Tribute Recognizing St. Luke's of the Mountains Episcopal Church's 100th Anniversary

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the centennial milestone of St. Luke's of the Mountains Episcopal Church, a cherished institution in La Crescenta, California.

St. Luke's traces its roots back to the early 1920's when Canon Burson Renison, an Episcopal missionary and founder of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, began visiting the Crescenta Valley area to establish a new church. After meeting with renowned American portrait artist S. Seymour Thomas and his wife, Helen, who had fled their home in Paris, France during World War I to relocate in La Canada, the Thomases and Canon Renison began planning for the new church. The inaugural service was held in a school auditorium on November 25, 1923, and on the following Easter Sunday, April 20, 1924, 179 people gathered to lay the church's cornerstone on land donated by Pasadena philanthropist Louise Janvier. The church was believed to have been named by S. Seymour Thomas after St. Luke, the biblical saint who was an artist and medical practitioner.

Nestled in the beautiful foothills of La Crescenta, the new church, as a result of Mr. Thomas' artistic vision, was reminiscent of the California missions and chapels of the French countryside. The church's look is distinctive because it was constructed from rocks and stones that Mr. Thomas chose on his hikes in the local mountains and that the new parishioners gathered. On Christmas Day in 1925, the church opened its doors for its first service and in 1931, St. Luke's was admitted as a parish church of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

From its beginning, St, Luke's of the Mountains Episcopal Church thrived and grew, becoming the center of, and the spiritual home for, the greater La Crescenta community. The church has steadfastly followed its mission of service for one hundred years, meeting the spiritual needs of the community, continuing to positively impact the Crescenta Valley area. Some of St. Luke's programs include a community garden to support its Food Justice program, the Fire House youth center which is open to all youth, free breakfasts for middle school children, and participation in local civic organizations that host food drives and programs for foster children.

I am proud to recognize St. Luke's of the Mountains Episcopal Church upon its 100th anniversary, and I invite all Members to join me in honoring this remarkable institution.

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