St. Charles Borromeo Church (North Hollywood)
St. Charles Borromeo Church is a Catholic church and elementary school located at Moorpark and Lankershim in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It is one of the oldest parishes in the San Fernando Valley dating back to 1921. It has long been a parish with celebrity members and was the site of funerals for Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, and Robert Urich among other notables.
St. Charles Borromeo Church
St. Charles Borromeo Choir[edit]
The St. Charles Borromeo Choir has enjoyed a long reputation as one of Southern California's finest parish choral groups. Prior to 1949, the choir director was Roger Wagner who later formed the Roger Wagner Chorale. In 1949, Paul Salamunovich became director of the choir.[1][6] Volunteer singers from Santa Barbara to San Pedro drove to North Hollywood to sing for Salamunovich as part of the St. Charles Choir.[6] The St. Charles Boys Choir under Salamunovich appeared with Dinah Shore on the Chevy Show and The Lucy Show with Lucille Ball in 1965. Later that year, they also formed the Disneyland Boys Choir, with which Salamunovich recorded the It's a Small World album of folk songs still sold at Disney theme parks.[6] Former members of the St. Charles Boys Choir include former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen and former UCLA head football coach, Terry Donahue. Salamunovich also became the leader of the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1991 to 2001 and remains their Music Director Emeritus. Most notably, the St. Charles Choir has sung for Pope John Paul II in private audience at the Vatican, for the official Mass of Greeting with the Pope presiding in St. Vibiana's Cathedral in Los Angeles and in St. Peter's Square on the Feasts of St.'s Peter and Paul with the Pope presiding in high Mass. They hold the distinction of being the only American choir to be honored with this invitation. The St. Charles Choir has performed on the soundtracks of the motion pictures, Air Force One, My Best Friend's Wedding, First Knight, Waterworld, The Devil's Advocate, xXx, Flatliners, Grand Canyon and True Confessions, on which he also coached Robert De Niro on the sung responses of the Latin Mass. They have also performed on television including The NBC Doc Severinson Christmas Special. Salamunovich conducted the choir at the 10:00 a.m. Mass for 60 years before retiring in June 2009.[7][8] He died on April 3, 2014.
Renovations[edit]
In August 2013- April 2014 the church started remodeling. During the remodel the church was moved to the parish hall, during Christmas the patio from the parish hall and parish center was used for overflow crowding. The remodel was to add a 2nd tier to the altar, paint the dome, remove asbestos, and add a disabled stall in the restrooms. The library was moved to the parish hall, and windows were cut in the entrance of the church for light.