St Brendan Church

Just gorgeous church. Lovely 5 pm mass. Wonder priests, Fr Patrick so peaceful and friendly blessing an laying hands on all who pass by. You feel so welcome here. It’s history is as enchanting as it beauty. Music is fabulous as well. If looking a must see.

This is my new parish. I was trying to find a more welcoming church and I’m sure this is it. I had often passed by St. Brendan’s on my way to my old job, and its beautiful façade always caught my eye. And I found out that it catches lots of people’s eyes because it has been used in many Hollywood productions.
After I registered online, I came to attend mass. I noticed that after mass the people remained very quiet inside the church. One of the things that I disliked about my former parish is that everyone would talk and carry on as soon as the priest left, as if it were a reunion party. Some parishioners stayed to pray the rosary together.
I walked around trying to get acquainted with the surroundings, and I met two ladies who showed me around, and welcomed me to the parish. Unfortunately, there are no «poor boxes» inside the church anymore, as I was told they were removed because they were getting stolen. Sadly, this is not the first time I have heard that. Overall, I’m happy here.

This church is absolutely beautiful! I love the very detailed stained glass, to the chairs that are aligned so uniform, oh and the chandeliers! You must visit if you are able to. It was founded in 1915, so looks very old but well kept.

This church in my opinion is one of the most beautiful churches in Los Angeles! From the stained glass windows, to the altar and baptismal font, everything is truly beautiful and detailed! I would love to attend mass here one Sunday.

Very beautiful church. Attended Sunday mass. Too much singing of new songs written in this century. Lots of distractions like crying babies. Couldn’t concentrate with all the music. I would have preferred mass in Latin for an authentic experience. More passages from the bible. More preaching from the father of translation from the bible.

My husband and I have been coming here for Sunday Masses for years. Love the sermons here. Different Fathers have different styles but they are mostly very insightful, open/​liberal, and welcoming. Monsignor Father Terry Flemings is so nice. He presided over our wedding at St. Brendan’s which was a beautiful blessed event. Linda at the Parish office is very kind and helpful. It’s a big family here. They make you feel that everyone is welcome here in the house of God. I especially like its Engaged Encounter program for the engaged couples. It brought my husband and I even closer together. I love this church and it’s atmosphere/​teaching of serving the community, bring peace to anyone you can, and love one another but don’t judge philosophy.

Such a beautiful church! Beautiful mass. Love coming here on Sunday mornings especially being away from home this really makes me feel at home.

I was married at this church in 2003. It was a beautiful experience in a beautiful church. I went to mass here for a few years on and off because I lived far away. However I have very fond memories of the mass. I’m hoping to visit soon with my husband and my two little boys.

A beautiful church. So peaceful and clean. I love to come and listen to the choir. Although I’m not catholic, I come every now and then to hear the messages the priest has. It’s uplifting and relaxing.

This is an AMAZING parish! Thank you to all the Unilocalers for helping me find this church. The liturgy was glorious. The lady who sang almost has an opera type voice – very beautiful. You can really feel the love of God in the parish and in the parishioners! Check it out!

Very good church. It is beautiful, and welcoming. Once you walk in, you feel very calm and you feel safe.

This is a very solemn church and open on most days. they also have a catechism class every wednesday for children who are not enrolled on st. brendan school.
Monsignor Terry and Fr. Ken gave very good wisdom on there homily so are the rest of the priest. If you plan to attend mass just come early coz the parking is minimal BUT there’s a big parking lot across though.

I love this church! It is fairly close by and has a very welcoming atmosphere inside. The church is rather beautiful with stained glass windows and balcony seating which offers a breathtaking view of the altar. I love the church choirs! The free donut on Sunday mornings is always good, too!

A small, crowded and very beautiful church located at Hancock Park/​Koreatown. I love to hear mass here every Sunday especially when Father Ken Deasy is the Priest. They have a very good choir too =)

This church has beautiful stained glass windows and a lovely architecture. This church has been in several TV shows and movies for this reason.
The parking is small but you can park across the street.

I would like to give a shout out to Father Ken Deasy!
My wife knew of this place before we met and was her place of worship when she lived in Los Angeles at the time. A few years ago this church was part of the itinerary of LA significant places before the moment I popped the big question and went my knees to propose to my now wife.
Father Ken Deasy has been the priest since day one when I first step foot in here. I like his charisma during mass and speeches, which made me a true believer and an open ear.
Another thing that I love about this church is that it feels homier. Parking can be an easy access across the street. Make sure your there in the lot early because it can pack up.
Overall this church to me is the best! That’s why I commute from OC to get here.

