Holy Cross History

Holy Cross church has served the Catholics, and in fact all the people of Moorpark, since the mid 1920’s

Many of our parishioners who grew up in Moorpark assure us that the Church was built around 1925.

While small by some standards, the original Church only seated 100 which was more than adequate because the population of Moorpark was only about 400 in the early 1930’s. The Church building, or Holy Cross Chapel as it is now called, still exists and is located at Magnolia and Everett Streets, two blocks north of High Street. The building is used for special events and as the meeting site for our Knights of Columbus, who maintain the building and grounds.

Prior to 1925, people gathered for Mass in the homes of parishioners, much like the early Christians did in the first 150 years of Christianity.

One such “home church” is the house on the west side of Moorpark Ave, just South of the community library. For the next 57 years, Holy Cross was a Mission of St. Rose of Lima Church in Simi Valley.

Classic Photos

1.Holy Cross Chapel interior June 14, 1937
2.Exterior of Chapel today
3.Baptismal font from chapel, used until 1980’s
4.Ambo from Chapel

Our Roots in Moorpark

Run Deep

Holy Cross Stats at a glance:

Established: 1920’s

Moorpark population, early 1930’s: 400

Became independent Parish: 1982

Current Church built and blessed: 1984

Founding Pastor: Msgr . Joseph Cosgrove

Second Pastor: Msgr. Paul Albee

Current Registered Families: over 3000

As Moorpark steadily grew from the tiny hamlet of the 1920’s, the Holy Cross Parish also grew and by the 1980’s outgrew its status as a Mission Parish.

On October 1st, 1982 Holy Cross was established as an independent Parish. The late Cardinal Timothy Manning appointed Fr. Joseph Cosgrove as the founding pastor. Msgr. Cosgrove retired in 2005 and currently resides in the Las Vegas area.

The Groundbreaking ceremony for the first Church was held on September 11th, 1983. The first Mass in the original Church was celebrated on June 23rd, 1984. Cardinal Timmothy Manning dedicated it on September 30th, 1984.

The mid 1980’s witnessed tremendous growth in Moorpark. During that same time Holy Cross became a parish of more than 2,000 families with an enrollment of 900 students in our Religious Education Program. It was this large growth that stimulated the Building Program in 1991 and was completed in 1993.

Today our Church has a seating capacity of 750.

Our Parish Office Building houses the offices for the priests and the administrative staff. It also has a conference room, offices for two additional staff members, a kitchen with a pantry and a very well used dining room for small parish functions and meetings.

Cosgrove Center, our Parish Hall has a large kitchen and pantry. The seating or meeting area can be partitioned into nine classrooms or meeting rooms. There are also a number of other classrooms, a library and office spaces for our Religious Education Staff in the Center.

In 2009 all of our Parish buildings have undergone extensive renovation and upgrading made necessary by normal wear and tear over the years since they were first built.

Holy Cross grows with Moorpark

Associate Pastors:

Since Holy Cross was established as an independent Parish in 1982, we have been blessed with a number of truly outstanding Associate Pastors. They are listed below with the years they served our faith community:

Fr. Paúl Velazquez July 2010 to August 2012

Fr. Joseph Q. Nguyen June 2006 to June 2010

Fr. Larry Neumeier July 2004 to June 2006

Fr. Mike Sezzi June 2000 to June 2004

Fr. John Love July 1996 to June 2000

Fr. Juan S. “Sam” Flores, O.F.M July 1994 to June 1996

Fr. Abel Sequilvide January 1988 to June 1994

Fr. Arturo Gomez C.M.F. November 1986 to December 1987

Fr. Francisco Altamira April to November 1986

Fr. Jorge Roman May 1985 to January 1986