Old St. Rose of Lima back in full bloom
By Angela Randazzo Special to the Acorn

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers RAINBOW IN MOTION- Mexican Baile Folklorico dancer Veronica Mendoza swings the skirts of her colorful traditional dress as a mariachi band plays at dedication ceremonies for the Old St. Rose of Lima church at Strathearn Historical Park on Friday.

Mariachi band members dressed in colorful costumes played. Congregants and guests strolled the grounds of Strathearn Park and chatted under white umbrellas shading round tables. Everyone looked with admiration at the beautifully restored Old St. Rose of Lima Church with its white clapboards and multicolored stained glass window gleaming in the sunlight.

"You can't imagine how beautiful the church looks inside," said Pat Havens, city historian. "I couldn't tell you how many coats of stain are on the woodwork, the new wood right alongside the old wood."

Last Friday, more than 300 people celebrated the culmination of the Old St. Rose of Lima restoration project, a joint effort of the Simi Valley Historical Society, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District and the city of Simi Valley.

Photos by IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers PRESERVED- Mayor Paul Miller speaks at the dedication ceremony for the Old St. Rose of Lima Church, Simi's oldest house of worship, on Friday at Strathearn Historical Park. The 100-year-old church, right, took five years and around $200,000 to restore.

The church, originally located at Third Street and Pacific Avenue in an area then known as Simiopolis, was relocated to the park five years ago and has since undergone extensive restoration.

During the dedication ceremony, Kate O'Brien, chair of the park district board, welcomed guests including Mayor Paul Miller and Councilmembers Barbra Williamson and Michelle Foster.

"Anytime you can restore history and keep the past as part of the present and the future is a wonderful thing," Foster said. "(The city) has a good history of working together with the park district on things that are important to the whole community."

The project's $200,000 price tag was paid by contributions from the three public agencies involved and donations from numerous private citizens. The city made two grants totaling $46,000, while the historical society raised most of its money selling commemorative bricks for $175 each. The bricks, engraved with the donor's name or message, will form a wall in a patio area behind the church.

The park district also played a major role in bringing Old St. Rose to new life.

"The staff took the project under our wing. The church needed a new foundation and roof, new electrical- some of the flooring is original," said Elaine Freeman, park district board member.

Knights of Columbus Council 5308 of Simi Valley volunteered to do many of the repairs. Member Paul Friedeborn, a senior supervisor for the park district, organized the volunteer Knights.

"We worked on it roughly two years. Many people we know went to this church. We wanted to show our appreciation for them, and it's nice to be part of the history," said Friedeborn.

The church was first dedicated Aug. 10, 1902 as the Simi Valley Presbyterian Church. The cost of maintaining the church for the 11member Presbyterian congregation became a burden as time went on.

In 1910, the building changed hands and became a mission of the Catholic Church in Oxnard. In 1921 the building officially became St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church with 20 families in the congregation.

"This was the very first church built in Simi Valley. The plans for it started in 1898 and the building was completed in 1902," said Colleen Janssen, marketing and community outreach director for the park district. "We found a news article about the dedication ceremony and that helped guide us in doing our restoration."

The building features varnished redwood and Oregon pine, brass fixtures and a stained glass window. Havens said the church was restored to its original architecture.

"The stained glass windows have been replaced many times through the years. We know what the original should look like because we have photographs," said Havens. "We tried to make the new window look like the original one."

In his keynote speech, Father Michael Carcerano, pastor of the present-day St. Rose of Lima Church on Royal Avenue, talked about the significance the church has for the Catholic community.

"So many people had special moments in their lives take place in this beautiful church," Carcerano said.

The current St. Rose of Lima church was built in 1964 and seats 900. The old church seated about 60 people, too few for the growing congregation. Early arrivals to the Sunday Mass sat inside but late arrivals had to stand outside listening to the service.

"People joked they never saw the inside unless they were getting baptized or confirmed," said Carcerano.

Attending the ceremony were Leo Vanoni, 92, a retired farmer from Saticoy and his wife, Rita. The couple married in the church in 1945. Rita, born in Simi Valley in 1921, also made her first communion and confirmation in the little church. She recalled during the Sunday services how the wind rattled the walls.

"When the east winds rose, the wall would give you a shove if you were sitting along it," said Rita.

The Bañaga family, early pioneers in Simi Valley, purchased the old church. In the following years, various groups used the building for their functions. In 2002, the park district bought the church and moved it to Strathearn Park alongside other historical structures.

"This church brought people together and this restoration brought people together," Carcerano said. "The church will have a new beginning and a new life."