Saint Raphael’s and a New Mount Carmel Center

St. Raphael Parish in South Central Los Angeles has received the gift of continuing Carmelite presence. Through the generous donation of the John and Dorothy Shea Foundation, great benefactors of inner city education, an 8700 square foot, $1.5 million dollar all purpose building, named the Mount Carmel Center has been erected.

	Mount Carmel Center in Los Angeles, ready for dedication

In naming the center, the parish keeps the tradition of Mount Carmel High which was located right down the street from the present buildings location. It also replaces the former convent.

The new Mount Carmel Center was occupied on February 23, and officially dedicated on April 23, 2005. It houses a Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten program with its own kitchen. Both programs have the capacity to hold 45 children in separate outdoor play areas. There is a reading lab facility which supplies a full time Public school teacher. The building also has five offices. One will be used by the school counseling program and the other four are for the parish religious education program. Also in the building is a large meeting room that can accommodate over one hundred people. It will be used for school classes and parish meetings. Finally, there is a large outdoor lunch area, conveniently close to the church building that will be used by the school and the parish.

Once again our thanks to the John and Dorothy Shea Foundation. The good people of St. Raphael are truly blessed by this beautiful new facility.