That year, a resident of the area donated land on Washington Boulevard for the construction of a new mission church in La Ballona Valley.

[1] In 1922, the church was expanded to seat 500, and in 1926 the parish opened a four-room school operated by six nuns from the Daughters of Mary and Joseph.

As the pastor of the church located across the street from MGM Studios, O'Donnell developed close ties with the entertainment business.

The Los Angeles Times reported on the opening of the new church: "More than 2000 worshipers, including motion picture stars from the M-G-M studios across Washington Boulevard, attended the services.

"[2][3] In November 1938, a controversy arose when Archbishop Cantwell announced plans to transfer O'Donnell to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hollywood.

In 1946, a wealthy parishioner left her $100,000 estate to O'Donnell, who the Los Angeles Times described as "the Irish priest who won the hearts of many a movie mogul during the 15 years he was pastor of Culver City's St. Augustine Catholic Church.

Well-known radio and television personality Bishop Fulton Sheen, who went to seminary with O'Donnell, traveled to Culver City to speak at the dedication.