A crowd worshipped at St. Mel in Woodland Hills to remember the day Jesus died
On March 29, Good Friday, St. Mel Catholic Church in Woodland Hills held a full day of solemn activities including prayer service, chorus, communion, celebration of the Lord’s passion, and Stations of the Cross for a crowd of families, the elderly and children who came to commemorate the day that Jesus died on the cross.
Father Francis Kim led the Veneration of the Cross, a tradition that dates from the fourth-century when Christians in Jerusalem kneeled before a relic of the true cross and kissed it. St. Mel Deacon Brian Conroy carried the cross to the alter as parishioners clasped their hands and prayed.
People pray during a Good Friday service at St. Mel Parish in Woodland Hills, CA., on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Father Francis Kim during a Good Friday service at St. Mel Parish in Woodland Hills, CA., on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The choir performs during a Good Friday service at St. Mel Parish in Woodland Hills, CA., on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Parishioners during a Good Friday service at St. Mel Parish in Woodland Hills, CA., on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People pray during a Good Friday service at St. Mel Parish in Woodland Hills, CA., on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Deacon Brian Conroy carries the cross to the alter during a Good Friday service at St. Mel Parish in Woodland Hills, CA., on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People participate in the Veneration of the Cross during a Good Friday service at St. Mel Parish in Woodland Hills, CA., on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People participate in the Veneration of the Cross during a Good Friday service at St. Mel Parish in Woodland Hills, CA., on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
St. Mel Parish has a rich history in the San Fernando Valley, a parish established in 1955 by Monsignor Michael J. O’Connor when the booming Valley still had walnut and citrus orchards and the brand new 101 Freeway has just opened. The congregation outgrew its original space amidst a dramatic population boom in the Valley, from 230,000 residents in 1950 to 633,076 by 1955, and at one point the church moved its masses to the Canoga Park Theater on Sherman Way.