Saint Raymond’s Church
000 And a tumbleweed
Saint Raymond’s Church • Amboy, CA • Day One
We could not ask for a more perfect, minimalistic scene. The small cluster of buildings popped in the late afternoon sun. The cross on the church steeple seemed to be reinforced by the telephone poles. The tumbleweed, with its long shadow served as a nice foreground element, adding mood.
On the left is the Church. The building on the right served as its rectory. The Rock garden in between housed a statue of the Madonna (the Mother of Jesus, not the elderly pop singer, for you heathens). I learned all that from placard in front of the church, lovingly placed there in 2022 and which I was somehow smart enough to grab a shot of (see below). No mention in the placard about the couch sitting in front of the rectory, but thank you to whoever placed it there.
The Plackard
From the placard you’ll learn Saint Raymond’s has a relatively short history, serving the Amboy community from 1950 to 1970. You’ll also learn that the church was originally founded as a temporary chapel in the name of Saint Bridget.
Construction of the church, replacing the temporary chapel, was overseen by its third pastor, Father Leo Henley, from Chicago. It is built of cinderblock and served a congregation of a little over 100 people — accommodating the 40 or-so Catholic families in Amboy at the time.
Apparently Father Hanley was initially not thrilled with his new assignment. I would guess going from bustling big city to dusty desert town would be a shock for anyone. According to the placard, after saying his first mass in Amboy, Father Hanley remarked, “I saw the children and their great need. I did not want to renege and let them down.”
Father Hanley stayed on.
Saint Raymond’s Church is located across the street from Roy’s Motel & Cafe, set way in the back of an otherwise vacant lot.
The Couch in Front of the Rectory
A View Through the Rectory
000 About This Series
From April 12 through April 20, 2025, I was on a Route 66 Photography Adventure (The Trip) with three good friends and like minded photographers. This series is recap of The Trip in stories and images.
All of the images were shot on that historic road or within a couple of miles of it. Neither the images nor stories are necessarily presented in chronological order.
Enjoying the series? Drop a comment.