In May, Sisters Pat Connor and Luisa Almedra, our visiting Sister from Portugal, along with Byron and Cecilia Brizuela, traveled to Montecito and Santa Barbara to see some of the places connected to the beginnings of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary on the West Coast.
One of their first stops was Mount Carmel Church, in Montecito, the parish connected to the first sisters who arrived there. The church was built in 1935. In 1938, Mother Cecilia Rafter opened Marymount in Montecito, where a house had been remodeled into a school and convent.
The sisters also visited the former Marymount School property in Santa Barbara and the outside of the old convent, which is now a private residence. In 1941, Marymount moved to Mission Ridge Road, also in Santa Barbara, to expand as a boarding school. Later, in 1956, a Novitiate for the West Coast was established there.
During their visit to the Santa Barbara Mission, Sister Luisa learned more about the history of the California missions. The Mission also held special significance as a place where generations of RSHM sisters once attended Mass. Sister Pat shared fond memories of her years in Santa Barbara and reflected on many meaningful moments from that time.
Their trip continued down the coast through Malibu and ended with dinner in Marina del Rey overlooking the marina.
To find out more about our beginnings in Montecito and Santa Barbara, please visit our website. https://rshm.org/marymount-santa-barbara-montecito/
