By Michelle Edgar
On a stretch of Los Liones Drive where fire once erased entire blocks, one building remained. Fifteen months after the Palisades wildfire reduced much of the surrounding neighborhood to ash, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has re-opened its doors, not just as a place of worship, but as a visible marker of survival in a community still finding its way back.
On Sunday morning, congregants returned for the building’s official rededication, a moment many describe as both improbable and deeply emotional. “It feels like a really big deal that our building even was spared,” said Kayce Mammen, President of the Relief Society at the church. “I don’t think any of us really expected that it would, given how surrounded it is by vegetation.”
For the Palisades congregation, the structure represents far more than walls and a roof. Originally dedicated in the 1950s, it has served as a multigenerational anchor, a place where families have gathered, grown, and built lives over decades. “There are people in our congregation who were there when the building was first built,” Mammen said.
She recalled one woman now in her late 80s who helped raise funds for the church as a young mother, her home burned in the fire, she is now rebuilding, and has already returned. That continuity, she said, is part of what makes this moment so meaningful.
In the aftermath of the fire, the loss of gathering spaces across the Palisades became one of the community’s quietest but most profound challenges. Schools, churches, and community centers, places that structure daily life and connection; were suddenly gone. “Our church community is really like an extended family,” Mammen said. “The loss of that building represented the loss of the ability to connect with the people we’ve built our lives around.”
For months, the congregation met in Santa Monica, sharing space with another ward. Members drove long distances each week to stay connected, a reflection of how critical those relationships had become in the wake of displacement. “It really brought home how much having a place together matters,” she said.
Like many families in the Palisades, the experience of displacement was both immediate and deeply personal. Mammen’s family home survived, but was heavily impacted by smoke damage, forcing a temporary relocation to Orange County. Their children changed schools midyear, navigating unfamiliar environments while their home underwent full remediation. They returned in the fall.
Across the Palisades, similar stories continue to unfold, some families have come back, others remain displaced, and many are still navigating whether rebuilding is even possible.
Behind it is a broader network of support. Local and regional church leadership helped coordinate housing, meals, and resources in the immediate aftermath, reinforcing how institutions can function as critical infrastructure during recovery. “They were really there for us,” Mammen said.
Still, the moment carries both hope and weight. “Returning to our chapel after a year of work is a joyful milestone that fills us with renewed hope for the future,” said Brian Ames, Los Angeles California Stake President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Yet, even in our excitement, we carry a deep awareness of the collective grief that remains for those still navigating the difficult path of rebuilding their own lives. We believe that as we come together, every step forward, no matter how small, invites more light and healing into the hearts of the entire Palisades community.”
It is a reminder that while progress is visible, recovery is far from complete. “This is a really important milestone, but we’re still recovering,” said Mammen.