Name of Church Church of the Good Shepherd
Address 504 North Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone number 310-285-5425
Website www.gsbh.org
Mass times Saturday vigil, 5:30 p.m. Sunday, 8:30, 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. & 12:05 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. Wednesday nights: 6:30 p.m.
Confessions Wednesdays, 7 – 8 p.m.; Fridays, 11:40 a.m. and noon; Saturdays, 4-5 p.m.
Names of priests Fr. Ed Benioff, pastor. Fr. Benioff is a convert, with a Jewish father and Catholic mother, and attended St. John’s Seminary.. Colm O’Ryan, pastor emeritus. Fr. George O’Brien, in residence (he’s a Englsih professor at Mt. St. Mary’s University, Los Angeles).
School Yes, preschool through grade 8. The school is not located alongside the parish, but is a few blocks away.
Special parish groups Various prayer and meditation groups, Martha’s ministry (feeds the poor), St. Vincent de Paul Society, Prayer Shawl Ministry
Devotional activities Eucharistic devotion, Wednesday 7-8 p.m., 1st Fridays, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m., 1st Saturday of the month (Fatima) and devotion after 8 a.m. Mass.
Music Music depends on the Mass; cantors, choirs, accompanied by organ.
Fellow parishioners English-speaking, largely Anglo community.
Parking The church does have a small lot, or you can park on the street. Santa Monica Blvd. is always filled with traffic and has no parking, but you can park in the side streets in front of the nice homes. Check the street signs to see if you can park for only an hour or two.
Cry room No.
Additional observations Good Shepherd is part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It was founded in 1923. It’s located off busy Santa Monica Blvd.; behind are swanky Beverly Hills homes, across and down the street are high rise hotels and businesses. The famous shopping mecca Rodeo Drive is two blocks away. Inside, the church is quaint and neat. It has a large crucifix, an ideal aid for prayer, and colorful stained glass windows. Its exterior includes twin towers topped by golden crosses, and a nice statue of Jesus holding a lamb. It is a historic church, and has been the site of numerous celebrity weddings (Elizabeth Taylor [her first wedding], Loretta Young, Rod Stewart, Mark Wahlberg) and funerals (Gary Cooper, Frank Sinatra, Danny Thomas, Carmen Miranda, Eva Gabor, William Frawley, Alfred Hitchcock, Don Adams, Merv Griffin). Bing Crosby, Bob Newhart, Jimmy Durante, Gene Kelly, Ricardo Montalban and Rudolph Valentino were parishioners. If you’ve seen the 1954 Judy Garland movie A Star is Born, you’ll see it in the funeral scene.
There is a CHILLINGLY PROVOCATIVE article, in today’s edition (Fri. Sept. 16th) of the website, One Peter Five (which I receive in my emails) called “Lay Eucharistic Ministers: A Communist Connection?” I lack the computer fluency, to cite the link here– can someone else perhaps do me this favor??? Hope so! Anyway– it is well-known, the Communist attempt to infiltrate Catholic seminaries, in the 1930’s– Bishop Sheen, a Communist expert, helped to end this evil! He also made converts of leading Communists, such as Bella Dodd, and others, notorious for their evils, in American, and in our Church! Oh– what a CHILLING article!!
Continued………To find the article Linda Maria describes above. The link in 1P5 is found @
http://www.onepeterfive.com/lay-eucharistic-ministers-a-communist-connection/
From the Pew– Bless you! Thanks so much! This article was truly SHOCKING to me! I wondered if others would like to read it too, and see what they might think! I wish to find out, someday, that vey little of this information, is credible– but God help us, if it is all true! Thanks so much! I am older, and not very computer-savvy!
Of course it’s credible. Liberalism is an invention of the occult. Modern liberals are pawns of the Masonic plan to destroy the Church. See: Mgr. George E. Dillon, Grand Orient Freemasonry Unmasked As the Secret Power Behind Communism (former title: The War of Antichrist with the Church and Christian Civilization, 1885). Available from Christian Book Club, http://www.omnicbc.com.
These are the kinds of posts that cause people to wonder whether [some] conservatives have truly lost touch with reality.
Sometimes I feel like I’m reading a mash-up of people who don’t believe in the lunar landing, hold the Loch Ness Monster and Area 51 equally in their heart, and think ancient astronauts created Easter Island.
