Mission Statement

Founded in 1924 as a mission parish, La Purisima is a Eucharistic family of socially and culturally diverse people. As a welcoming community of faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we reach out, evangelize and serve others in the spirit of the Gospel

What do Catholics Believe?

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The basic beliefs of the Catholic Church are professed at every mass celebrated in churches around the world. This is the Profession of our Faith - the Nicene Creed.
What is stated in the Nicene Creed is what Catholics believe. 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LA PURISIMA PARISH 

In 1872 two brothers from New York State, Stephen and Robert McPherson, purchased eighty acres of Chapman land on the east side of the Santiago Creek. Two other land developers - Oge and Bond - acquired a large area of level land between the foothills and a western lower mesa area. They were able to extend Chapman Avenue eastward, then parceled out land and sold it for farming. La Purisima Parish is within the Oge and Bond tract.

World War I began and many farm workers enlisted. Mexico was asked for help, and families came to pick the crops. When the War ended, most of the migrants stayed. However, Mexican families lived in the El Modena area as early as 1895. From 1890-1910 the Catholic people in the area traveled to St. Boniface in Anaheim, or St. Joseph in Santa Ana, to attend Mass. 

In 1924, Mr. Remedios Mares donated property on Center Street and a framed structure (seating 80) was erected - the beginning of La Purisima Mission. Later, adjoining property was purchased, the building moved and enlarged to seat 200. Fr. Jose Origel, from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Santa Ana, was assigned. Baptism records document his presence here for 30 years.

In October 1957, the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity arrived. They brought about a wonderful sense of community, including our first “Fiesta” in 1958. The aerospace industry grew and the parish flourished as a bi-lingual community. Many lay groups and organizations began and the Sisters of St. Joseph were invited to come and teach religious education.

In 1962 a new church was dedicated on our current location, and in 1964 La Purisima attained parish status. The next year our parish school opened with four grades and six classrooms. It was expanded in 1967 and currently has classes for Preschool through eighth grade.   During the 1970’s many Vietnamese families settled in the parish and became a vital part of our parish community. In 1983, after 25 years, the Trinity Missionary order left for new assignments, and were followed by the Claretian Missionaries. At the same time, two events led to an increase in parishioners: many new Mexican immigrants settled in the area and new housing developments in the foothills east of the parish.

The parish soon saw a great need for enlarging the church. In 2000, a capital campaign for the construction of a larger structure was begun. Original plans were to remodel the current church, but Bishop Tod Brown wisely concluded that any new church building should have seating for at least 1,200.  In July 2002, the Claretians were reassigned to other work, and the Diocese assigned Fr. Christopher Heath as the new pastor. On June 4, 2005, Bishop Tod Brown presided at the dedication of the new church. Currently, Fr. Vincent H. Pham is currently the Pastor.