Interesting feeling I have about this place… I’mg going to rate it in two ways.
Firstly, I give it 4 out of 4 stars on it’s beauty. The church is absolutely beautiful. I love it. Whenever I’m in this building I feel a sense of «epic» run through my body, and that’s a feeling I always hold in junction with God.
I give it a 0 out of 1 star on the other side of it due to the priest. For whatever reason he doesn’t really seem to care about certain things. I don’t like half of the stuff that he says and the other stuff that he DOESN’T say kind of scares me. The thing is, most people will NEVER see it this way at this church because it is just a gorgeous place and many folks follow the masses. Now will I continue to come here? Probably, and I pray that things pick up on the sermon front, because honestly, what he said offended me. Now, it only offended me because of HOW he said it, but regardless, this man is supposed to be a spiritual leader in the community. I’m also going to say that MOST folks wouldn’t have caught what he said or the sleight that came with it, and as such, I feel like this church is a safe bet if you are just a catholic on Unilocal in an unfamiliar neighborhood and wondering if this church will work for you… yes, it probably will.
Also, there was a piece of stained glass broken upstairs next to where the children like to play during service, and the kids were going over and touching it and I had to keep telling them not to, and afterwards when the priest was talking with people, I politely intruded to ask him who should I talk to about the stained glass issue and he literally waved me off and said «don’t worry about it» and kept on about getting praised by the people that were shaking his hand and talking with him.
I’m sorry but when I have children I DEFINITELY don’t want them around adults who respond to a child hazard with a wave off and a «don’t worry about it» half smile.
Anyway, I am a deeply connected person and will get fed by the love of God no matter WHAT CHURCH IM IN, and so I will still come to this ridiculously beautiful church every now and then… but I must say, he needs to change up a bit of both his sermon and attitude if I’m to continue going. Not my favorite church in LA obviously, but too gorgeous to ignore nevertheless.
I give St Brendan Catholic Church, a hesitant 4 out of 5 stars.

Very beautiful church. Love the classic look with the stained glass art. Lots of seating and additional seating upstairs. The priest is very easy and interesting to listen and relate to. I’m so happy I found a church near my place that I love :)

A beautiful church inside & out. I grew up just blocks away and often walked to church with my mother, enjoying Sunday service together. The parish staff are very welcoming and the community is close.
It was the perfect place for my nuptials, very personal and beautiful.
The church is blocks away from Paramount Studios and little did I know that some great movies filmed here like Armageddon, Spider-​man 3, Fight Club & Our Gang «The Little Rascals». The altar is very distinct with a golden back panel and crown on top.

Wow, who knew I’d be reviewing a church.. .
I’ve been going to St. Brendan’s practically all of my life, sans college years. It’s always been very welcoming and warm. Back in the day, the masses weren’t as energizing as they are now, but the priests always make you feel at peace.
The congregation is extremely diverse, you see people from all walks of life here from the rich Hancock Park-​ers to the early morning nurses getting their blessing in their scrubs. For a few years, I would even be sitting next to Mayor Villaragosa’s wife/​kid during Sunday mass and not know it until my mom would greet them before communion… then the mayor scandal broke out and we never saw her there again. Sad.
The music director, Chris De Silva, always gets the entire church singing. Father Joe loves including sports prayers and will usually bring up games at the beginning of his sermon or at the end of the service (i.e. «the Mariners are playing this week,» «Jesus must love the Trojans right now,» «let’s not forget the importance of next Sunday… it’s the Super Bowl.»). Monsignor Murphy is very sweet and a pleasure to see after mass.
Like everyone says, the church is beautiful. It’s ornate and classic, but not cold architecture at all. The stained glass windows are simply dazzling. The alter is gorgeous as well. And Hollywood knows all this, too. A couple of holiday specials have been filmed here. Oh, and y’know that church scene in Spiderman 3– yep, filmed on the left side of the church.
The best time, however, is during «C&E» as one of the priests once said– Christmas and Easter. Christmas the church is decked out with trees, lights, and poinsettias. There are also the 3 wise man who inch closer to the nativity scene as Christmas draws near (the wise man used to start their journey outside, but then one year one of the wise man was almost stolen, so they moved it inside). Easter is similar, with lilys everywhere. Palm Sunday real palms are used outside as part of the procession before mass.
You don’t have to be a hardcore Catholic/​Christian to enjoy the beauty of this place. It’s nice to just sit there and take in everything, especially from my usual vantage point– the choir loft.