Your feelings have little to do with the demonstrable reality of communist infiltration in the Church, YFC. Perhaps you should read a little. Actual history, not the revisionist pretend versions. You know, like those that make out the Crusades to be an unprovoked bloodbath against poor, unsuspecting and peaceful Muslims.
Darkening your intellect on purpose is criminal.
It may be paraded on the runway in Paris, but “ostrich with head in sand” is not the best look for you. Neither is the 2-D Anime cartoon aura that requires one to be lobotomized if only to extricate the source of possible frown lines – that being intellect and will.
Sad that people don’t even know what liberalism is. It’s not charity. Charity is Catholic, liberalism is sin. For those who might be interested in some depth on the topic, here’s another one: Fr. Felix Sarda Y Salvany, Liberalism Is A Sin (1899), available from Tan Books. http://www.tanbooks.com. BTW, I don’t recommend anything I haven’t read, and neither do I criticize something I haven’t.
What is really shocking is that people believe this kind of rubbish. It’s like listening to Fox News and believing that it is “fair and balanced” or MSNBC because it is only moderate liberalism. The Catholic Church for the last 200 years has been one of the most “liberal” organizations in the world. We are just now starting to listen to it and getting all worked up because it doesn’t agree with our preconceived notions of how an economic system should operate. Give all that you have to the poor, fight for fair labor unions, care for the sick, and it goes on and on. Wow! That’s evil stuff!
Your Fellow Catholic and Bob One– I know that some writers are unbalanced and fanatical, and twist stories in the news for sensational purposes, to make money off naïve readers. Anyway, I don’t like such stories! Big waste of tine! But the news story I described from the website, 1Peter5, above, really caught my attention, because it sounded believable! It was so SHOCKING to me! Wish it were not true! Maybe others will read it, ad give their views.
How can you say that the Catholic Church has been one of the most liberal organizations for the past 200 years, Bob One, and still feign that Francis is some wonder pope? Seriously.
If, as you say, the Church has always been “that” liberal, then what is Pope Francis doing? Seriously.
Such shocking contradiction. Such shocking lack of logic. Such a shocking eagerness to just gobble up whatever is put before one without testing the spirits or even looking to the source.
Good grief, Bob One. What is reported in the article at 1Peter5 is nothing but public record. And the reason folks like LM are believing what is written is, contrary to the notion of being more merciful than Jesus, that the revelation of the Truth is always…
… recognizable. To those who seek the Truth, that is.
LM, thanks for asking. I read the 1P5 story. It starts with putting words in Blessed Paul’s mouth. No one knows what he was referring to when he spoke of the smoke of satan, yet everyone claims it for their own pet purposes. Then the article goes on to completely misinterpret Lumen Gentium’s concept of the ministerial priesthood and the priesthood of all the faithful, again, for its own purposes. Then we get to the historical part of the influence of socialism in the Church. I recall that in the 30s, socialism had not yet become equated with Soviet style communist totalitarianism of the gulags and oppression, and was considered in academic circles as an idea to be discussed. But to claim that all the changes in the Church came from…
This church is quite famous, historically, for the Catholic movie stars, of the “Golden Era” of films– my favorite! Looks very pretty, very traditional, too!
This church was also beautifully and harmoniously designed by one of the great Catholic architects of the Era 1920-1960, James J. Donellan, who like J.Earl Trudeau, utilized a Mission California synthesis design, such as Trudeau’s Blessed Sacrament Church on Sunset Bl. or St. Charles Borromeo in N Hollywood.
For example, Donellan designed another beautifully harmonious Catholic edifice on S. Normandie Bl., St Cecilia’s, completed about 1926, another Los Angeles landmark (as well as others).
Unfortunately, the original Spanish-style reredos was wreckovated in a “Vatican II renovation”, to accommodate the mysterious reversal of the altars, etc. Some day it can all be restored, since we have records and photos of the…
original design and construction.
I hope that when restoration occurs an altar rail can be installed. To see Mission Style on the exterior and then an abused interior is disheartening. . How about doing away with the garish stage and restoring an altar? The parish can surely afford it.
