History of Saint Francis of Assisi
Church in Fillmore, California
Compiled from the Chancery Archives of
the Archdiocese of Los
Angeles (AALA)
“Fillmore, a sleepy little town nestled in the
upper reaches of the Santa Clara River Valley, typifies an
idealistic aspect of life that is rapidly disappearing from the
California scene. Once a part of the gigantic Sespe or San
Cayetano land grant, issued in 1833 by Governor Jose Figueroa to
Antonio Carrillo, the area in and around present-day Fillmore is
served by a parochial complex under the patronage of Saint
Francis."
– Delegation
of the Archdiocesan Board of Consultors, October 1971
The Early Days
Fillmore was founded in 1888 by Jerome A. Fillmore, General
Superintendent of the Southern Pacific Railroad. 1889 saw
the first commercial orange grove planted in Fillmore.
During the “orange rush” of 1897, the Fillmore Citrus Fruit
Association was formed and would eventually become Sunkist
Growers. Fillmore’s first orange packing house was built at
the corner of Sespe Avenue and A
Street, on property purchased for $50 (source: Fillmore
Chamber of Commerce).
In
1914 Fillmore was a mission of St. Sebastian Parish in Santa
Paula, ten miles west of Fillmore. The priests from Santa
Paula offered Holy Mass in backyards and classrooms, and helped
the small but growing number of Catholics raise funds through
fiestas, bazaars and raffles. In 1924 they petitioned Bishop
John J. Cantwell to provide a priest and church for Fillmore.
The Bishop had a great concern for the spiritual welfare of his
people. Over a period of 30 years, Bishop Cantwell created
50 parishes and missions as the seventh Bishop of the Diocese of
Los Angeles and San Diego. In 1926, by God’s grace, the tiny
church located at the corner of First Street and Central Avenue in
Fillmore was one of them, serving the community as a beacon of
faith. Numerous baptisms, weddings, funerals, confirmations
and first communions were celebrated there, as well as daily and
Sunday Mass for the growing number of the devout.
Documents from the AALA reveal touching glimpses of life during
the early days of Saint Francis of Assisi Church, Fillmore:
1928, Fr. Onesimo
Sansol wrote this letter (pictured) to the Chancery Office:
“May I have permission for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament,
during the whole day, on Sunday May 13, 1928. Those who were
almost visited by death in the flood wish to spend that day in
prayer before the Blessed Sacrament for their loved ones.”
1931, Fr. Sansol wrote the Chancery
Office for permission to have the local Mexican band play in the
church to honor the feast day of Saint Cecilia, patroness of
music. Fr. Sansol noted that
while he knew it was against diocesan statute for a band to play
in the church, he would appreciate it very much if the secretary
“would ask the Right Rev. Bishop for special permission to do so,
just once, on Sunday November 22.” Bishop Cantwell wrote
back, granting permission.
Members
of the Fillmore Citrus Association Mexican Band (pictured)
switched to orchestral instruments – cellos and violins
– to
perform with St. Francis' choir during Holy Mass.
1934, Fr. Sansol asked the Chancery
Office to pay $2.00 a month in gas money for the Sisters who were
driving from Santa Paula to teach the children of Fillmore and
Piru, because the church of Fillmore
was “absolutely unable to do so.”
1934, Fr. Luis Fernandez wrote this letter (pictured) on
stationary from the Fillmore Inn, operated by George M. Graham:
“I arrived in Fillmore Dec. 8th and the following
morning I offered the Holy Mass, giving my salutation to the
people; I left after to Piru for the
second Mass and I met the people, too. I like the town and
his surroundings.”
The Fillmore Inn stationary advertises:
“Two minutes’ walk to the Stearns’ Theatre; two minutes’ walk to
garage, all-night service; two minutes’ walk to Pickwick Stage
Depot; one block to both Union High and Grammar schools; three
churches in our block; cool in summer; warm in winter; running
water in all rooms; clean all the time.”
