Parish history
The early years
In April, 1924, the Archbishop of Los Angeles John
J. Cantwell (1874-1947) established a new parish in Glassell Park and
placed it under patronage of St. Bernard. The area which formerly was
part of Divine Savior Parish roughly encircled a triangular section
bounded by York Boulevard, Division Street and San Fernando Road.
The Catholic participation was largely made up of
families of Italian descent. The first Masses were celebrated in the
residence of the Pastor Rev. Morris Hurnett, at 2627 W. Ave. 31, and
later at the larger homes of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. McMullen and Mr. and
Mrs. Charles Probst until the completion of the new church.
On Oct. 18, 1925, the new church, at Avenue 33 and
Verdugo Road, was dedicated by Archbishop Cantwell. Rev. John Powers
was the pastor. This building was later converted to a parish hall when
our present church was constructed in 1967.
St. Bernard Catholic School
In 1941, St. Bernard School, a one-story building
consisting of four classrooms was completed and dedicated on Jan. 19,
with 135 St. Bernard School children in procession.
The school was staffed by four religious of the
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) from Dubuque, Iowa.
Sister Mary Gilbert was the school's first principal. The first
graduation of six students took place on June 28, 1942. The demand for
space soon exceeded availability, and a second story was added to the
original building during the summer of 1945, providing eight separate
classrooms, which were staffed by eight Sisters of Charity.
In September of 1993, a kindergarten classroom and
computer lab were added to the educational facility. The building was
put up through the generosity of the Shea Construction Company on land
across the street on Avenue 33, purchased by the parish community. The
computer lab was completely equipped by the generoisty of then Mayor of
Los Angeles Richard Riordan. The tables, shelving, etc., were built and
installed by parishoner Dagoberto Ramos. The first kindergarten class
graduated from St. Bernard School in June of 2002.
Over the past fifty years, significant changes
have taken place in the ethnic make-up of the school population.
Originally, the school population was predominately of Italian
background. Today, the school population is predominately Hispanic and
Filipino.
Today, 69 years later, the staff is composed of
qualified teachers and administrators dedicated to fulfilling the
mission and philosophy of St. Bernard Catholic School and
to working tirelessly to ensure that all students meet our Schoolwide
Learning Expectations.
The Sisters of Charity
In 1946, the convent, now the Pastoral Center, was
completed. Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary arrived at St.
Bernard with the opening of the school in 1941. Sister Mary Gilbert was
the first principal. Through the years, these wonderful sisters have
given dedicated service to our parish school and community. Sister
Dolores O'Dwyer, BVM, has been the principal for the past 31 years.
Sister Joan Maga, BVM, has been with us for 30 years as teacher and
coach.
Parish priests
The Rev. Dennis Murphy became the first priest to
be ordained at St. Bernard.
In 1954, Father Murphy returned as associate for
15 months. In 1960, he was appointed administrator of the parish and in
1964 he became pastor of St. Bernard's.
In 1960, the archdiocese bought the Theme Hosiery
Building on San Fernando Road and converted it to Pater Noster High
School, now Ribèt Academy.
It was staffed by the Brothers of St. Patrick, and Father Murphy was
appointed administrator of the school.
On April 30, 1962, Robert W. Gipson was ordained
to the priesthood, and on May 6, celebrated his first Mass at St.
Bernard. He is the first, and so far, only St. Bernard graduate to be
ordained a priest.
Monsignor Gibson is former pastor of St. James the
Less Parish in La Crescenta.
Charlotte Gipson
The present rectory was built in 1964. That year,
Charlotte Gipson, mother of Father Gipson, became the first secretary
of St. Bernard's parish. She remained in her position until she retired
in 1993. Parishioners were always assured of a warm welcome and of a
very kind and capable person to help them when they came to the rectory
door. Pastors and associates came and went throughout the years, but
Charlotte remained, giving parishioners the same pleasant service.
Charlotte died in 2002.
The new church
On Sept. 10, 1967, ground was broken for the new
church, and in 1968, with great joy, Father Murphy, other priests and
parishioners gathered for the first Mass in it, Christmas midnight
Mass.
With the new church just six years old, the 50th
anniversary of the parish was celebrated with a Mass and reception on
Dec. 15, 1974. Cardinal Timothy Manning, Rev. Patrick McNulty, present
and former associate pastors and parishioners participated.
