Parishes Continue to Support LA Catholics as Community Struggles to Rebuild After Devastating Fires| National Catholic Register

Diana Gonzalez’s old neighborhood is no longer what it was. 

“The bank burned; the grocery store burned; the coffee shops burned; my children’s schools burned,” Diana told the Register. “It’s going to take years to rebuild, and I don’t want my children growing up in a construction zone.”

Diana and husband Rodrigo were residents of Altadena, California in January 2025 before losing their home in the Eaton Fire. Twenty of 22 homes on their block burned; they shared their story with fellow Catholics at Archbishop José Gomez’s requiem Mass for the unborn at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels a year ago. 

Like many in their neighborhood, they have opted not to return to their Altadena home; they hope to rebuild the house and sell it or give the property to their children. They are now parishioners of St. Andrew Parish in Pasadena. 

For Rodrigo, the decision not to return was motivated in part by concerns about the failure of local government to prevent destruction of the neighborhood. He noted that their house burned the afternoon of the second day of the fire; as the fire department was nowhere to be seen, and water pressure was near zero, residents could not battle the blaze themselves. Diana is concerned about the toxicity of the soil and water due to the blaze, “so we decided to put this chapter of our lives behind us.”

Of the 20 homes destroyed on their block, Diana related, she has only seen construction begin on a single lot, as it is “hard navigating the process of rebuilding.” 

There is one positive note, however: Both she and Rodrigo expressed their gratitude for the many who offered their help. Their parish, St. Andrew, played a leading role in relief efforts.

Fellow Altadena resident Ruben Corral also lost his home in the Eaton Fire. The 76-year-old retiree from the aviation industry had lived in the 100-year-old home for 45 years before it burned to the ground. He thought about selling the property, but his wife and adult daughter with whom he lives insisted on rebuilding. They are currently reviewing the floor plan and then will advance to permitting and construction. Optimistically, they hope to be able to move back home in early 2027. They’re currently renting a home in Burbank.

“I’ve lived most of my life in Altadena, and I feel disconnected living so far away from home this past year,” he said. 

He observed that little construction has begun in his neighborhood, adding that many of its large trees and vegetation were destroyed in the fire. Like with the Gonzalez family, many of the businesses he had patronized for decades are gone: “The hardware store I’d always go to was wiped out, a printing shop, the restaurants and stores.” 

“And the businesses that did survive are struggling,” he added, noting that some of his neighbors have sold their properties, though others are rebuilding.

One constant in his life has been his parish, St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Altadena, where he has remained active. The parish’s Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul Society have given crucial support. 

Despite the Catholic support, “I miss my old friends in the neighborhood,” he said. “I’m looking forward to moving back.”

These families are not alone, as the Jan. 7-8, 2025, Palisades and Eaton Fires ravaged portions of Los Angeles, killing dozens of people, destroying tens of thousands of structures and costing billions of dollars. Properties of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Catholic religious communities suffered varying degrees of damage; additionally, many Catholic parishioners in the Palisades and Altadena lost their homes. Significant progress has been made in the months following to clean, repair and reopen some affected properties. 

But a year later, replacement construction has been sparse in many situations, and the effect of the wildfires is still being felt, including at Corpus Christi Parish in Pacific Palisades. 

Photographs texted to parish leadership documented the awful truth last Jan. 8: Corpus Christi’s church, rectory and convent buildings had been devastated by fire, as had the homes of 80% of its parishioners. The parish church had been leveled; the parish school had its gym burned to the ground, and the middle-school building was severely damaged.

Mass is being celebrated at St. Joseph Chapel in the Carondelet Center in Brentwood, about 6 miles away.

Options for returning Mass to the site are under consideration and could include the installation of a temporary tent or the rebuilding of the gym, a quicker structure to construct, and having Mass there until the parish church can be rebuilt. 

“Our plan is to rebuild — the church, the rectory, the school and the parish community,” the pastor, Msgr. Liam Kidney, told the Register. “To do that, we have to keep the people motivated, which is a challenge when so many have lost their homes. Who knows how many will want to return to the Palisades?”

The pastor believes the congregation will be significantly different, as older parishioners are selling their properties to developers and are moving closer to their adult children and grandchildren.

He said that the community had been “devastated” and expressed his concern about the mental health of his flock and their adjustment to their new normal. But, he added, “it is a blessing that none of our parishioners lost their lives in the fire.”

Msgr. Kidney welcomed the prayers and financial support of the broader Catholic community as well as their “empathy and understanding. Our whole community has been burned to the ground.”

He noted that he is working hard to be a “good pastor” during this time of healing and that he is “putting everything into the hands of the Lord.”

The parish site has been cleared of debris and repairs are being made to the middle school, but rebuilding has yet to begin, reported Corpus Christi Principal Paola Sessarego. 

“It’s been a slow process, but we’re moving forward,” said Sessarego, who noted that the parish is still in “Phase 1” of rebuilding, clearing the site and cleaning and repairing existing buildings; “Phase 2” will be construction of replacement buildings, which will begin later in 2026.

The parish school, which served 150 children in grades K-8 on the day of the fire, is scheduled to reopen this fall, although Sessarego is uncertain how many students will return. 

The Passionists continue to rebuild, too. 

In Sierra Madre, the emotional and psychological effects of the Eaton Fire remain at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, “as loss is loss, and the pain cannot be taken away,” the director, Passionist Father Febin Barose, told the Register. “But we’ve learned to live through it and come out stronger today.”

The fire destroyed Mater Dolorosa property’s employee apartments, hermitage and garage; its administration buildings were seriously damaged and extensive gardens were gutted. And, as a year has passed, retreat center workers have noted that many items, such as tools, are missing and presumed lost in the fire. Everyone is thankful that the 60 people who were on retreat at the time of the blaze were unharmed; staff were also safe.

Father Barose stated that the clean-up and rebuilding has been a step-by-step process, as funding is received, but that the center has been fully reopened and is serving even more people on retreat since the fire.

“As reconstruction continues, we have to block off certain areas for the safety of our visitors, as well as apologize for the noise they sometimes have to endure,” Father Barose said.

Last summer, he estimated total rebuilding costs to be $4.3 million; as of this January, he now believes costs will run over $5 million. He attributes the increased price tag to the high cost of permitting and compliance, as well as the fact that contract construction companies in the region are in high demand and bargaining for a lower price is difficult.

Presently, he said, rebuilding has been prioritized by need: Clearing the site of debris was the primary goal; rebuilding the administration building is now the focus, as many employees have been working out of retreat rooms converted to offices. The lost buildings have yet to be replaced, and construction will begin as funds are raised. The center has received some insurance and FEMA money but is reliant on private donors “to make up for the gap in our funding.”

Three homes bordering the retreat facility burned, he added, and he has seen some construction work begin on two of the sites. 

Back in Pacific Palisades, physical construction has begun in the neighborhood around Corpus Christi, Principal Sessarego said, both on homes and businesses. A few restaurants have reopened, she reported, “and every day we see more people walking around and cars driving by. It’s still sad and depressing what happened to our community, but life seems to be coming back.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Donate to Corpus Christi’s Fire Relief Fund: https://corpuschristichurch.com/html/donation.php. 

Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center the center welcomes donations to rebuild the site; click on the “Donate Today” button to make a contribution: https://materdolorosa.org/fire-updates/.