History

The Catholic parish that exists now in Hawaiian Gardens was little more than a mission church attached to Holy Family Parish twenty years ago. In 1979, Fr. Vincent Antolini and Fr. Vincent Young from the Oblates of the Virgin Mary came to live at Holy Family in Artesia, while celebrating mass in a school which was located at the site of the current Max Foods Grocery Store on Carson St. Around that time, a generous soul donated the land stretching from Norwalk Boulevard westward to Elaine Avenue to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, with the idea that the Archdiocese would do something for the city of Hawaiian Gardens. Blessed by this donation, the Archdiocese sold half of the land to developers and split the remaining 5.3 acres, using the money to build the current church on the 2.6 acres at the corner of Elaine and 214th Street. In 1980, Fr. Gerry Wright joined Fr. Antolini and Fr. Young, who were still living at Holy Family Parish. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the land was used to purchase the house which is the current site of the parish rectory. With a rectory and a church, the parish truly began to grow. St. Peter Chanel's boundaries were established by the Archdiocese in 1986, when it officially became a parish. The Archdiocese had retained the other 2.7 acres of land, but in 1993 Cardinal Mahoney gave this portion back to the parish of St. Peter Chanel for construction of the new church. As this new church building is constructed, let's take a moment to thank God for the blessings of our parish's past, and to remember that "church" is more than just buildings. It is every single one of us - the people of God.