St. Basil Catholic Church — Attraction in Los Angeles

Go here if you despise the most unfortunate such as the unhoused population, love to hear every word follow with an echo, and listen to a choir-less mass in the most soul-sucking environment. I attended for the first time in years on Sunday, July 28th, 2024 for afternoon mass, but I had to stand up and walk out halfway through because of my extreme shock and disappointment with their cruelty, among the terrible sound system and unwelcoming environment.

The priest spent way too much time talking about a disciple almost getting laid while angrily stating that his own celibacy is truly a gift that he gave to serve people like us. Right after, he spoke horribly of a homeless man that comes every month or so and claimed that he befriended that man due to his frequency. The priest said he saw the man visit that morning's mass (which, according to the priest, had only 6 people in attendance) with his pants half down and told the homeless man that he "knew what the man was up to" and will make a mess. The priest held a $10 bill between his index and middle fingers (even specifically holding up his hand to redo the motion and show us all attending mass how exactly he held the bill) and waived it in front of the homeless man's face, motioning for the man to follow him out the door. The priest said he would give that $10 bill to him if the homeless man agrees to never come back.

That was all to the priest's stories. Immediately after the homily, ushers came out to collect donations. The audacity to follow that story with collections. I felt shocked and angry. What cruelty to a man that has no where else to relieve himself and is already shamed and excluded from society. You would think that the church would be happy to extend grace and help the needy, and at least have the decency to offer the man the restroom. What good are the donations if that money is dictated by this poor-hating parish in which funds and generosity exclude the most unfortunate? Do their mission, welfare programs, and community initiatives exclude the poor? Staying any longer in that space would be a betrayal to my morals. Their claims to holiness are hollow and disingenuous.

The only point of the homily was to show the priest's cruelty to those in need, and how angry and high up he is on his horse. How can he call himself holy if he treats the most unfortunate like that? But perhaps this is a given because I just found out that St. Basil closes their doors when mass is not in session during the day, perhaps preventing the homeless and the poor from seeking shelter in the church's open, safe, and ventilated space, while also locking out those, who may very well also be homeless, looking where to practice their faith outside service hours. Furthermore, the doors on the sidewalk entrance are still locked and CHAINED with a padlock, only accessible through the parking entrance, which I found out shortly before I entered the church.

St. Basil is dwindling in numbers, its sound system poor, and its leadership cruel. The parking lot was not even half full for the afternoon mass that I attended, and, according to the priest, only 6 people showed up for that morning's mass. You may say that attendance of churches across the board has been declining, which is true, but the other churches I have attended were more full, kind, and welcoming than this one. You might even say that the unhoused population are "dangerous" and "encroach in spaces" but that is far from the truth and cruel. They are already looked down and pushed away from society--from empty public spaces to schools and even the house of God. I will never be coming back here, and I urge everyone not to, as well. The inside of the church is dusty, dry, and dirty, and the bathroom is unkept and reeks. The filth inside this church, although blamed on outsiders, is actually coming from inside the house. Please reflect...

This church has an amazing building that has, sadly, like many church buildings, seen better days. I attended the 730am Sunday mass and I thought the congregation was great. Relatively small number of people, but it was very early. I got the impression that the parish might be struggling, but I hope they're a strong vibrant community. I wasn't sure where to park. What looks like the church parking lot had a sign that appeared to be charging to park there. I parked across the street. I visited on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and I'm glad I did. The priest mentioned two statues of them in the now forever-locked foyer. After mass I visited the statues and was taken aback by their size and dominance of an already very large space. A little abstract, the statues evoked movement and action that the two saints used in spreading the Gospel. Overall, a good experience,...

It's a really nice and beautiful Church. I attended the Korean service and even tho I didn't understand much of the Lecture, I felt like If I was HOME. I used my cell to be able to read the Holy Gospel and by doing so,I can now live the rest of the week according to the word of God (The Bible)

The priest was so nice to meet, greet and blessed me at the end of the service. If you're ever around Ktown, don't hesitate to vivist this Roman Catholic Church. To me it was love at first sight ❤

Next time God willingly, I'll attend either Spanish or English service and I'm sure I'll love this place even more 💚 Thanks for having me!

Que Viva Cristo Rey y La Siempre Virgen Maria de Guadalupe. Reyna de México y Emperatriz del Mundo...