In 1977, Paul A. Chacon was ordained deacon and
began his ministry in our parish. That same year, the first
archdiocesan Deaf Center was established in our parish. Rev. Brian
Doran, director of the Office of Pastoral Ministry to Handicapped
Persons for the archdiocese, and with the enthusiastic cooperation of
Father McNulty, developed a special ministry for the deaf and hard of
hearing. It continued to grow, and in 1987, the ministry moved to the
new Holy Angels Church for the Deaf in Vernon. Father Doran is currently senior priest at
Holy Angels Church of the Deaf.
On June 11, 1978, the parish celebrated the 25th
anniversary of ordination to the priesthood of Father McNulty. He was
honored by Pope John Paul II with the title of monsignor in 1992 and
continued to serve as pastor until his retirement the following year.
In 1978 the multipurpose and school library
buildings were constructed.
Through the generosity of a parishioner, a
beautiful mural of St. Bernard was erected on the facade of the church
in 1985, and in 1993 the kindergarten and computer buildings were added
to the parish facilities.
It has been said that St. Bernard’s is one
of a few all-brick churches in existence in Los Angeles.
St. Bernard today
Monsignor Patrick McNulty retired in 1993 after
serving for 20 years as pastor. Ireland native Rev. Gerald McSorley was
named pastor that same year.
The 1994 Northridge Earthquake caused minor damage
to St. Bernard. The tabernacle was destroyed, and small pieces from the
church’s stained glass windows came loose, but otherwise fared
well.
Throughout the years, the Religious Education
confraternity has assisted many of the people of the parish with their
faith formation and prepared them for the reception of the sacraments.
The various parish organizations from the early
years, too, have been a powerful force in the life of the parish. These
include the Italian Catholic Federation, the Altar Society, the Holy
Name Society, the Mothers' and Fathers' Club, the Legion of Mary, and
recently, the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Since the 1970s, the establishment of the Fil-Am
Association, the Golden Years Association, the Cursillo Movement and
the Fil-Am choir reflect the great number of Filipino-American families
who have made their homes at St. Bernard's and who are a vital part of
our community.
The establishment of the Guadalupana Association,
Grupo de Oración and the addition of two Sunday Masses in
Spanish — each with its own choir — reflects that we have a large
population of Spanish-speaking families who likewise help to make our
community a beautiful blend of many cultures, all forming One Faith
Community.
In 1999, St. Bernard’s roughly 4,000
families celebrated the parish’s 75th anniversary.
In 2001, St. Bernard launched its Web site under www.stbernardla.cc, to serve
the parish community online.
On Sept. 16, 2001, the parish community gathered
as one to reflect and pray on the terrorist attacks in New York and
Washington, D.C., that had occurred that week on Sept. 11.
In 2003, under the direction of parish associate
Rev. Armando Ibañez, St. Bernard’s held its first Festival
of Spiritual Poetry and Art, titled “On the Wings of An
Angel.” The festival encouraged writers, poets, artists and
photographers to submit their works for culmination of the fesitval: a
book titled “On the Wings of An Angel.”
In 2010, Father McSorley was honored by Pope
Benedict XVI with the title of monsignor. Monsignor McSorley retired in
2011 after serving for 19 years as pastor. Los Angeles native Rev.
Perry D. Leiker was named parish administrator on July 1, 2011. He is
formerly pastor of Mother of Sorrows Parish in Los Angeles and St.
Joseph Parish in Hawthorne.
Rene Aravena
In 1995, Rene Aravena became the music director
for St. Bernard Church, where he was much loved and respected. He was
director of the St. Bernard 8 a.m. choir (the Chancel Choir) and 11
a.m. Mass Spanish choir.
A native of Chile, Rene arrived in the United
States in 1979 where he pursued his musical career, receiving various
university degrees, including a doctorate in music from the University
of Minnesota. Among his many accomplshiments: Rene was the winner of
the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Nevada. Rene's baritone voice was
heard in many oratorio and recital appearances. His versatility as a
performer extended to the opera and operatta state, with roles in
"Don Pasquale," "La Traviata," "La
Boheme," "The Merry Widow" and Figaro in "The
Marriage of Figaro."
In 1991, he sang the role of Guglielmo in the
opera “Cosi Dan Tutte” at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago,
Chile. As a 1992 winner of the Voices of Vienna Competition, Rene
studied voice with Grace Bumbry at the Mozorteum in Salzburg, Austria.
