A Brief History of the Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church
By
the mid sixties many parishioners of both St. Mary's in Van
Nuys and St. Nicholas of Fontana had relocated in the Orange
County area. By 1968, plans were made to establish a mission
parish. Thus, in July 20, 1969, Fathers Eugene Chromonoga and Joseph Ridelia
celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in St. Catherine's Military
School Chapel, Anaheim. They attended to the needs of the new
community until the appointment of Father Stephen Balogh as
pastor in September 1969. After the departure of Father Stephen
in early 1972, the parish was cared for by Father Michael Warady
(a retired priest of the Passaic Diocese who lived in Pasadena),
Father Joseph Radvansky of San Diego and Father Basil Schott
, O.F.M. of Sybertsville, Pennsylvania.
In
May of 1972, Father George M. Kuzma was appointed pastor. In
1973, a house at 319 North Harbor Boulevard was purchased. The
two story Spanish-style house (formerly the home of Darla of
'Our Gang' comedy fame) was remodeled to provide pastor's quarters
upstairs and a chapel, office and parish kitchen downstairs.
The large garage was renovated into a hall and cultural center.
Landscaping beautified the grounds, with much of the work done
by parishioners. The city of Anaheim designated the building
a historical site, and twice it won the 'House Beautiful Award'
from the City. While St. Catherine's Chapel continued to be
used for Sunday Liturgies, Father Kuzma began to raise funds
and search for a site on which the community could build its
own church. Several possibilities were explored over the years,
but nothing promising materialized.
On
November 8, 1981, parishioner Michael Savko was ordained a permanent
Deacon by Bishop Emil Mihalik of the Diocese of Parma. Over
the years, those assisting on Sundays have included: Father
Wesley lzer, S.D.B., Father Jon Jenson and Father Edmond ldranyi.
For his outstanding work, Father Kuzma was named a Prelate of
Honor by Pope John 11 an April 29, 1981, with the Title of Reverend
Monsignor. On November 4, 1986, Father Kuzma was given the added
distinction of being named Auxiliary Bishop of the Byzantine
Catholic Diocese of Passaic.
In
February of 1987, Monsignor George N. Vida was appointed pastor
of Annunciation. Monsignor Vida continued to search for centrally-located
property for a new church. On December 6, 1988, 2.5 acres of
land (with three rental properties) were acquired on North West
Street near La Palma Avenue in Anaheim. One of the homes was
renovated in the summer of 1990 for a parish rectory. The present
Harbor Boulevard property was retained for use as a daily Chapel,
the Parish Office and Catechetical instruction as plans got
under way for developing the properties. On October 23, 1990,
Bishop George Kuzma was appointed the second Bishop of the Diocese
of Van Nuys.
The
parish has given the following to the service of the Church:
The Reverend Deacon Michael Savko, Sister Cecilia Livingston
and Sister Jane Livingston; both members of the Daughters of
St. Paul, Sister Ancilla of the Carmelite Order, and the Reverend
James R. Barrand. The ordination on April 21, 1994 of one of
our very own sons, Fr. Robert Pipta, to the sacred priesthood
is a yet another indication that we have "come of age" as a
parish family. In 1997 the former pastor, the Most Rev. George
Kuzma, celebrated his tenth anniversary as Bishop of our Eparchy.
Also in 1997, Father George Vida celebrated his fortieth year
in the priesthood.
The
maturity of our church is reflected in the strong liturgical
life of Annunciation, the expanded religious education program
for both adults and children, and the rich social program of
the congregation. None of this would be possible without the
generosity and dedication of the members of the parish. Late
in 2000, we celebrated the dedication of the first of our new
parish facilities: our new hall where we can socialize, learn
and celebrate the important events of our life together, and
a bell tower to call the faithful to worship. Our next goal
is to build a sanctuary in which to offer Him our praise.
Until
it is ready, we will celebrate our liturgies in the social hall.
It is much regretted that some of the cornerstone members of
our parish family are no longer with us at this exciting time.
Nevertheless, we join their spouses, children and grandchildren
in remembering their many contributions as we lay the foundation
for our new church.