St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church to celebrate 100 years in downtown Victorville
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
While locals celebrated the opening of a paved highway from Victorville to the summit of the Cajon Pass in 1922, a group of parishioners were grateful for the beginning of a new Catholic church.
St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church is gearing up to celebrate its 100th anniversary at the iconic property in downtown Victorville.
The multi-day celebration, which runs through Oct. 31, begins on Thursday, the first day of a nine-day bilingual (English/Spanish) Novena.
A Novena is considered by the Catholic Church a time of devotion to obtain special graces.
Each one-hour-long Novena will be followed by a St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church history display and hospitality area in the Parish Hall
All events will be held at the church property at 15512 Sixth Street, between A and B Streets.
The celebration begins
Oct. 20 and 21: 6:30 p.m. Novena followed by church display.
Oct. 22: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Knights On Bikes will be at the church. The group is a Catholic fraternal organization consisting of members of the Knights of Columbus who ride motorcycles. 7:15 p.m. Novena followed by church display
Oct. 23: 11 a.m. Youth Mass. 2 to 5 p.m. Children's Day in the parish center parking lot with games, a bounce house, food, and more. 6:30 p.m. Novena followed by church display.
Oct. 24 to 28: 6:30 p.m. Novena followed by church display.
Main Centenary Celebration
After the Novena period, a full day of activities will begin at 7:15 a.m. on Oct. 29 with an Old Latin Mass. The Main Centenary Celebration is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will include food, vendors, face painting, a costume contest and a kid's zone. Latin Express will perform from 1 to 4 p.m.
As part of the main celebration — from 5 to 6:30 p.m. — the church will conduct a special Concelebrated Festive Mass with Bishop Alberto Rojas presiding. A special hospitality event is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Children’s Day, raffle, fundraiser
Oct. 30: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Grand Raffle giveaway. The movie St. Joan of Arc will be shown from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 31: A Children’s Day celebration will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., including a Trunk-or-Treat. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be served.
To raise funds for the milestone event, the Centenary Committee sells St. Joan of Arc 100 Anniversary items, such as key chains, canvas bags, T-shirts, raffle tickets and more.
The birth of a church
In 1922, St. Joan of Arc began as a mission with visiting priests from Barstow and San Bernardino celebrating Sunday Mass.
In a private home, Reverend Charles Kerf, pastor at St. Joseph, Barstow, attempted to build a church in Victorville in 1922 with the help of Mr. Leonardt from the local cement plant. The project never got started.
In 1927, St. Joan of Arc became a full parish, with Reverend P.J. Barry as the first pastor. The first church was built on the corner of Sixth and A streets. It was part of the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego, with boundaries of Apple Valley, Hesperia, Lucerne Valley, and Victorville.
In 1936, St. Joan of Arc Parish became part of the Diocese of San Diego.
In 1950, a new church building was constructed at the exact location of the first church.
In 1951, Reverend William Van Garsse began his 20-year pastorate at the church, where it served 173 Catholic families in the Victor Valley.
A new school and hospital
In 1953, the church assisted with the construction of St. Mary School and convent on Highway 18 in Apple Valley. The school opened with 87 children, three lay teachers, and Garsse as a teacher.
In 1954, Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Los Angeles came to staff the school. During the next 10 years, four additional classrooms were added, the convent was enlarged, and an auditorium, library, offices and extra rooms were added.
In 1956, St. Mary Hospital opened next to St. Mary School. The medical facility was staffed by the Brothers of St. John of God.
In 1963, St. Joan of Arc was enlarged with a mother’s chapel. A new rectory was also built.
In 1974, St. David Parish opened in Apple Valley next to the hospital and school. It was later named Our Lady of the Desert Parish.
In 1978, St. Joan of Arc became part of the Diocese of San Bernardino.
In 1992, Holy Innocents Parish opened on the west side of Victorville.
The Lord’s Table
In 1996, The Lord's Table was founded to feed the hungry, help the needy and serve the community.
From the parish hall, the original St. Joan of Arc church building, volunteers feed up to 350 people daily. Once a month, the ministry provides bags of free food.
The Lord’s Table supports all the local United Way functions and other organizations, such as High Desert Homeless Services, Moses House Ministries, Samaritans Helping Hands, The Community Tool Box of Adelanto, St. John of God Health Care Services and the American Red Cross.
Socks, Shoes, and Salvation
Hundreds of needy guests enjoyed warm meals, received free footwear and had their feet washed during the annual Socks, Shoes and Salvation outreach on the property of St. Joan of Arc Church.
Hosted by the Azusa Pacific University School of Nursing, the annual event was held on Holy or Maundy Thursday, a day during Holy Week commemorating when Jesus Christ washed his disciples' feet after the Last Supper, according to scripture.
During the event, APU nurses washed and inspected hundreds of feet for infection and instructed visitors on the importance of hygiene. They also offered foot care, especially for those with diabetes.
Inside the church’s Parish Hall, APU students were busy serving food to hungry visitors while various volunteers cut hair, handed out clothing and prayed with visitors.
For more information on the celebration, the purchase of anniversary items, or to donate, call the parish office at 760-245-7674, email stjoanhd@sbdiocese.org or visit stjoanhd.org.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church celebrates 100 years in Victorville
