | St. Andrew Art & Architecture Tour (Spanish) ** | |
| 06-Oct | 200th Birthday Mother Marie Rose, foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus & Mary | ||
| 16-Oct | 2pm | 125th Anniversary Mass, Archbishop Jose Gomez Celebrant | |
| 06-Nov | 7pm | Los Angeles Master Chorale Concert | |
| 09-Nov | 7pm | Celebrate the Saints of St. Andrew Forum | |
| 15-Dec | 7pm | St. Andrew School Christmas Concert |
Events subject to change. Please refer to the Sunday Bulletin or call the Pastoral Center (626) 792-4183 for further information.
* All events held in St. Andrew Church 311 N. Raymond St. Pasadena, unless otherwise noted.
** Admission is FREE and NO reservations or tickets are required. Tours start promptly at 3:00 p.m.