This is the interior of Church of the Good Shepherd about 1955-1960, with the original reredos intact: a perfectly harmonious union of architecture and design:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Church+Good+Shepherd+Beverly+Hills&biw=1093&bih=490&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2x66A8pbPAhUJwmMKHfEPA0sQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=sfYuqoZtgt6a7M%3A
This is a historic shot from Rudolph Valentino’s funeral in 1926:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Church+Good+Shepherd+Beverly+Hills&biw=1093&bih=490&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2x66A8pbPAhUJwmMKHfEPA0sQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=sfYuqoZtgt6a7M%3A
This is another James J. Donnellan masterpiece of architecture, St. Cecilia’s in Los Angeles on S. Normandie Bl:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/St._Cecilia_Catholic_Church,_Los_Angeles.JPG
..And this is its (IMHO) gorgeous interior, virtually untouched by the wreckovaters, and serving a very diverse Catholic community, still directing the mind toward God in all its elements:
https://www.stcecilia-la.org/espanol/images/img7.png
NB. Donnellan died in 1924, after the plans for St. Cecilia’s had been drawn up and approved, and it was amplified and finished by Ross Montgomery, another brilliant Catholic architect, who also designed the extraordinary St. Anthony’s Seminary Chapel in Santa Barbara, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church in Santa Barbara, and several other LA southland churches.
George from LA– LOVED the photos of the original, beautiful interior, of this church! Maybe someday, they can restore this lovely church, to its original beauty, for the glory of God– and next— have a regular Traditional Latin Mass said there! Oh, how BEAUTIFUL!!
Great article relating Msgr. Charles Pope’s unusual experience at one Holy TL Mass & his reflections on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Found @ 1P5 here:
https://www.onepeterfive.com/what-demons-know-about-the-eucharist-that-many-catholics-dont/ Cliff note version: Even demons recognize Christ in the Eucharist. How much more should we? Believe! Worship! Pray!
Built for The Tradutional Latin Mass sad to report they only have the Novus Ordo. However high altar is intact and shocking the Italian marble communion rail is as well, all waiting patiently for the return of the TLM pray that the Holy Ghost makes it happen.
This is a new photo I have not been there for years, “wreckovation” took place and it was destroyed and turned Novus Ordo, gone is the high altar and marble communion rail, my heart is sickend.
Well, I have not seen the Church, but the picture, if accurate, sure looks “wreckovated” to me. Why go there?
Yes St. Christopher, I was there years ago and they still had the high altar in place as well as the Italian marble communion rail and stunning marble flooring now covered with Novus Ordo red carpet. And of course no Traditional Latin Mass in sight!! Once a glorious church now offering the “man made” Novus Ordo service with the dinner table in the middle and no altar of sacrifice.
We sure can make our Churches Roman Catholic again, there are photos of our churches prior to the ‘WRECKOVATONS” of the 70’s and 80’s don’t ever give up we can do it folks the TLM is coming back stronger than ever, the Novus Ordo will just a blip in history, it cannot ever replace the True Mass of All Times!!!!
Sad to see the WRECKOVATION of Good Shepherd Church took place before the council in 1959-1960 looking at George from LA’s photo link, why would anyone want to rip out a stunning high altar, Italian marble communion rail, and statues and leave an empty shell, how could anyone say this is far superior in beauty than the photo from 1925? Why is it that the Novus Ordonarians hate such sublime beauty for the greater glory of God? I never could grasp their intense hatred of the TLM, high altars, statues, communion rails, gold, silver and just stunning artwork???? Please offer your opinions folks.
Your right St. Christopher no need to go there, no TLM equals a no go!!
Excellent advice, “Janek.” FYI, the N.O. crowd hate Catholic Tradition because the Traditional Mass and sacraments re-order the present New Church back to its foundations. The SSPX, if it comes back within the institutional structure of the Church, is sure to be attacked, and attacked, and attacked. We will all need to support the SSPX and speak up in its defense. The motives of the Church are entirely suspect here (but we can not ignore what may be evidence of the will of the Holy Ghost, either, in bringing the SSPX back to act as a holy fire to cleanse the Protestant-Catholic Church).
St. C, the “N.O. crowd” doesn’t hate Catholic Traditional Mass.My experience, and I was brought up in the 40-50 in a “high Catholic” parish, is that most people under 50 have never experienced the TLM, so they can’t hate it, or don’t know about it, so they can’t hate it, or have never known anyone who knew about it or experienced it, so they can’t hate it. I would say that they, most, just don’t know what it is about or don’t understand why someone would want to go to a Mass in a language they don’t understand. They don’t care if you go to a TLM, they don’t hate you.
I agree, the unawares or the “NO crowd,” don’t hate it. But while they may not hate it, that’s not to say it isn’t hated by other much more powerful factions in the Church, and it is is those factions which have suppressed it.