About St. Anthony's Croatian Catholic Church · Los Angeles, California
St. Anthony's Croatian Catholic Church is a national Croatian parish in the Chinatown neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles, founded in 1910 by Croatian immigrants from Hercegovina and continental Croatia who worked in the downtown construction trades. It is one of the oldest Croatian Catholic parishes in North America and the cultural, spiritual, and social center of the Los Angeles Croatian community. Today the parish serves roughly 1,200 registered families, offering Mass in both English and Croatian, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and a thriving program of Croatian cultural events, folklore, and heritage preservation. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and is led today by Fr. Ivan (Don Ivan) Jordan.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- St. Anthony (of Padua)
- Rector
- Fr. Ivan Jordan (Don Ivan Jordan), Administrator
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Why belong here
St. Anthony's is one of the oldest Croatian Catholic parishes in North America and the cultural-spiritual heart of the Los Angeles Croatian community, so it is the natural home for Croatian Americans seeking Mass in Croatian, sacraments in a familiar cultural setting, and heritage activities for their children. The parish welcomes everyone — Masses are celebrated in English (daily and Sunday) and in Croatian (Sunday 10:30 AM) — and offers First-Sunday Adoration, Croatian folklore (Kolo Club 'Croatia'), tamburitza music, a Croatian school, religious-education classes, and an active festival tradition. For Catholics looking for a parish where faith and ethnic heritage meet — in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles — St. Anthony's offers a rare continuity of more than a century of prayer, language, and community.
Mass times at St. Anthony's Croatian Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:30 AM – 10:15 AM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Every first Sunday of the month after the 10:30 AM Holy Mass (approximately 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM)
History of St. Anthony's Croatian Catholic Church
St. Anthony's traces its origins to 1909, when Croatian immigrants in Downtown Los Angeles — many of them construction workers drawn by the city's building boom — formed a committee under the leadership of Fr. Anthony Žuvić to build a national church. The church at 712 North Grand Avenue was blessed in December 1910, marking the formal establishment of the parish and the foundation of organized Croatian Catholic life in Southern California. The parish would go on to anchor three great waves of Croatian immigration: between the World Wars, after World War II, and during the 1990s Croatian War of Independence.
- 1909 — Building committee organized under Fr. Anthony Žuvić (Don Antun Žuvić).
- December 1910 — Church building blessed; founding of St. Anthony's as the Croatian national parish.
- 1934 — Original parish hall erected.
- 1950 — Fr. Felix S. Diomartić arrives; begins 36-year pastorate.
- 1967 — New rectory constructed.
- 1978 — Pope Paul VI names Fr. Diomartić an Honorary Prelate (Monsignor).
- 1986 — Msgr. Diomartić retires as administrator; remains pastor emeritus.
- 1996 — New Parish Center replaces the 1934 hall.
- 2008 — Msgr. Diomartić receives the Croatian National Association Lifetime Achievement Award; moves to Nazareth House.
- 2021 — Parish Center severely damaged by fire.
- October 8–9, 2022 — Parish Center ceremonially reopened; new statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Victory, crowned.
- 2022–23 — Parish Center modern renovation completed; venue capacity expanded for weddings and events.
Parish Life and Croatian Cultural Heritage
St. Anthony's is not only a place of worship but the cultural, social, and educational hub of the Los Angeles Croatian community. Generations of Croatian Americans have passed through its doors for folklore rehearsals, tamburitza practice, Croatian-language classes, religious education, the annual picnic, and gatherings supporting humanitarian causes such as the Croatian War of Independence. May is celebrated as Croatian Cultural Heritage Month in Los Angeles, and the parish plays a leading role in organizing concerts, markets, commemorations, and visits by Croatian klapa and folklore groups from the homeland.
- St. Anthony's Kolo Club 'Croatia' (Croatian folk dance, founded 1959)
- Tamburitza ensemble
- Croatian-language school (Hrvatska škola)
- Religious education / catechism (vjeronauk)
- 'Anthonians' young-adult group (founded by Msgr. Diomartić)
- Croatian Cultural Extravaganza (largest Croatian cultural event on the U.S. West Coast)
- St. Anthony's Annual Picnic / Festival (largest annual gathering of LA County Croatians)
Facilities: Church, Rectory, and Parish Center
The 1910 church, designed by A. C. Martin, is the spiritual heart of the parish and features Croatian Catholic devotional art, stained glass, and a rich interior with side altars. The 1967 rectory houses the clergy and offices (open Tuesday–Friday, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM). The Parish Center, originally built in 1996 to replace the 1934 hall, was severely damaged by fire in 2021 and reopened in October 2022 after a full modernization — today it includes an underground garage, a large event hall capable of hosting weddings from 30 to 400 guests, classrooms, a kitchen, and dedicated spaces for folklore, tamburitza, religious education, and the Croatian school.
- Church (1910) — designed by A. C. Martin; the principal place of worship.
- Rectory (1967) — clergy residence and parish offices.
- Parish Hall (1934–1996) — first-generation community center.
- Parish Center (1996, renovated 2022–23) — modern event and education hub with underground parking.
Archives and Croatian-American Scholarship
St. Anthony's safeguards one of the most significant Croatian-diaspora parish archives in North America — thousands of photographs, posters, correspondence, sacramental records, and community documents chronicling more than a century of Croatian Catholic and immigrant life in Los Angeles. The archives have attracted the attention of Croatian academic researchers and have been the subject of scholarly study documenting the heritage and history of the Croatian diaspora.
- Photographs, posters, and correspondence (20th–21st c.)
- Sacramental and parochial registers
- Records of folklore groups, festivals, and humanitarian campaigns (including the 1990s Homeland War effort)
- Subject of academic study by Croatian researchers (Hrcak / University of Zagreb)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Anthony Žuvić (Don Antun Žuvić)c. 1909–c. 1911
Croatian-immigrant priest who organized the 1909 building committee and founded the Croatian national parish; supervised construction and blessing of the church in December 1910.
- Monsignor Felix S. Diomartić (Srećko / Fortunato Diomartić)1950–1986 (administrator/ pastor; ~36 years)
Born on the island of Zlarin, Croatia (1914); ordained 1937 by Bishop of Šibenik Jerolim Mileta; doctorates in theology and canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Jerome in Rome; came to Los Angeles in 1949/1950 at the invitation of Archbishop (later Cardinal) James F. McIntyre; served the parish for 36 years, founding the Anthonians and the annual St. Anthony's Picnic/Festival; named Honorary Prelate (Monsignor) by Pope Paul VI in 1978; retired as administrator in 1986; remained pastor emeritus, residing at the parish until 2008; moved to Nazareth House. Croatian National Association Lifetime Achievement Award, 2008.
- Fr. Ivan Jordan (Don Ivan Jordan)present (2020s)
Current Administrator of St. Anthony's; celebrated the Mass at the October 2022 reopening of the fire-damaged Parish Center and led the blessing/crowning of the new statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Victory.
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