Est. 1904
In The Beginning...
When Father Thomas Conaty was called to Los Angeles to succeed Bishop Montgomery as the new Archbishop of Monterey and Los Angeles at the turn of the last century, he found himself in the most rapidly growing region of the United States of America.
On maps of the late nineteenth century Los Angeles, the three areas prominently listed are The Pueblo of Our Lady of the Angels, Santa Monica, and our own historic neighborhood, Pico Heights. In the 1900 national census, the Los Angeles population is listed at 238,000 inhabitants.
One of the first governing acts of the new Archbishop was the creation of the Parish of Saint Thomas the Apostle in the bustling Pico Heights on August 1, 1903. Upon its creation, Saint Thomas church was near the farthest westerly border of the city of L.A. The new bishop named the new parish after his own patron saint, therefore our historic church holds the prominence of being the Patron Parish of Archbishop Conaty.
The First Services of our new parish were held in the chapel at Immaculate Heart Academy, now the present day site of Our Lady of Loretto - Bishop Conaty High school, on August 16, 1903. Groundbreaking for the present church building on the corner of West Pico Boulevard and Hobson Avenue (later renamed to Mariposa Avenue), was held with elaborate ceremonies on May 1, 1904. This very cornerstone is visible today. As an interesting side note, our early parishioners used a church building on Fedora Street during the summer of 1904, while our church was being built.
The very first mass inside of our present building was celebrated on christmas Day 1904. early records show that St. Thomas initially had 200 parishioners and by 1908 had grown to over 700.
The architecture of our new church was a stunning departure from the standard cruciform churches being built across the United States at that time. The design of our church belongs to the Spanish renaissance period used in many of the old mission churches built over a century before by Padre Serra and the Fanciscans. Unlike other churches of its time, Saint Thomas was built entirely of plaster and bricks. The walls are massive and supported by large buttresses characteristic of the old Cathedral of Spain. There are two symmetrical towers in front and a spandrel designed by Mr. Hugh Cains of Boston, one of the premiere young sculptors of his time and depicts Saint Thomas touching the side of Jesus.
Our wonderful church is truly one of the first efforts in our city to symbolically unite our sisters and brothers of the old pastoral California and the modern bustling metropolis we had become through our oneness of faith. The elaborate dedication ceremonies of our wonderful church were celebrated by the Archbishop himself and he preached to the new parishioners about following the footsteps of our common patron, the simple fisherman of Galilee, who willingly followed the commission of God to go forth and teach among all nations.
So let us remember today, the words of Bishop Thomas Conaty on the festive and solemn ceremonies marking the dedication of Saint Thomas The Apostle Parish. " The dedication of a church brings us face to face with the truth and necessity of religion. This church building is a visible expression of a people's faith in God. This church of Saint Thomas the Apostle claims not merely a name, but claims it very origin from the apostolic days when Thomas was chosen as one of Christ's messengers. The dedication of this beautiful church makes us another great link in the great golden chain witch binds us to the past."