JENNIFER GUTIERREZ
Staff Writer
Take a trip back to the 1940s, when St. Monica’s church in Santa Monica brought the first Roman Catholic Mass to Malibu. It was celebrated in the city courthouse until 1948, when Our Lady of Malibu church was founded. With Pepperdine’s arrival in Malibu, the church took a charge to minister to students. Today, it continues that mission.
The church prides itself in constantly being available for those in need.
“No matter what is going on in Los Angeles or in the United States even, Malibu is the type of community that provides a sanctuary to live life at a slower pace and be one with nature,” wrote the Rev. William Kerze, head pastor, in a weekly newsletter to the congregation. “We, as a community in Christ, are called to live a certain type of life. We should take advantage of the refuge we have found in our city.”
Our Lady of Malibu sponsors the Catholic Student Association (CSA), a program for Pepperdine students. It began as a small group organized by adjunct faculty, said Tom Vandergon, an associate professor of biology and an advisor for the group.
“Our goal is to provide a service organization within a Catholic dialogue setting that will allow students to find out things like where Masses are and what their Catholic faith is about,” Vandergon said.
Sixteen percent of Pepperdine students are Catholic, according to the Office of Admissions.
The church coordinates a shuttle – it typically runs at full load – to bring students to the most contemporary Sunday Mass, Vandergon said.
“It’s more a folk-type mass with a full choir and instruments and stuff,” he said. “My son always call it ‘the band,’ where you have guitar and piano and flutes and drums.”
Many Pepperdine students find it a good mix between the older worship style they grew up with and modern styles more suited toward a college-age group. Senior Chris Sampson, who has attended the church since January, likes the balance.
“On campus, the worship is singing and stuff, and in the Catholic Church it’s a little more traditional,” Sampson said. “It’s actually a more contemporary Catholic church. They have a praise band, and so they kind of mix traditional and contemporary styles.”
Senior Andy Burke, who has attended Our Lady of Malibu since freshman year, agrees.
“It has a good parish and the pastor is decent,” Burke said. “It’s got a good mix of contemporary worship, but it does a good job of interesting those of us who like a more traditional service. It’s accommodating both types of parishioners really well, as well as can be expected.”
CSA does not have a set schedule for this school year, according to senior Kim Watson, its vice president. Attendance has picked up, and it now attracts 20 to 25 people for some meetings, she said. Both the student organization and church help sponsor a variety of activities for Catholic students, including weekly bi-weekly meetings, a student-led chapel every semester, a pancake breakfast and Friday-night soup dinners during Lent, Watson said.
Our Lady of Malibu brings some 1,100 families together for worship. Among Pepperdine students and faculty attending, there’s a sense of community affinity to the church.
“It’s a very small, close-knit community,” Vandergon said. “It’s like a second family to us, and I think that the students feel that way, too. This is one of the most welcoming parishes I’ve ever seen in terms of college students.”
09-15-2005
