Saint Anthony Catholic Church sits at 540 Olive Avenue in downtown Long Beach, just around the corner from its parish elementary and high schools. It is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in the city, established in 1902, and is widely regarded as the Mother Church of Long Beach because twenty-seven surrounding parishes have been carved out of its original boundaries. Worship is offered daily in English and Spanish, with a Khmer and English Mass once a month at a nearby mission chapel.
Mass Every Day in English and Spanish
The parish offers Mass every day of the week. The Saturday Vigil is celebrated in English at 5:30 p.m. Sunday Masses include English celebrations at 6:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11:00 a.m., and Spanish celebrations at 7:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday Mass is at 12:10 p.m. in English. On the First Friday of each month an additional Mass is celebrated in Spanish at 7:00 p.m.
Eucharistic Adoration is held in the church each weekday from approximately 11:00 a.m. until noon, when the Blessed Sacrament is reposed shortly before the noon Mass begins. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered on Fridays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Two weekly devotions supplement the Mass schedule. The Holy Rosary is prayed after the 12:10 p.m. Mass on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. On the first and third Friday of each month, a devotion to the Most Holy Trinity is celebrated at 6:00 p.m., immediately following confessions.
A Mother Church with Three Buildings
St. Anthony's story begins in August 1900, when Bishop George Montgomery of Monterey and Los Angeles visited Long Beach and saw that there were only about six Catholic families in the neighborhood, all of whom had to travel to Saints Peter and Paul Church in Wilmington for Mass. Mrs. J. M. Morris, a seventy-year-old Catholic whose husband Captain James Morris was Protestant, was moved to act after overhearing men plot to prevent Catholicism from taking root in the city. In June 1902 she placed a notice in the Long Beach Press-Telegram inviting local Catholics to a meeting at the home of Mrs. John Ena. By the end of that gathering, two acres of land had been donated by F. E. Shaw and more than $1,000 had been pledged. The original parcel was traded for land at the corner of Sixth and Olive closer to the center of town, and Judge Wall and Captain Morris purchased the adjoining lots to allow for expansion. Ground was broken on September 16, 1902; Bishop Montgomery laid the cornerstone on October 19, 1902; and Father Ramon Ferrer became the first pastor. The building cost about $3,500, and parishioners donated furnishings, an organ, and a beautiful onyx credence table. Bishop Conaty celebrated the first Mass on July 19, 1903.
The first wooden church seated about 200. Within four years the parish had outgrown it and its priest, Father James Reardon, was busy founding both a permanent church and a parish school. A small Catholic school opened in September 1907 with forty students from kindergarten through ninth grade, but closed in 1909 when pledge money did not materialize. Reardon then turned to a larger church. The cornerstone of the second St. Anthony was laid on October 24, 1913. The new building was Tudor Gothic in design, built of red brick with two towers and a statue of Saint Anthony over the entrance. Inside it seated six hundred, with stained glass windows and a thirty-ton altar of Carrara marble imported from Italy. The church was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1914.
Father Reardon's dream of a Catholic school was finally realized in 1916 when four Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary came to Long Beach at his request; he moved into a section of the old church and gave them the rectory as a convent. The second St. Anthony School, a six-room frame building on Sixth Street, was dedicated on September 29, 1919 and opened with 125 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. By September 1920 a second story had been added for a high school department, and the first high school graduation took place in June 1923. When Reardon was transferred to Oxnard in February 1922, the parish had grown from 250 communicants to more than 2,000, with Sunday Masses increasing from two to six.
The 1933 Earthquake and a Third Church
The Long Beach earthquake of March 10, 1933 destroyed much of the second church. Its mighty towers collapsed, the great marble altar crashed into a million pieces and fell through the floor, the organ was smashed, and damage was estimated at half a million dollars. The convent was shaken off its foundation, the elementary school was wrecked, and a second severe tremor on October 2 condemned part of the high school. The men of the parish salvaged the pews and furnishings, and a tent was erected in the schoolyard where Mass was celebrated on Sundays and classes were held during the week.
