Our Community

Our Lady of Solitude, better known as Soledad Church, opened its doors on Christmas Day in 1925. Its first pastor, Father Michael Sheahan, was an Irish priest and active member of the region's Catholic community. It is located in the heart of the neighborhood now known as Old Town Maravilla. 
Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the visual appearance of Soledad Church was intended to highlight both the architectural and cultural fabric of the predominantly Mexican and Mexican American community that the parish served. In December 1931, Soledad Church held its first outdoor procession in honor of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a ritual that continues through the streets of East Los Angeles today. 
In addition to its cultural role in the community, the church played an important part in the tradition of social activism in the Eastside. According to some accounts, labor leader Cesar Chavez and members of the farmworker movement met with the Claretian priests in church's basement, fueling the parish's commitment to social justice and service of the poor.