About
Holy Angels Catholic Church of the Deaf (HAC) is a Personal Parish for Catholic Deaf People and their families living in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
HAC began in March, 1987 when the then-Archbishop Roger Mahoney canonically establish HAC as a Personal Parish for the Catholic Deaf Community in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California. Two Deaf priests, Fr. Brian Doran and Fr. Tom Schweitzer became pastors of this new parish. More than twenty years later, Holy Angels is thriving with a 600-strong congregation. It is located in the industrial city of Vernon, and is an oasis of greenery, a place of spiritual retreat and a gathering place for our parishioners. We are easily accessible by freeway, and by public transport (Los Angeles’ Metro rail system and bus).
The purpose of HAC is to provide a place for worship, prayer and gathering for Deaf people and their families of Los Angeles. 95 % of the parish is Latino, comprised of Mexican and South American families who are monolingual speakers of Spanish. Holy Angels is one of the very few places where Spanish-speaking parents of Deaf children and youth can come for assistance with education, social justice and advocacy.
Holy Angels is has close proximity to LAX, making us accessible to the rest of the United States and the world. There are several Deaf conferences and events such as DEAFestival LA, of which Holy Angels partakes in to disseminate information about our organization.
Our activities and programs include the following:
Liturgies: Each Sunday we have two services, 8:30 a.m. (American Sign Language and spoken English translation) and 11:00 a.m. (American Sign Language and spoken Spanish translation). Weddings, baptisms and funerals are conducted. We also have special liturgical retreats and celebrations throughout the year, such as Lent, Easter and Christmas.
Cathedral Tour: We organize an outing every few months to visit Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles by one of our Religious Educators who is skilled with ASL.
Religious Education: We provide religious education to students ages 5 to 22, with emphasis on the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. We provide Bible stories for young children and Catholic Morality classes for older adolescents. All classes are in American Sign Language.
Advocacy: Many of our Deaf and Spanish speaking families of Deaf people come to Holy Angels for advice and assistance with issues such as technology, immigration, medical information, educational advocacy, and referrals.
Boy Scouts: Each Sunday, our very own deaf Boy Scouts meet at Holy Angels for their activities and also to participate in our liturgies.
Fiesta Guadalupana: Fiesta Guadalupana is an important date for the community of Holy Angels. Annually, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with an important liturgy, that includes a dramatology.
Vibrant Parish Life: HAC has numerous social and community events that facilitate Christian fellowship and bonding with one another as sisters/brothers of our Lord Jesus Christ.
HAC began in March, 1987 when the then-Archbishop Roger Mahoney canonically establish HAC as a Personal Parish for the Catholic Deaf Community in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California. Two Deaf priests, Fr. Brian Doran and Fr. Tom Schweitzer became pastors of this new parish. More than twenty years later, Holy Angels is thriving with a 600-strong congregation. It is located in the industrial city of Vernon, and is an oasis of greenery, a place of spiritual retreat and a gathering place for our parishioners. We are easily accessible by freeway, and by public transport (Los Angeles’ Metro rail system and bus).
The purpose of HAC is to provide a place for worship, prayer and gathering for Deaf people and their families of Los Angeles. 95 % of the parish is Latino, comprised of Mexican and South American families who are monolingual speakers of Spanish. Holy Angels is one of the very few places where Spanish-speaking parents of Deaf children and youth can come for assistance with education, social justice and advocacy.
Holy Angels is has close proximity to LAX, making us accessible to the rest of the United States and the world. There are several Deaf conferences and events such as DEAFestival LA, of which Holy Angels partakes in to disseminate information about our organization.
Our activities and programs include the following:
Liturgies: Each Sunday we have two services, 8:30 a.m. (American Sign Language and spoken English translation) and 11:00 a.m. (American Sign Language and spoken Spanish translation). Weddings, baptisms and funerals are conducted. We also have special liturgical retreats and celebrations throughout the year, such as Lent, Easter and Christmas.
Cathedral Tour: We organize an outing every few months to visit Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles by one of our Religious Educators who is skilled with ASL.
Religious Education: We provide religious education to students ages 5 to 22, with emphasis on the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. We provide Bible stories for young children and Catholic Morality classes for older adolescents. All classes are in American Sign Language.
Advocacy: Many of our Deaf and Spanish speaking families of Deaf people come to Holy Angels for advice and assistance with issues such as technology, immigration, medical information, educational advocacy, and referrals.
Boy Scouts: Each Sunday, our very own deaf Boy Scouts meet at Holy Angels for their activities and also to participate in our liturgies.
Fiesta Guadalupana: Fiesta Guadalupana is an important date for the community of Holy Angels. Annually, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with an important liturgy, that includes a dramatology.
Vibrant Parish Life: HAC has numerous social and community events that facilitate Christian fellowship and bonding with one another as sisters/brothers of our Lord Jesus Christ.