Church Of The Good Shepherd (Beverly Hills, California) - Good Shepherd Catholic Church

The Church of the Good Shepherd, located at 505 North Bedford Drive is a Roman Catholic church in Beverly Hills, California.

History

On December 12 1923, the parish was founded and in 1924, it was designed by architect James J. Donnellan. It is Mission Revival Style architecture. On February 1, 1925, Bishop John Joseph Cantwell presided the dedication to the church building. It is the oldest church in Beverly Hills.

In 1959, it was renovated, and a new marble main altar and two side altars were added. Sealed in each altar were the relics of Saints Felicitas and Perpetua and Saint Vibiana, patroness of the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

On Ash Wednesday in 2015, the deacon from Good Shepherd offered ashes to passers-by on the streets of Beverly Hills together with the deacon of All Saints' Episcopal Church.

Stained glass

The original stained glass was shipped from France, Germany, the British Isles and the US. It was renovated by the Paul Phillips Studio in 1959. It depicts the following saints:

• (along the nave, from the rear to the altar on the right): John the Evangelist, Saint Patrick, Saint Joseph, Paul the Apostle, Madonna and Child, and Good Shepherd.
• (along the nave, from the rear to the altar on the left): the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saint Peter, St Michael the Archangel, Saint Anthony of Padua, and Saint Anne with the Young Blessed Virgin.
• (in the Reconciliation rooms): Saint Agnes and Saint Cecilia.
• (in the vestibule): three small windows showing the heads of cherubs bordered by roses.
• (in the sacristy workrooms): one window shows wheat stalks and host; another window shows grapes and grapevines surrounding a chalice.
• (in the vesting room): one window on the left shows a thurible framed by a priest's stole; the window next to it shows a lectionary with a bookmark and the words "Leccio Sti. Petri Apostli."; the window on the right shows a chalice, candles and a cross.

Parishioners

Over the years, this small house of worship has been the local parish church for most of the Catholic movie stars who live in Beverly Hills, from Rudolph Valentino to Bing Crosby (who both attended Sunday Mass here). It has seen numerous celebrity weddings and funerals. Celebrity weddings have included Elizabeth Taylor and Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, Loretta Young and Tom Lewis, Rod Stewart and Rachel Hunter, and Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham, Carmen Miranda and David Sebastian. Celebrity funerals have included Rudolph Valentino (1926), Carmen Miranda (1955), Gary Cooper (1961), William Frawley (1966), Pier Angeli (1971), Jack Haley (1979), Alfred Hitchcock (1980), Vincente Minnelli (1986), Rita Hayworth (1987), Danny Thomas (1991), Eva Gabor (1995), Mary Frann (1998), Frank Sinatra (1998), Don Adams (2005), Merv Griffin (2007) and Zsa Zsa Gabor (2016).

A Rosary was said at the church for the singer and actress Rosemary Clooney. In attendance were George Clooney, Kathryn Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Brian Wilson, Natalie Cole, Diahann Carroll, and Rose Marie. Her actual funeral service was held at St. Patrick's, in her hometown of Maysville, Kentucky. Actor Gary Cooper had converted to Roman Catholicism at this parish a few years before his death. His funeral service was held at the church on the same day as the 13th Primetime Emmy Awards.

It was the location for the funeral scene in the film A Star Is Born (1954), which starred Judy Garland and James Mason.

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