1935, Fr. Joseph Feehan reported:
“During the past windstorm a part of the cross on the steeple of
the church was blown to the ground. It may be expensive to
replace because of the height of the steeple. Would you
kindly refer this to the Insurance Company and I shall await their
recommendation, if the church is insured against such damage.”
As
the community grew, Saint Francis’ little 180-seat church could
not easily accommodate the 250 children enrolled in religious
education. Sisters of Our Lady of Victory traveled from
Santa Paula to Fillmore to hold classes in the church, in the
choir loft, as well as in homes and garages. The Sisters
taught an additional 130 children at the mission in
Piru.
On
February 24, 1956, Fr. Joseph Alker
purchased an adjacent lot occupied by the Presbyterian Church for
$8,500. St. Francis gave a new lease on life to this
building, which had been one of Fillmore’s oldest private
residences and, at one time, a mortuary. As a catechetical
center, it was spruced up with a new room and paint job, and
blessed by Cardinal James Francis McIntyre on February 20, 1957.
Monsignor Jon K. Clarke, Archdiocesan Director of the
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, preached the sermon.
On
December 13, 1961, Cardinal McIntyre appointed Reverend Cornelius
Ravlic as Administrator of St.
Francis. Fr. Ravlic wasted no
time in assessing the needs of the worshiping community. A
building fund had already been established, and Fr.
Ravlic encouraged parishioners to
undertake fundraising through fiestas, raffles, formal dances and
family functions. In 1962, after reviewing available
properties, Fr. Ravlic and 200
registered parish families purchased ten acres of land belonging
to Ed Burson Ranch at the southeast
corner of C Street and State Highway 126.
Meanwhile, a small stone church in Piru
was showing cracks.
Mission: San Salvador
Mass for the faithful of Piru was
originally held once a month in the chapel at Rancho
Camulos, one of the locations where
Helen Hunt Jackson researched her novel, Ramona. As
early as 1918, there was talk of starting a building fund for a
church in Piru. In the 1920s the
faithful met at an old public school building as well as the
backyard and hotel of W.W. Lechler,
and eventually, in this unique stone church:
“Every stone in the church was laid by the hand of one man, a
stone mason named Juan Villa. During construction [September
23 to April 1924] it is said that Villa would permit no person
other than himself to lay a stone. He had one helper,
Trinidad Fernandez. His only tools were a trowel and a
string by which he kept the walls straight … It is believed that
the Piru church is the only one of its
kind, architecturally, in Southern California except one at
Corona, which was built by the same stone mason.”
– The Piru News, Vol. IV, No. 38,
October 1930
When cracks began to appear in 1960, Fr. Joseph
Alker informed the Archdiocese that an
examination of the mission church in Piru
had been completed by a structural engineering firm: “I
humbly suggest that the mission church should be vacated as soon
as possible, because the cracks are becoming larger per week due
to everyday blasting operations in the nearby hills, together with
sonic vibrations emanating from the operation of jet aircraft over
the neighborhood. If an earthquake should occur, God forbid,
the mission church would crumble.” On January 13, 1961, one
month after Fr. Ravlic’s arrival, the
Chancellor for the Diocese ordered the demolition of San Salvador
Mission.
The 150 families of the parish mission in
Piru celebrated Holy Mass in an abandoned Southern Pacific
Railroad Depot adjacent to the church, donated by George E.
Bushnell in December 1961. On March 25, 1960, the diocese
had purchased 3.26 acres at the corner of North Orchard and East
Center Street for $28,000 to develop a new mission church,
approved by Monsignor Jacobs. From 1962 to 1964,
parishioners raised $15,000 to purchase 5 acres of land about half
a mile from the center of town. On February 5, 1964, Fr.
Ravlic petitioned Cardinal McIntyre
for permission to build a new parochial mission in
Piru: “People are clamoring for
a new church. They are willing to sacrifice and help in
construction of a church.” Much discussion occurred between
the diocese and St. Francis as to which location the new parochial
mission would be built.
On
Saturday, April 3, 1964, Bishop Manning, then Secretary to
Cardinal McIntyre, visited Piru.
