Saints Peter and Paul Church in Wilmington will kick off the 150th anniversary celebration of the parish with a solemn Mass celebrated by Abbott Eugene Hayes, the superior of St. Michael’s Abbey of the Norbertine Order, at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29. The service will be followed by the raising of the anniversary banner, announcements of future anniversary events, and a reception in the parish hall.
SS. Peter and Paul is the second oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The original church building (then called St. Peters) was completed under Father Anthony Ubach with the help of Union soldiers from the Drum Barracks in 1865. In 1930, Msgr. B. J. Schiaparelli oversaw the completion of the present Italian Romanesque-style church building, which was dedicated by Cardinal John Cantwell on March 15, 1931, and has been maintained through the years by the hard work of many parish priests and the generosity of faithful parishioners.
The anniversary celebrations will continue next year with a Mass of Thanksgiving and student-led festivities on May 23, 2015, to be followed by summer celebration services and events on June 29 and July 26. The commemorations will officially conclude on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015 — 150 years to the day from the parish’s first Mass — with a closing Mass and reception.
