It’s a mouthful of a name, isn’t it? Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church. For the faithful ’round these parts, the Pasadena church is simply “Assumption” or “ABVM.” It marked its 75th anniversary last weekend, week with a visit from His Excellency, Archbishop Jose Gomez, who celebrated a Mass, of course, joined by priests who had been assigned to Assumption through the years.
Among the more than 500 guests: Victor Gordo, mayor of Pasadena; Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, and representatives from the offices of Assemblymember John Harabedian and Sen. Sasha Renee Perez.
“This anniversary is more than a celebration of years — it is a testament to the enduring spirit and welcoming heart of our community,” said Rev. Mike Ume, the parish’s pastor since 2018. “We look forward to honoring our past, embracing the present, and shaping a future built on faith, hope, and love.”
Ume is Assumption’s fourth pastor, succeeding Fr. Gerard O’Brien, Msgr. August Moretti and the church’s first pastor, Msgr. Timothy Crean, who served from 1950-1984. Today, the parish has 1,350 registered families and 175 students in TK-8th grade at its school.
Tere Denison and her husband joined Assumption in 1994. Their two daughters graduated from the school and the couple remain involved in parish ministries, such as serving as president of the school board, heading up the capital campaign, and being part of the parish finance council.
Denison said she asks parishioners why they chose to belong to the church, and the answer, over more than 25 years, remains the same.
“One theme that transcends all the other is ‘we just felt so welcome,’” she said. “That was our experience 25 years ago and I heard that same thing consistently this past weekend. It truly is a place where all are welcome.”
It’s a sentiment event chair Guido Galli of Altadena can witness to. A self-described wayward Catholic, it wasn’t until 2016, when his eldest son joined the U.S. Army and was deployed to Afghanistan that Galli re-engaged with his church.
“My youngest son attended La Salle HIgh School in Pasadena and their baccalaureate Mass was at Assumption,” he said. A meeting with Fr. Gerard left him feeling better.
“Then, he asked me for my son’s address in Afghanistan so he could write him a letter,” Galli said. “That act of kindness became a sign that I not only needed to continue to strengthen my faith in God, but to pay it forward and volunteer my time with this parish.” Galli became an usher and eucharistic minister, joined the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Council, Liturgy Committee, and finally accepted the task of leading the anniversary planning.
“I get so much joy from being a part of this community, and that consistently outweighs whatever volunteer efforts I put in,” Galli said. “The ABVM community is such a positive group of people, and helping Fr. Mike and the parish feeds my soul and makes me happy, corny as that is.”
After the Eaton Fire, students launched Operation Gator Strong, collecting toys, clothes and nonperishable food for fire survivors. The school also welcomed some students from neighboring schools affected by the fires.
The church’s “Call to Renew” campaign is raising funds to renovate Msgr. McCrean Hall and the school’s entrance.
For longtime parishioner Laura Paszkiewicz and her family, the anniversary celebration was one of the best days since she joined the parish in 1994.
“I had what was the best day since the start of COVID, and it certainly lifted much of the heaviness we’ve collectively been carrying since the Eaton fire,” she said. “It was certainly the embodiment of ‘unity in community’ that Fr. Gerard was always urging us to seek during his years as pastor.”
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