The Bishop was not pleased with the abandoned railroad shed,
deeming it unworthy for the people. Bishop Manning surveyed
both properties and noted that the lot near the cemetery was too
far from town and on a dead-end street, beyond which there could
be no further development. He endorsed the 3.26 acre lot on
Center Street: “It is a beautiful site, looking up to the city
park. There is no hazard whatever from the river.”
On
November 9, 1965, acting on Bishop Manning’s advice with the
approval of Cardinal McIntyre, the Board of
Consultors authorized construction of a new mission in Piru. The building fund
continued and parish families were extremely supportive: A new
mission church and hall would soon become a reality, at an
estimated cost of $109,110. Cardinal Manning dedicated San
Salvador Parochial Mission, completed and furnished by the
families of Fillmore and Piru on
Sunday, February 1, 1975. The Archdiocese approved a
classroom addition in March 1979.
Today we are blessed to have a religious Pastoral Associate at the
mission, Sister Guadalupe Zozaya
S.S.N.D., who organizes a variety of pastoral and social
activities there.
A vocation from the mission is Deacon
Manuel Martinez, presently at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral.
A New Church In Fillmore
Shortly after completion of the San Salvador Mission church, Fr.
Ravlic wrote Cardinal McIntyre in
October 1968 for permission to begin construction of a new church
in Fillmore on the ten-acre lot purchased in 1962. The
diocese advised him to begin zoning procedures and general
planning, but felt it would be premature to begin construction at
that time; that there remained a need for the old church on
Central Ave. Fr. Ravlic
didn’t give up.
Three years later he wrote Archbishop Manning about the need for
construction of a new parish complex, including a multi-purpose
building with church seating, classrooms and offices to
accommodate Fillmore’s current and projected growth. A
delegation of the Archdiocesan Board of
Consultors visited Fillmore in October 1971, reporting
that: “Saint Francis parish is presently served by a wooden frame
church, erected in 1926, with a seating capacity of 198 persons
(plus another thirty in the choir loft) … Four Masses are
celebrated to accommodate the Sunday crowds which number about 900
souls … Fr. Ravlic is well aware of
the financial problems that would ensue were the parochial
facilities at Fillmore to be replaced or even appreciably
expanded. Nonetheless, in his pastoral solicitude for the
needs of his people, the affable priest has proposed to the
Archbishop of Los Angeles that some long-term thought be given to
the needs of the Fillmore area.”
A
man of vision, Cardinal Manning was always interested in the
future of the church, and encouraged Fr.
Ravlic to continue the building fund. Excitement
grew as parish families continued
to hope, pray and band together to organize fundraisers and
special collections. Construction was
completed three years later, in time for St. Francis’ 50th
anniversary. On February 1, 1976, His Eminence Cardinal
Manning dedicated the new St. Francis of Assisi Church:
All of the Liturgical furnishings for the church
were donated by parish families and groups. The marble altar
is from the old St. Vincent’s Hospital, and the statues and
crucifix were handmade in Italy. The Stations of the Cross
have family named etched at the bottom, as does the large Stigmata
of St. Francis visible when entering the church from the
vestibule. The baptistery window of Christ’s Baptism offers
an iridescent glow during the day. The bell system was a
gift from the Gurrola family in loving
memory of Esther. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
is an exact replica of the original in Mexico.
The Brendan Construction Company built a modest rectory for the
parish priests in March 1979, along with a four-classroom CCD
instruction facility on the east side of the rectory in March
1981.
In
1990, Monsignor Sylvester O’Byrne petitioned the Archdiocese to
build four additional classrooms to meet the needs of the
rapidly growing religious education program. For the next
eight years, the parish continued to raise funds with pledges and
a capital program.
Jesus Reyes Cruz received the Papal Award in 1990 for his untiring
service as sacristan.
In
1994, Fillmore woke up to the terrible Northridge earthquake.
Downtown Fillmore was hit particularly hard and many people along
the river valley fault lost their homes. Saint Francis
survived with only minor cracks on the walls, and was immediately
called upon by the city of Fillmore to become a FEMA relief
center. Fr. Norman
Supancheck organized pastoral
staff and volunteers to distribute the truckloads of blankets,
clothing and resources that came pouring into St. Francis.
