The Founding Of Jesus Sacred Heart Parish

In Los Angeles, California

Founding the Parish

The Jesus Sacred Heart Parish was founded by Reverend Father Joseph Younan when he was a priest serving the Syriac community in Los Angeles, California. By requests of some Syriac families living around the Los Angeles area, he visited them frequently to offer his pastoral services and to minister the sacraments to them. Their efforts were crowned with the celebration of the first Divine Liturgy for their community in LA in September 1990 at the Caldean Church in North Hollywood. Father Younan later became the Bishop of Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Diocese in The United States and Canada and presently, he is The Patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church of Antioch.

Achievements

In thanksgiving to God and thanks to the zeal and efforts of the community and their Chorbishop Younan, the dream of owning a Church became reality with the purchase of the community’s own church building. In August 1993, among feelings of pride and a great sense of achievement, Chorbishop Younan celebrated the First Divine Liturgy in the new Church the first Sunday of August of that year.

Parish Counsel and Committees

The parish has been sustained by the love and the efforts of several committees and parish counsel who have taken upon themselves the care and management of the parish. They provided for the Religious Education of the children and young adults. Lots of men and women of good will have volunteered their time and effort not only to raise the funds to purchase this Church building but also to maintain and advance their community. Purchasing a Church entailed assuming a mortgage, a responsibility that was courageously assumed by the community who sought every effort to pay off the debts incurred from the purchase.
A special thanks goes to all those who have endeavored to make this dream a reality for future generations to come. The moral support and financial contribution of many was key to get the project off the ground and this is a proof of the commitment of the believers in their community and Church. We are grateful to our founder Reverend Father Joseph Younan, now our Patriarch His Grace Mar Ignatius Yousif III Younan and to our pastor Reverend Father yousif Habash, currently our Bishop, His Excellency Mar Barnaba Yousif Habash.
To our beloved Pastor and Bishop Yousif Habash we owe a big thanks because he was at the avant-garde with his passion and zeal to sustain the restoration, repairs and construction work of the church and the hall annexed to it. 

May the Lord bless all the sons and daughters of this community. May He reward them thousand folds for their efforts.