Saint Francis de Sales Parish is on Valleyheart Drive in Sherman Oaks, between Woodman and Coldwater Canyon and two blocks north of Ventura Boulevard. This Roman Catholic parish is known for the steady rhythm of daily and Sunday Mass, a Catholic K-8 school and Sunday preschool, an active music ministry, and service groups that reach beyond the church. Its history begins in 1938, and Rev. Michael Wakefield serves as pastor of a community built around worship, education, family formation, and care for people in need.
Mass at the Center of Parish Life
A first-time visitor has several ways to worship with the parish:
- Daily Mass: 8:15 a.m. Monday through Saturday
- Saturday Mass: 5 p.m.
- Sunday Mass: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and noon
- Confession: 4 p.m. Saturday
All Masses are celebrated inside the main church. The 10 a.m. Sunday Mass can also be watched through a YouTube Live livestream. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
These schedules belong to a parish whose sacramental life reaches into worship, family life, education, service, and care for people who are sick or in need. Saint Francis de Sales teaches that the seven sacraments are ceremonies pointing to what is sacred, significant, and important. They are both signs and instruments of God's grace and special occasions for experiencing God's saving presence.
From Live Oaks Cafe to Valleyheart Drive
Archbishop John J. Cantwell created St. Francis de Sales Parish in 1938 and appointed Father William McGinley as its first pastor. The first parish Mass was celebrated on November 27, 1938, at Live Oaks Cafe on Van Nuys Boulevard at Sherman Way. The first church, at 4916 Fulton, was dedicated on September 29, 1940. Father James O'Mahony became pastor in July 1945. As the Valley's population grew after the war, the need for a larger church became clear, and property along the Los Angeles River was acquired for a church and school.
The present church was built in 1959, with Daniel Elliott as architect and T-S Construction as builder, and its first Sunday Mass took place on September 13. Father O'Mahony, who had planned, saved for, and overseen the project, died in his sleep on January 17, 1960. Monsignor Patrick Dignan served from February to November 1960 and arranged for the red-brick school building. Monsignor James Nevin followed him in November, and the school building was completed in 1961.
A convent was built in 1965 for the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, who staffed the school and had been commuting from a convent at Corvallis High School in Studio City on Laurel Canyon. Monsignor Nevin installed a Walcker pipe organ in 1969. Cardinal Timothy Manning appointed Father Kevin Larkin pastor in 1981, and the school opened its kindergarten in 1982. The convent became a parish center in 1992. The January 17, 1994 earthquake caused substantial damage, and the Walcker organ was almost completely destroyed and replaced by a Rogers organ. A cooperative preschool opened in 1992 and became licensed in 2009. The last RSHM principal left in 2005 and the last RSHM left in 2009. Father Larkin retired in 2009, and Father Michael Wakefield became pastor on July 1, 2009.
The Saint Behind the Parish Name
Saint Francis de Sales was born on August 21, 1567, into a noble family in Savoy. The oldest of six children, he was responsible for maintaining the family's name and fortune. He studied theology and law and earned doctorates in both fields at the University of Padua. While in Padua, he came to understand that he wanted to become a priest. He returned home, refused the marriage his father had arranged, and was ordained in 1593 after the bishop of Geneva intervened on his behalf.
Saint Francis de Sales was appointed and consecrated bishop of Geneva in 1602. He became known as a compelling preacher, a friend of the poor, and a bishop attentive to catechetical instruction, his clergy, and mountain parishes. He wrote Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God. With St. Jane Frances de Chantal, he founded the Congregation of the Visitation in 1610. He died in Lyon in 1622, was beatified in 1661, and was canonized in 1664. The parish recognizes his January 24 feast day and his patronage of writers and journalists. His development of a sign language to assist a deaf man also led to his recognition as the patron saint of the deaf.
A Catholic School Built Alongside the Parish
Saint Francis de Sales School is a K-8 school with its office in the auditorium building at 13368 Valleyheart Drive. Its stated goal is to instill knowledge, faith, and love rooted in Catholic teaching while educating the heart as well as the mind through collaboration among parents, teachers, staff, clergy, and the parish community. The school describes five desired outcomes for each student: being active in Catholic faith, academically prepared, accountable for all actions, an articulate communicator, and accepting of others.
Principal Myra Goethals leads the school, and Father Wakefield serves as pastor. The preschool began as a cooperative program in 1992 so children could play, socialize, and learn together in a safe, secure, enriching, fun Catholic environment. It became a licensed preschool in September 2009. Preschool Director Jerri Ford oversees the program, whose usual hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Families may choose morning-only, afternoon-only, or full-day schedules and attend two, three, or five days. Mixed-age grouping allows older and younger children to learn together, while parent volunteers help the adult-child ratio reach at least one adult for every five children.
Little Church and Formation for Every Age
Little Church is the parish's Sunday preschool for children age 3, if potty trained, through Kindergarten. Its focus is the Golden Rule, treating others the way you want to be treated, and helping each child discover how differences make the community stronger. Through Bible stories, songs, crafts, and play, children practice kindness, empathy, forgiveness, and joy in everyday life. Rachel Munyaradzi leads the ministry with parish volunteers who are fingerprinted, background-checked, and VIRTUS-trained.
