Altadena’s St. Mark’s Episcopal Church burns after catching fire at 6:30 am on Jan. 8. Photo: Earle Rothwell
Relief contributions requested via diocesela.org/annual-appeal
Among the 1,000-plus structures lost in still-raging Southland firestorms are homes of scores of members of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, where St. Mark’s Church in Altadena and parish rectories at St. Matthew’s, Pacific Palisades, also have been destroyed, sources confirm.
From the Pacific coast to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountain range and beyond, thousands of Southern Californians have been evacuated to safe shelters including Episcopal churches and parish halls. Pasadena’s All Saints Church housed more than 180 overnight on Jan. 7, and dozens more congregations have notified the bishop’s office of shelter space available. (A listing will follow on the diocesan website.)
“The word for today, with the fires and devastation at their worst, is staying safe, staying indoors if we can, and following the guidance and orders of officials,” Bishop John Harvey Taylor said in a statement this morning before making pastoral visits at local shelters and churches.
“We also do our gospel work of banding together in faith, assisting our neighbor when they need it, and accepting their help when we need it,” the bishop added. “God bless all who’ve reached out to offer shelter and other resources for evacuees. You are each in my prayers each moment today and in the days ahead, and I know you join me in prayer for those battling the fires in the worst possible conditions.”
“I know we also all join in prayer over the loss of historic St. Mark’s Church in Altadena, and the residences at St. Matthew’s, Pacific Palisades, and for their devoted members and students as they mourn, even as we resolve to recover and rebuild,” the bishop said.
Bishop Taylor thanked Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe and former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for their personal expressions of concern. Concurrently, the Rev. Canon Melissa McCarthy, diocesan canon to the ordinary, and the bishop are in contact with Episcopal Relief & Development representatives who are proactively offering disaster response assistance, details of which will follow in further news reports. Locally, financial contributions may be made to the diocesan Appeal fund online at https://diocesela.org/annual-appeal.
“It is with a broken heart that I share with you the news that our church building is lost,” the Rev. Carri Patterson Grindon, rector of St. Mark’s, Altadena, wrote to the congregation earlier today. “It caught fire at around 6:30 this morning and is gone. I don’t yet know the extent of the damage to the rest of the campus, but many buildings in the immediate vicinity have burned as well. I have also received word from several members of our community that their homes are gone. We will need one another in the days ahead as we face these devastating losses. I am here for you, and I know our community will hold together, and love and support one another through whatever lies ahead.”
Meanwhile, at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Pacific Palisades, the Rev. Bruce Freeman, rector, notified the parish community that while fire destroyed two clergy residences, the landmark church and other buildings on campus still stand.
“Our hearts are heavy as we can only begin to grasp the impact of the devastation in our community,” Freeman wrote in an email message co-signed with parish associate priests KC Robertson and Stephen Smith. “Please know that we hold each of you dear during this heartbreaking time. Currently we can share a brief update with you that both of the rectories — the homes of Bruce’s family and Stephen’s family — are gone; however, the other buildings on the St. Matthew’s campus still stand. At this time, no information about KC’s home is known.”
St. Matthew’s has scheduled online prayer services via its Facebook and Instagram pages.
Back in Altadena, at about 5:30 a.m. today, some 50 residents of the MonteCedro retirement community operated by ECS, Episcopal Communities and Services, were evacuated to the Pasadena Convention Center, where the Rev. Liz Piraino, chaplain, CEO James Rothrock, and other staff colleagues helped provide care and support, including relocation of some residents to other ECS housing facilities. Bishop Taylor joined the residents and staff in conversation and prayer during his visit to the convention center.
The Episcopal News will publish more detailed reports as they become available.
—Robert Williams is diocesan canon for common life and editor-in-chief of The Episcopal News. He may be reached by email at media@ladiocese.org.