Trip Down Memory Lane

Dedication of St. Louis de Montfort
Sunday, February 4, 1968

Santa Maria Times - February 2, 1968

The new church and school of St. Louis de Montfort, one of the largest parishes territorially in the Archdiocese, will be dedicated at 11 a.m. this Sunday, February 4, by His Eminence James Francis Cardinal McIntyre.

Covering approximately 500 square miles, St. Louis parish extends from Santa Maria south beyond Los Alamos and from Vandenberg Air Force Base east into the San Rafael Mountains.

The church and school are at Clark Avenue and Hope Road in the unincorporated Orcutt area just south of Santa Maria.

Approximately 85 percent of the 625 St. Louis families derive their livelihood from the Vandenberg missile base, according to Father Vincent McCabe, pastor.

Fr. McCabe will be celebrant of the Solemn Mass of dedication this Sunday. Fr. Francis Reilly of Compton will deliver the sermon.

Fr. McCabe will be assisted at the Mass by Fr. Terence O'Brien, deacon; Fr. Thomas McGovern, subdeacon, and Fr. Bernard O'Reilly, master of ceremonies.

Neighboring pastors, Fr. Kieran Marum, St. Mary's Santa Maria, and Fr. Andrew McGrath, La Purisima, Lompoc, will be chaplains to the Cardinal. The parish choir will sing.

St. Louis Church seats 1000 persons. It is a simple, concrete masonry structure of contemporary design. The sanctuary extends into the nave, with transepts on either side.

The main altar of imported marble is located in the center of the sanctuary, allowing the celebrant of Mass to face the congregation.

The crucifix above the altar, stations of the cross and statues are Italian wood carvings.

The eight-classroom parish school also is of concrete block construction. In the present term 271 pupils are enrolled in the first six grades. The school, which opened in 1964, is conducted by Daughters of Mary and Joseph.

Both church and school were designed by Donley, Bundy & Associates, architects. The church was built by Mandella Construction Company and the school by Thielmann Construction Company.

St. Louis parish was established in March, 1963. During its first year, Masses were celebrated in a rented Army mess hall at Santa Maria Airport. Services were held in the parish school from September, 1964, until completion of the church two years ago.

Mass is also offered each Sunday at St. Anthony's Los Alamos, a mission of St. Louis parish. The new St. Anthony's Mission was dedicated last March.

Parish Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes, enrolling nearly 700 children, are held at St. Joseph High School, at the Los Alamos mission and in private homes at Sisquoc.

Near Sisquoc is northern Santa Barbara County's oldest church, the Foxen Memorial Chapel, recently dedicated as an historic landmark. The Catholic chapel was built in 1878-79 by pioneer ranchers - Foxens, Wickendens and Lawsons. It no longer is sued for services.

Contrasting with the nearly 100-year-old chapel is the space age Vandenberg base, a parish, or group of parishes, in itself. Nine Masses are celebrated in the base's four Catholic chapels each Sunday.

Serving Catholic servicemen and families on the bast base are three military chaplains, one full-time auxiliary chaplain and a fifth priest who assists o Sundays.

Most of the nearly 20,000 civilians employees at Vandeberg live off the base, many of them in St. Louis parish. Because of the nature of their work, few become permanent residents.

Fr. McCabe estimates that he has a complete turnover of parishioners every three years. Except for a nucleus of about 50 families - most of them farmers - a third of his parishioners move out every year and are replaced by others.

"In one year we lost three presidents of our women's council and two men's club presidents," he said.