Children who attend public or private schools can join Sunday Religious Education for grades 1 through 8. Classes meet from 9:00 to 9:50 a.m. Preparation for First Holy Communion is a two-year process in grades 1 and 2, while grades 3 through 8 continue their religious formation. High school Confirmation preparation begins in grades 9 and 10, with Confirmation celebrated in the spring of the student's tenth grade. The program rests on prayer and worship, instruction, and service. Students are expected to attend Mass every Sunday, attend every class session, and complete a service project. Two Faith Enrichment Nights are held each school year, and classes meet from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m.
Adults who have been baptized, received First Holy Communion, and reached age 18 without Confirmation are invited to an eight-session preparation series held from late January through early March at 7 p.m. in the Parish Center, followed by Confirmation during the Easter Season. The Christian Initiation of Adults welcomes people who have not been baptized, were baptized into another Christian faith, were baptized as Catholics but have not received First Holy Communion or Confirmation, or wish to renew a Catholic faith life. Initial gatherings pair personal reflection with group questions, followed by instruction and preparation for the sacraments of the Church at Easter.
Seven Sacraments, One Parish Life
Baptism and Penance
Through baptism, a child is reborn into the kingdom of heaven, becomes a member of the Church, and is adopted as a son or daughter of God. Baptism is the gateway to the other sacraments, and the parish asks parents and godparents to provide the assistance and nurture their child or godchild needs. Preparation classes meet on the second Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Parish Center. Baptisms are celebrated on the first Sunday of every month at 1 p.m. in the church. The parish asks for a $150 donation for a baptism, or $10 when parents attend preparation for a child who will be baptized in another parish.
The parish describes repentance as a grace that recognizes sin, reveals the need for renewal and change, and prepares a person for pardon and transformation. In the Sacrament of Penance, a priest's absolution is spoken with the promise of pardon and peace. Confession is offered at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Holy Eucharist
Holy Communion is the receiving of Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The parish teaches that material food nourishes the body while Christ in the Eucharist nourishes the soul. Christ is entirely present when received under the Host alone or from the Chalice alone. In the Western Church, the faithful receive the Host and may receive the Precious Blood. Those preparing to receive Holy Communion are asked to fast from food and drink, except water, for one hour, with the fast reduced to 15 minutes for those who are sick.
The Sunday obligation to attend Mass is affirmed, as is the unity of the sacrifice of the Cross and the sacrifice of the Mass. Christ is offered once, with the Mass presenting that same offering in an unbloody manner through the ministry of priests.
Confirmation and Marriage
Confirmation is described as an important time for young people, their parents, and their grandparents. Parish preparation combines prayer and worship, classroom instruction, and service, with Confirmation celebrated in the Easter Season for adults and in the spring of the tenth-grade year for teenagers.
Marriage is understood as a solemn commitment involving the couple, the parish, the larger Church, and Almighty God. The parish describes God as its author and marriage as an intimate partnership of life and love that reflects the love of God. Its purposes include the enrichment and personal fulfillment of the couple and the continuation of the human race. The graces named for marriage include dialogue and communication, unity, healing, parenthood, and sanctification. Wedding celebrations involve the parish's wedding coordinator and musicians, whose experience helps couples prepare for the ceremony and the beginning of married life.
Anointing of the Sick
The Rite of Anointing does not require waiting until a person is at the point of death. A serious illness can be sufficient reason to request the sacrament, and it may be repeated if the person recovers and becomes ill again or if the illness becomes more severe. It can also be received before surgery when danger is the reason for the procedure. Older people in weak condition and children able to be comforted by the sacrament may also receive it. Only bishops and priests minister the sacrament, laying hands on the person's head and anointing the forehead and hands with blessed oil.
For those approaching the end of life, the Church offers Penance, Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist as Viaticum. These are described as sacraments that prepare a person for the Church's heavenly homeland and help unite suffering and dying with the hope of eternal life.
Priesthood and Consecrated Life
Through baptism, each person is anointed to share in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly mission of Christ. Priests proclaim the Gospel through preaching and teaching, make Christ present through the sacraments, and lead parishes and institutions. Diocesan priests make promises, rather than vows, of celibacy, prayer, and obedience, and receive their configuration to Christ through the laying on of hands by a bishop and the prayer of consecration.
Consecrated life is also presented as a vocation that may be followed by men or women in religious orders or communities. Its members commonly vow poverty, chastity, and obedience. These vows are described as a way of living simply, sharing resources, and placing service to others and to God at the center of life.
Choir at Ten, Contemporary Folk at Five
The parish names three ensembles: a 10 a.m. Sunday Choir, a 5 p.m. Contemporary Folk Group, and a Children's Choir. Jeannine Wagner leads the Adult Choir. The Sunday Choir is associated with the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass, while the Contemporary Folk Group corresponds to the 5 p.m. Saturday gathering, giving the parish both choral and contemporary folk expressions in worship. The Children's Choir gives younger members of the parish a place to sing and participate in the musical life of Saint Francis de Sales.