Construction of the new Pastoral Center and classrooms began the
following year. Monsignor John Hughes of St. Mary Magdalene
Church in Camarillo offered the parish a loan of $250,000 to be
paid back in five years, and on August 5, 1995, the Pastoral
Center was a reality.
In
1997 Saint Francis received a new pastor, Fr. Joseph Hernandez,
and a new associate, Fr. Blas
Hernandez. Father Joseph immediately addressed the $180,600
debt owed by the building fund, and began repaying the loan with
the parish family’s support of monthly second collections.
In less than three years, the parish paid off the building fund.
With the debt under control, new projects emerged.
In
1998, new computers, software and a modern security system were
installed. The church’s sound system was overhauled in the
fall, and by winter a memorial rose garden was planted on the west
side of the church in honor of Rossana
Porras, with the Knights of Columbus
undertaking the care of this beautiful area. The archdiocese
rewarded St. Francis’ fiscal turnaround by freezing interest
penalties on the balance owed. Fr. George
Punchekunnel became the associate
pastor, coming to us all the way from his hometown of Kerala, India via
Bolivia, Boston and Rome. On All Souls Day, 1998, St.
Francis of Assisi Parish revisited its own history by celebrating
Mass at Rancho Camulos Chapel.
Monsignor Ravlic returned to St.
Francis the following year, in 1999, for a catered luncheon.
Prior to the celebration, a special award was presented to the
dear Monsignor for all his record-breaking years of untiring
dedication.
In
2000, Father Joseph petitioned the archdiocese for permission to
install air conditioning and heating for San Salvador Mission, made
possible by the generous pledges of the faithful in
Piru, who had been without a working
system for eight years. Solid wooden benches were finished
and installed at St. Francis Church for the upcoming 75th
anniversary.
On
September 29, 2000, Bishop Curry presented the Papal Award to
Yvonne Meyers and Joanne Arnold for their countless acts of charity and
generous works.
Jubilee 2000
On
September 28 of the Holy Year, forty parishioners and friends of
St. Francis were blessed by Bishop Curry as they departed for a
Jubilee Pilgrimage to Italy. The group from St. Francis of
Assisi, Fillmore, traveled to the town of Assisi, Italy, where
they celebrated Mass on the feast day of Saint Francis (October
4). Another highlight was a general audience with His
Holiness, Pope John Paul II, on October 12. Throughout the
trip, the parish family traveled with our pilgrims in the form of
a special book of petitions, currently on display at the church.
Closer to home, members of the parish made a pilgrimage to San
Buenaventura Mission to gain the Holy Year indulgence.
There, Fr. Joseph led the pilgrims in recitation of the Holy
Father’s Prayer for the Jubilee.
A New Beginning For The New
Millennium
In
September of the year 2001, Saint Francis of Assisi Church launched its Pre-K Academy. Families from Fillmore
and Piru enrolled their children into
the pre-school, taught by Bernadine Sisters of Saint Francis Paul
Marie and Francis Michelle. This was a dream come true for
many hardworking members of our parish, especially the
Sisters, staff and families of St. Francis, whose fundraising
efforts continue. The generosity of the
Sisters extends beyond the pre-school to the colorful new playground
visible from the parking lot. The formidable dragon slide was
initially tested by Srs. Paul and
Francis – photos not available!
As
St. Francis of Assisi Church continues to flourish in the glow of
a bright future – in her service to Mother Church, as a rest stop
for the soul – it does so with roots extending 75 years to the
past: This History is respectfully dedicated to all those who have
ever loved St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fillmore and San
Salvador Mission in Piru.
Tau.
Compiled, edited and researched by Michael Lara, Lucy Romero and
Richard Shore; translated by Jesus Pozo.
Resources provided by Monsignor Francis J. Weber and Kevin Feeney
of the Archdiocese Archival Center, Mission Hills, California.
Photos by Vern and Joanne Arnold. []