St. Augustine Catholic Church

St. Augustine Catholic Church is a Catholic church located in Culver City, California, part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The church is located across the street from the Sony Pictures Studios, previously the MGM Studios.Parish historyThe mission churchIn 1883, the area that later became Culver City was known as La Ballona Valley. That year, a resident of the area donated land on Washington Boulevard for the construction of a new mission church in La Ballona Valley. A small wood frame church was built on the site, with a priest from St. Monica's in Santa Monica saying Mass at the church.The establishment of St. Augustine as a parishIn 1919, St. Augustine was formally established as a parish of the Monterey-Los Angeles Diocese. In 1922, the church was expanded to seat 500, and in 1926 the parish opened a four-room school operated by six nuns from the Daughters of Mary and Joseph.John O'DonnellJohn O'Donnell was the pastor at St. Augustine from 1923 to 1938. As the pastor of the church located across the street from MGM Studios, O'Donnell developed close ties with the entertainment business. He often acted as a technical advisor for MGM films, and the studio helped the parish raise funds with an annual barbecue.The parish built a new Franco-Gothic church in 1936 with a seating capacity of 700 on Washington Boulevard. The new church was dedicated in April 1937 in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop John Cantwell. The Los Angeles Times reported on the opening of the new church: "More than 2000 worshipers, including motion picture stars from the M-G-M studios across Washington Boulevard, attended the services.... Leaning to the Gothic style of architecture, the building's interior is unique."