Father Robert E. Lucey and his parishioners were determined to rebuild. The cornerstone for the third St. Anthony was laid on December 10, 1933, and the new church, with a seating capacity of 750, was dedicated on February 4, 1934. Father Lucey had to ask those who had taken pieces of the shattered marble altar as souvenirs to return them so they could be used again in the reconstruction.
Under Monsignor Bernard Dolan, who arrived in November 1938 and served for thirty years, the parish grew to be known as the largest Catholic school in the West. In 1952 the Tidings newspaper reported roughly 2,000 students across the three school departments, with 704 in the girls' high school, 696 in the boys' high school, and 585 in the grade school. Monsignor Dolan built the Boys' High School, the Saint Anthony Catholic Center gymnasium, a new convent, a residence for the Holy Cross brothers, and many other improvements. In 1953 he had the church cut in two pieces and moved thirty feet forward to the sidewalk to add seating, then rebuilt the two 80-foot towers that had been lost in the earthquake.
Golden Jubilee Mosaics from Rome
For the church's Golden Jubilee in 1954, Monsignor Dolan commissioned a 24 by 34 foot mosaic depicting the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven to be installed above the main entrance. The work was fashioned in Rome under the close supervision of Vatican officials and modeled on masterpieces such as Borgognone's famous painting at the Brera Gallery in Milan. At Mary's feet stand Saints Peter and John, flanked by figures of a layman, a priest, Pope Pius XII, and Archbishop Cantwell. On the opposite side are Cardinal McIntyre, Bishops McGucken and Manning, and two laypersons, with the Holy Spirit shown as a dove at the apex. Saint Anthony stands to the left and Saint Dominic with two Sisters of the Immaculate Heart stand to the right. Twelve smaller mosaics below the main image honor the patrons of the surrounding Long Beach parishes, including Saint Pancratius, Saint Anne, Holy Innocents, Saint Barnabas, Saint Bartholomew, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our Lady of Refuge, Saint Matthew, Saint Athanasius, Saint Cyprian, Saint Lucy, and Saint Cornelius.
Inside the church, rose-colored marble floors from Italy were installed, the lower walls were paneled with pastel marble, new pews were added, and mosaic Stations of the Cross were mounted. A large mosaic above the main altar depicts the life of Saint Anthony in three panels. The parish estimates the project involved roughly 2,500,000 pieces of mosaic, fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle on the gym floor by Monsignor Dolan, his priests, the Immaculate Heart Sisters, and high school students before being installed on the facade.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Cambodian Catholic Mission
The first St. Anthony Church was moved off the parish grounds in 1913 and eventually relocated to 1804 Cerritos Avenue, where it served as a Mexican mission and later as the home of a new parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In 1986 the building was rededicated as a Cambodian Catholic Mission under Father Rondineau, becoming the first Cambodian Catholic church in the nation. It still serves the Cambodian Catholic community of Long Beach, which is home to the largest Cambodian population outside Cambodia. A bilingual Mass in Khmer and English is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of each month. The mission's mailing address remains 540 Olive Avenue, and Father George Aguilera serves as chaplain.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel also has its own parish hall, available for rent for up to 100 guests from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA and Adult Confirmation
Adults who have not yet been baptized, or Catholics who have not received the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist, are invited to journey through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, formerly called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The program leads to the reception of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, typically at the Easter Vigil. Candidates meet during office hours to register with the parish, and those who have already been baptized Catholic provide a copy of their Baptism certificate.
Adults who have already been baptized Catholic and wish to complete their initiation can register for the Adult Confirmation course offered through the San Pedro Pastoral Region. Both English and bilingual Spanish courses are offered, with classes beginning in August each year and the Confirmation celebration scheduled for the following January. Registration takes place at the parish office, where a $50 to $55 fee is collected along with Baptismal and First Communion certificates.