As a professor at Cal State L.A. and director of the Cal State L.A.
Opera Workshop, Rene influenced the lives and careers of many.
Around Christmas of 2002, Rene was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer. Throughout his illness, he maintained a wonderful
spirit, fortified by his faith in God, by the sacraments and prayers of
the church, by the support of his many friends and by the tremendous
love and are from his family who came from Chile to be with him.
On March 9, 2004, Rene died peacefully at this
home in Alhambra, California.
Priests of who have served our parish
Pastors and administrators
Rev. Morris Hurnett, 1924
Rev. St. Cyr, 1924
Rev. John Powers, 1925
Rev. James O’Neill, 1925
Rev. James Lynch, 1927
Rev. Harry Meade, 1932
Rev. John O’Callaghan, 1937
Rev. Leroy Callahan, 1940
Rev. Thomas Moran, 1941
Rev. Patrick Dignan, 1949
Rev. Thomas Barry, 1949
Rev. Thomas Dowling, 1957
Rev. Dennis Murphy, 1960
Monsignor Patrick McNulty, 1973
Monsignor H. Gerald McSorley, 1993
Rev. Perry D. Leiker, 2011
Associates
Rev. Michael Murphy, 1938
Rev. Kenneth O’Brien, 1941
Rev. James Pierse, 1946
Rev. John Cummings, 1947
Rev. Chris King, 1952
Rev. James Clyne, 1952
Rev. John Gleeson, 1952
Rev. Dennis Murphy, 1954
Rev. John Fitzgerald, 1955
Rev. Bruno Tausig, 1955
Rev. Robert Delaney, 1958
Rev. Eugene Duffy, 1959
Rev. Paul Martin, 1960
Rev. Leonard Alves, 1961
Rev. Desmond Walsh, 1962
Rev. Francis Cullen, 1962
Rev. Paul Kwasny, 1965
Rev. Joe Sartoris, 1966
Rev. Pierre Rioux, 1969
Rev. Helmut Hefner, 1969
Rev. Gerard O’Donnell 1969
Rev. George Desjardins, 1970
Rev. Jerome Bouska, 1971
Rev. Anthony Leahy, 1972
Rev. Juventino Leahy, 1972
Rev. Ted Llanos, 1974
Rev. Francis Shichida, 1975
Rev. Roger Luna, 1978
Rev. Loreto (Mac) Gonzales, 1978
Rev. Manuel Jimenez, 1979
Rev. Robert Juarez, 1982
Rev. Richard Vega, 1987
Rev. Patrick J. Hill
Rev. Alberto Santo Domingo
Rev. Armando P. Ibañez, O.P.
Rev. Paul Henson, O.Carm.
Serving the deaf community
Rev. Brian Doran, 1978
Rev. George Doran, 1980
Rev. Kenneth Canado, 1980
Rev. Thomas Schweitzer, 1983
Deacons
Deacon Paul A. Chacon, 1977
St. Bernard parishioners who were ordained
Rev. Dennis E. Murphy, 1946
Monsignor Robert Gipson, 1962
St. Bernard Catholic School principals
Sister Mary Gilbert
Sister Mary Benoit
Sister Mary Idus
Sister Mary Monita
Sister Mary Louise Larkin
Sister Dolores M. O’Dwyer
Lauren Boadt
Margaret Samaniego
Sisters who have served the parish
Sister Mary Presentice
Sister Mary Charlita
Sister Mary Baptist
Sister Mary Maricius
Sister Mary Monita
Sister Mary Prudencia
Sister Mary Agnes Rose
Sister Mary Cyril
Sister Margaret Murphy
Sister John Carmel Purcell
Sister Mary of the Angels
Sister Mary Terentia
Sister Mary Stanisia
Sister Mary Urbana
Sister Mary Paulino
Sister Mary Marcello
Sister Mary Davidette
Sister Mary Carlita
Sister Jeanne Doherty
Sister Barbara Cerny
Sister Mary Ignatius
Sister Mary Joan Maga
Sister Mary Ellen Mae
Sister Mary Louiselle
Sister Mary Ann Isabel
Sister Mary Thomas David
Sister Mary de Paul
Sister Marcelia Maglinte
Sister Norma Evans
