Canoga Park : Renovated Church Will Be Rededicated

Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Canoga Park, which was badly damaged in the Northridge earthquake, will be rededicated today, church officials said.

Since the earthquake, Mass has been celebrated in the parish hall and in a large tent, the Rev. John D. Murray, the church’s pastor, said.

“There was a certain intimacy to those settings,” he said, “but after a while, that began to get old, as they say, and people were anxious to get back into the church.”

When the quake hit, Murray said, the church was undergoing renovations to bring it into accord with the terms of the Second Vatican Council, which was called to help the church adapt to modern times. In the case of Our Lady of the Valley, Murray said, that meant moving the altar closer to the pews and creating a special chapel for the tabernacle.

The earthquake damaged the church’s tower and roof, among other things, he said, and repairs cost $800,000. The renovations mandated by the Second Vatican Council, he said, cost an additional $600,000.

The earthquake damage was covered by insurance, he said.

The 1,800-member church raised $450,000 for the renovations, he said, and took out a $150,000 loan from the archdiocese of Los Angeles that must be repaid in five years.

The two-hour rededication service, at which Cardinal Roger Mahony will officiate, begins at 5 p.m. and includes Mass.