Religious Education for Children and Teens
The parish Religious Education program, directed by Sister Reyna Colimote of the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, serves more than 600 children and adults in faith formation and sacramental preparation. First Communion preparation is a two-year program for students in second through seventh grade, with classes running from September through April and First Communion typically received in late spring of the second year. Registrations take place during June, July, and August.
Youth Confirmation is also a two-year program for students in ninth through eleventh grade, with classes typically running from September through March. Confirmation is received in the spring of the second year, and graduates are invited to return as teaching assistants for the catechists. Registrations are taken during July. Adult Confirmation preparation is handled through OCIA.
The parish is always looking for new catechists and teaching assistants. No prior teaching experience is required; volunteers need only be willing to say yes and serve. Those interested can contact Sister Reyna or Sister Monica at religioused@saintanthonylongbeach.org or 562-590-9229 extension 105.
Sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, and Quinceañera
Baptisms are celebrated throughout the year on Saturdays, alternating between English and Spanish, typically at 10:00 a.m. Pre-registration is required at least two weeks in advance, and parents and godparents must attend a pre-baptismal class. The donation is $60. Godparents must be practicing Catholics at least sixteen years old who have received Baptism, Confirmation, and, if married, a Catholic marriage. A Christian who is not Catholic may serve as a Christian Witness, but non-Christians may not serve as godparents or witnesses. They are welcomed as Honored Guests.
Couples who wish to be married at St. Anthony are asked to contact the parish at least twelve months before the planned wedding day. The requested donation is $1,000, with a non-refundable $200 deposit due at the beginning of the process. Both parties provide newly issued Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation certificates; take part in a prenuptial inquiry; complete a Catholic marriage preparation program such as Catholic Engaged Encounter or Engaged Couple Conferences; meet for counseling sessions; and obtain a civil marriage license from the county at least one month before the wedding. The church provides the music for the ceremony; outside musicians are not permitted. Only one official photographer and one videographer are allowed, and they must remain outside the Sanctuary. Aisle runners are not allowed, and the aisle from the front of the altar to the farthest pew stretches 142 feet, with thirty pews on each side.
Quinceañera Masses are offered individually on Fridays and Saturdays for a $875 fee, which includes a rehearsal, the celebration, and music. Families present the candidate's Baptism and First Communion certificates, complete a form in the office, leave a $200 deposit, attend the rehearsal, and pay the balance at least three months before the celebration. For more information, families can call Charlotte Casillas at 562-590-9229 extension 101.
Two Catholic Schools on the Olive Avenue Block
St. Anthony Elementary School has been part of the parish's mission since 1907 and currently serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at 855 East Fifth Street. The principal is Miss Zonia Dueñas. The elementary school moved to its present building on Fifth Street and Alamitos Avenue in 1955, when a second story was lifted atop the first using a new method of placing pre-formed concrete slabs.
St. Anthony High School, located at 620 Olive Avenue, serves grades nine through twelve under principal Mr. Adan Jaramillo. The high school began in September 1920 as an addition to the grade school, with the first graduation in June 1923. The Brothers of Holy Cross from Notre Dame ran the school from 1941 until 1994; about 126 Holy Cross Brothers served St. Anthony during those years. The Saints compete in football, basketball, baseball, and other sports and practice at an eleven-acre site in Lakewood acquired in 1946.
Together with the parish, the two schools form a Catholic educational continuum from preschool through twelfth grade, allowing students to grow up in the same faith community. The Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, whose convent is on parish grounds, also participates in faith formation throughout the parish.
Ministries for Every Age and Walk of Life
The parish offers a wide range of ministries, several of which are bilingual in English and Spanish.
The Saint Anthony Young Adult Ministry, founded in October 2025, brings together Catholics ages 18 to 29 who want to learn more about their faith and grow closer to God. Meetings are held on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., usually in the Parish Hall, with parking available in the church lot.
The Voluntarios de San Antonio meet every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. to clean, decorate, and care for the church. No experience is needed, only a willing heart.
