Church Is Part of Camarillos’ Legacy

Few would disagree that the family name Camarillo is among the most illustrious in Ventura County’s history.

Many know, for instance, that the pioneering family’s name has been bestowed on schools, roads, a defunct state hospital, and, of course, the city of 61,500. Fewer realize the family also has left the imprint of its Catholic faith by bequeathing significant properties still in use by the church.

In Camarillo, St. Mary Magdalen Chapel on Ventura Boulevard, and St. John’s Seminary north of the Ventura Freeway, sit on ground that was once the property of Juan and Martina Camarillo or their descendants. Both are considered Camarillo landmarks.

Juan and Martina settled in the county in the 1850s, buying up large tracts, including the 10,000-acre Rancho Calleguas, where present-day Camarillo is located. The couple passed on the property to two sons, Adolfo and Juan Jr. The community-minded sons, and their own children, donated land and money for many civic and religious causes.

One inspiring landmark is the 85-year-old mission-style St. Mary Magdalen Chapel. Situated on “The Hill” on Ventura Boulevard, perhaps the most desirable spot in old Camarillo, the chapel was named for Adolfo and Juan Jr.’s older sister, Magdalena.

It was built in 1914 by Juan Jr. to honor his parents and served as a private place of worship for the Camarillo family for many years. But the family turned the property over to the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1940. It is now the focal point of a parish that includes 4,000 families.

Below its main sanctuary is another Ventura County treasure: a mausoleum that contains the white marble crypts of dozens of Camarillo family members, including the resting place of Adolfo, perhaps the best-known Camarillo.

The mausoleum is open to the public, but only Camarillo family descendants may be buried there, said George Longo, whose wife, Gloria Petit Longo, is a granddaughter of Adolfo Camarillo.

In fact, Longo said, he and his wife, Camarillo residents, expect to be buried there.

In coming weeks, scaffolding will surround the chapel as it undergoes a $1-million renovation. The improvements, including strengthening its foundation, will help the chapel withstand earthquakes, said the parish priest, Jim Stehly.

Stehly, newly assigned to the chapel, assures longtime worshipers that the renovation will not change the way the chapel looks. The belfry tower, the east courtyard fountain--which was modeled after the fountain at the Santa Barbara Mission--and 13 intricate stained-glass windows that grace the chapel walls will not change, he said.

The windows were commissioned by Juan Jr. during a trip to Munich, Germany, in 1913--a year before World War I erupted. The windows didn’t arrive in Camarillo until 1919, after the war was over.

“Even though this chapel has changed with the times--we now hold Mass in English, Spanish and Vietnamese every Sunday--it will still look the same,” Stehly said.

Adolfo Camarillo donated land for St. John’s Seminary, a four-year college that trains young men for priesthood. The first building was completed in 1939.

Through the decades, Camarillos have married into other Ventura County families, such as the Longos, Parkers, Burkets, Petits, Fitzgeralds and Arnazes. All the grandchildren still have some interest in properties around Camarillo, Longo said.

Most of the clan’s descendants remain active in community life. Longo himself was chairman of the incorporation committee that resulted in the city of Camarillo’s 1964 formation.

Several Camarillo descendants are sprinkled throughout the county, Stehly said, including several who regularly attend Mass at the chapel.

“In fact, I’ve just scheduled a wedding for a Camarillo descendant,” said the 44-year-old, who trained for the priesthood at St. John’s Seminary.