St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church and School

In 1949, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles acquired property on Ventura Boulevard in Encino to build a new parish.

[1] When the parish was founded, Mass was initially celebrated at the Nazareth House Home for Boys at Magnolia and Sepulveda.

With the expansion of highrises and increased traffic on Ventura Boulevard, the City proposed an extension of Dickens Street that would have closed St. Cyril's School.

Navin appeared at a public hearing on the proposal and told the group, "Our school would be completely removed if this goes through.

In April 1974, Timothy Manning, Cardinal Archbishop of Los Angeles, celebrated Mass at St. Cyril's to mark the parish's 50th anniversary.

In its first 25 years, the Los Angeles Times reported that St. Cyril's had grown from a handful to 2,000 active families.

The Cathedral of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, located a short distance from St. Cyril's, is the home of the Van Nuys Eparchy.

[5] In April and May 2003, a string of arson fires struck houses of worship in Encino, including a Presbyterian church, an Iranian synagogue, a Bahá'í community center, and Valley Beth Shalom on Ventura Boulevard.

St. Cyril's business manager, Ginny Panza, told the Los Angeles Times: "We're not freaking out, but everybody is a little bit more aware, watchful.

[11][12] In 1990, St. Cyril's drew praise when it performed Beethoven's Mass in C with a 40-piece orchestra, a 50-member choir and four soloists, all conducted by William Beck.

[13] Performances of St. Cyril's Choir and Orchestra, under the direction of William Beck (including Handel's Messiah and Mendelssohn's Elijah), were regularly noted by the Los Angeles Times.