Knights, St. Vincent de Paul, and Legion of Mary
The Knights of Columbus Fr. O'Mahony Council 4956 supports parish events and charitable work. Its members meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month in the Parish Center. The council is a strong supporter of Loaves and Fishes, a nearby Valley food and clothing assistance organization, and sponsors a food and clothing drive on the first weekend of every month. Canned or dried food and used clothing can be brought to the church vestibule, and the Knights deliver the donations to Loaves and Fishes on Monday.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society meets people in need, assesses their circumstances, and quietly offers assistance. Its work at Saint Francis de Sales is supported through quarterly envelopes and poor boxes at the church doors. The parish's connection with this society reflects a wider commitment to recognize human need and respond with practical care.
The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholics that serves the Church and its neighbors through prayer and active cooperation with the work of Mary and the Church. The Saint Francis de Sales group, called a Praesidium, meets for prayer, community-building, and a check-in on members' outreach every Saturday at 9 a.m. in the Parish Center. Its members visit families and people who are sick at home or in hospitals, collaborate on parish apostolic work, and carry out a weekly apostolic work in the spirit of faith and union with Mary.
Respect for Human Life
The parish's Respect Life Committee supports 40 Days for Life, Crossroads, the Pregnancy Counselling Center, and an annual Mass for the Unborn at the Cathedral each January. Its teaching places the protection of human life and human dignity at the core of Catholic social teaching because, without those, other rights have no meaning. The parish identifies abortion, human cloning, destructive research on embryos, genocide, torture, racism, and targeting noncombatants among intrinsically evil acts. Its response combines prayer and advocacy with a commitment never to intentionally kill or collude in killing innocent human life.
School Support, Scouts, and Wider Mission
The Saint Francis de Sales Scholarship Fund was established in 2002 to help parish students who need financial assistance with SFDS School tuition. Awards are given yearly. Community dinners, including the parish's annual Chili Dinner and Cook-Off, bring school and parish families together and support the fund. The Book of Angels program also allows a loved one to be remembered through the SFDS memorial book, the All Souls Mass, and a special student Mass during Catholic Schools Week.
Boy and Girl Scouts are among the parish organizations, joining the choir, Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul, altar servers, and other groups. The parish swim team is open to SFDS students and parishioners in grades K-8. Optional summer practices and four fall Sunday swim meets emphasize freestyle technique, endurance, and love of the sport.
Through Together in Mission, the parish participates in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles appeal for the poorest parishes and schools in Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties. The appeal treats Christian love as a call to action and directs its contributions toward the communities with the greatest needs. Online giving and text giving make it possible to support parish operations, the school, and these wider charitable works.
Volunteering With Safeguards and Training
Volunteer roles include lector, Minister of Holy Communion, usher, choir member, Altar Society, Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul, Respect Life, and Boy and Girl Scouts. A lector proclaims the Scriptures at Mass and must be baptized, have received First Holy Communion and Confirmation, and be at least 16. Ministers of Holy Communion have the same sacramental prerequisites and age requirement. Ushers welcome people who need assistance, collect the parish offering, and may join at age 18.
Anyone working with or around children is required to attend VIRTUS training called Protecting God's Children. Those who supervise children must also submit to fingerprinting through the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Volunteers must follow Archdiocesan guidelines for adults interacting with minors and for junior high and high school students working with children. The parish's Safety for Children Committee, which includes the pastor, principal, Director of Religious Education, and parents, meets quarterly or more often as needed. School and Religious Education students take part annually in approved safe-environment education.
Time, Talent, and Treasure
The parish understands stewardship as recognizing and using God's gifts. Time is devoted to prayer and life-giving energy, talents are offered in ministry and service, and treasure is shared as a tithe of financial blessings. Giving is available through ParishSoft online giving or by texting GIVE to 747-207-4487.
Estate planning is another part of this stewardship. The parish encourages wills, trusts, charitable bequests, powers of attorney, and living wills. For gifts to St. Francis de Sales Church, the legal designation is The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles, a corporation sole for the benefit of St. Francis de Sales.
Finding Your Place at Valleyheart Drive
The parish and school are at 13360 and 13368 Valleyheart Drive in Sherman Oaks, between Woodman and Coldwater Canyon and two blocks north of Ventura Boulevard. Directions to the parish are available. The Parish Center can be reached at 818-784-0105, with office hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.
Parish membership registration gathers contact information and a list of baptized Catholic family members, while an email list carries announcements about parish and school events. Weddings and Catholic funerals are arranged through the Parish Center. For children, Little Church offers a Sunday beginning, followed by parish Religious Education or Saint Francis de Sales School. For adults, Bible Study, the Legion of Mary, the choir, Confirmation preparation, and Christian Initiation provide ways to deepen faith and take part in parish life.
From its first Mass at Live Oaks Cafe to its Valleyheart Drive home, Saint Francis de Sales continues a parish life built around worship, education, family formation, mutual aid, and service. Its daily Mass and Sunday schedule provide the center, while the school, family programs, volunteer groups, and outreach extend that center into the lives of children, adults, families, and neighbors.