Retiring After 50 Years : Priest, Still Smiling, to Say Goodby

Msgr. Michael J. O’Connor kept his sense of humor when he was dispatched 30 years ago to carve a new Catholic church parish out of a decaying Woodland Hills walnut orchard.

“I told people back then, ‘Well, the nut has come to the grove,’ ” he said.

The Irish-born O’Connor hopes to keep things just as lighthearted Sunday when he steps down as head of St. Mel’s Catholic Church and wraps up a 50-year career as a parish priest.

The wise-cracking, cigar-chomping priest has overseen virtually every aspect of the parish’s growth since 1955. That includes picking the church’s name, choosing the unusual design of its striking concrete sanctuary and guiding development of its successful school.

Students’ Farewell

Friday the 680 pupils of St. Mel’s School offered O’Connor an emotional farewell of their own as they dedicated a new campus computer center in his honor.

“Please come back for our graduation in 1993,” pleaded 6-year-old kindergartner Flynn Kirkpatrick, his tiny voice wavering.

“You can’t leave until you pick up all the cigar butts we’re held responsible for,” joked eighth-grader Patricia Montalvo, 13.

Through the years O’Connor’s cigars have been an aromatic but reassuring reminder to the children that their priest was close by to mediate disputes and offer encouragement.

“I tell the children that cigar smoke keeps away elephants and rhinoceroses and flies,” he smiled.

30-Year Success

On Sunday, O’Connor plans to tell their parents that parish members have been responsible for St. Mel’s successful 30 years.

“I’ll thank them,” he said. “I’ll remind them that the Super Bowl is won by players, not by coaches.”

Born in County Kerry, O’Connor has served as a Los Angeles-area priest since the mid-1930s. He was the founding pastor of a Lakewood parish in 1951 before being assigned by the Los Angeles Archdiocese to Woodland Hills.

The Ventura Freeway had yet to be built out to the West Valley and Woodland Hills had fewer than 400 Catholic families in 1955. Church officials say there are more than 3,000 Catholic families in the community now.

“Woodland Hills was a nice quiet country town. The church bought the seven acres we have here for $75,000,” O’Connor said. “Today, they say it would probably cost $5 million to $7 million.

‘Downtown’ Prophesied

“I told people back then that someday St. Mel’s would be ‘downtown.’ People were somewhat skeptical, but look at the intersection of Ventura and DeSoto out there now.”

Anxious to build both a church and a school as quickly as possible, O’Connor settled on an inexpensive A-frame church sanctuary design that at the time was considered somewhat radical.

“Since it had no walls, we could build the whole thing, the church, school and rectory, for $510,000. It was very cheap and people like it,” he said.

But the eye-catching design, with its 80-foot steel beams and poured concrete exterior, raised eyebrows at first among some church officials, acknowledged Bishop John Ward, vicar general of the 267-parish Los Angeles Archdiocese.

“Msgr. O’Connor had to fight very hard to sell that style to the archdiocese,” Ward said Friday. “It was concrete and no one knew whether it would leak and, if it leaked, could you patch it?

“It was daring. But it was typical of him. He’s been daring all his life. He’s done an extraordinary job.”

The Rev. Peter Foran, one of two associate St. Mel’s pastors, said O’Connor “typifies the classical virtues associated with a Catholic priest” and traditional church values.

“Sunday will be very difficult,” Foran predicted. “It will be very moving--a very difficult parting for many who have been here since the parish started.”

O’Connor will preach for the final time during a 12:15 p.m. service Sunday. Next week Msgr. John Naughton will take over as head of the parish.

O’Connor will continue to live in retirement at St. Mel’s rectory. He said he will be available to help Naughton in any way he’s asked.

“I’m going to miss this very much,” he said. And this time, he wasn’t joking.