PARISH MISSION STATEMENT

Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic Christian community dedicated to living and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus. We, as a family of diverse ethnic heritage, are committed to calling forth the gifts of all members in the service of God’s Kingdom.

OUR HISTORY

Our Lady of Guadalupe’s years and years of service and worship stems back as far as 1920. In studying the history of our parish, we find it necessary to divide its development into three distinct time periods. The first period, The Catechism school period dates from 1920-1927, then there is the Mission-Church period (1927-1958) that leads to the Parish-Church period, beginning in 1958 ’til today.

CATECHISM SCHOOL PERIOD

In 1920, the only parish serving the beach communities was Saint James Parish in Redondo Beach. It was to this church that the Hispanic population of the South Bay traveled to attend religious services. Two parishioners of Saint James, Mrs. Gordon McDonald and Miss Dewey were known to be responsible for beginning a Catechism school for the Latino population of the parish. At first they would hold classes in their garages, but when the classes increased in size, they began looking for alternatives. Several lots were obtained by Saint James parish on the corner of Fifth street and Massey avenue and a small structure was built for the purpose of conducting the Catechism classes. The building was soon to become the Mission Church of St. James Parish, serving the needs of the Hispanic community.