The People of Prayer Ministry hosts prayer sessions throughout the week at a variety of times, drawing on the rich prayer traditions of the Catholic Church. The People of Prayer also organize the monthly Holy Rosary on the second and fourth Wednesdays and the devotion to the Most Holy Trinity on the first and third Fridays.
The Hospitality Ministry, also known as the Ushers, welcomes parishioners and visitors, assists with the collection, distributes the parish bulletin, and helps maintain reverence and order during Mass. Ushers play a special role in safeguarding the Most Holy Eucharist during Communion. The ministry is led by Ricardo Soto.
The parish Choir sings at Mass and supports sung prayer across the parish's liturgical celebrations. Catechists and teaching assistants are recruited every year to teach the next generation of disciples. Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and other liturgical volunteers coordinate through the Minister's Portal.
Hall Rentals and the Saint Anthony Shop
Two parish halls are available for family gatherings and community events. The Monsignor Ernest Gualderon Parish Hall accommodates up to 300 guests. Rental begins at $3,500 and includes all-day use of the hall, tables, chairs, and limited parking. The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Hall accommodates up to 100 guests for a rental fee of $1,500, with use from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and tables and chairs included. Inquiries can be made by calling the parish office at 562-590-9229.
Saint Anthony Books and Gifts, the parish's Catholic shop, is open in the Parish Office and offers rosaries, holy cards, Catholic books, and other items for the spiritual journey.
Reaching Out: Immigration, Racial Justice, and the Wider Community
St. Anthony keeps Catholic social teaching at the center of its community life. The parish provides ongoing resources on immigration, including links to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' National Migration Week toolkit and to Archbishop Jose H. Gomez's reflection on welcoming immigrants and refugees. The parish has also shared reflections on racial justice drawn from the U.S. Bishops' 1979 pastoral letter Brothers and Sisters to Us, which called racism a sin that divides the human family.
Through the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the parish points parishioners to Hearts to Serve and other charitable initiatives. The Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, whose convent is on the parish grounds, is involved in faith formation and prayer throughout the community.
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
Father George Aguilera has served as pastor of St. Anthony since 2018. He was previously pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in Gardena and St. Aloysius Church in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He shepherds the parish along with St. Anthony Elementary School, St. Anthony High School, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mission.
Father Henry Hernando, a retired archdiocesan priest, assists the pastor in parish ministry. Sister Reyna Colimote of the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity directs the Religious Education program. Deacon Jorge Ramos was ordained in 2012 and has been a member of the parish community since his family moved to Long Beach in 1978; he and his wife and their five sons serve the parish in various ways.
The parish offices are open during the hours posted on the parish site, and inquiries can be made by phone at 562-590-9229 or by email at secretary@saintanthonylongbeach.org. Contributions can be mailed to 540 Olive Avenue or made online through the parish's giving page.
Visiting St. Anthony
Saint Anthony Catholic Church is located at 540 Olive Avenue in downtown Long Beach, California. Weekday parking is available in the parish lot with assigned two-hour spaces for those visiting during the day and six ADA-compliant spaces for visitors with disabilities. Weekend parking is limited; visitors are asked to follow the instructions of the parking attendants.
Daily Mass in English is celebrated at 12:10 p.m. Monday through Friday, with Eucharistic Adoration beforehand. On Sundays, the day begins with Mass at 6:00 a.m. and continues throughout the morning in both English and Spanish, ending with the 12:30 p.m. Spanish Mass. Confessions are heard on Fridays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., and Khmer and English Mass is celebrated at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 1851 Cerritos Avenue, on the fourth Sunday of each month.
On January 11, 1990, the Long Beach City Council named St. Anthony Catholic Church a City Cultural Heritage Landmark, citing its historical significance as the Mother Church of the Catholic community in Long Beach, its distinctive Gothic Revival style, and its strong visual presence as a neighborhood landmark. More than a century after Bishop Montgomery laid the cornerstone on October 19, 1902, the parish continues to serve the Catholic faithful of Long Beach from the same block of Olive Avenue.