Meet Paula, Owner of Saint Raphael Press Books & Gifts

I have been in business since 1990. It was my husband Richard Leo Ellis, a Veteran of WWII, who initiated the idea of opening a Catholic bookstore, after he retired from printing business (Saint Raphael Press) he owned for more than 50 years. About myself? - I was born in Los Angeles CA in 1937 to my German-Irish mother and Filipino-Spanish-Chinese father. With my mother's mother and her younger brother, we left for the Philippines to see my Philippine grandparents. WWII had just began, and our family of 8 children and 3 adults were placed under house-arrest (or as a shield for the enemy headquarters so Allies wouldn't bomb the area). After the war, my parents decided to stay, where my siblings and I got our college degrees. I was able to graduate with Bachelor of Science in Commerce, major in Management and Finance, and minor in Accounting. In 1961, my parents called it quits moving back to the United States. Shortly, thereafter I met Richard L. Ellis through my uncle in the United States. We got married in 1962, raised seven children, put them all through Catholic schools and colleges, where they all received their degrees. To-date, I have 48 grandchildren and almost 50 great-grandchildren. I can name each and every one of them. Each one is a precious gift of God.

Saint Raphael Press is a family owned and operated Catholic gift shop and bookstore located at 44751 Date Ave in Lancaster, CA and a division of Saint Raphael Press, a commercial printing business established in El Monte, CA in 1954 which moved to the Antelope Valley in 1962. It features quality Catholic merchandise ranging from sacramental gifts to books by well-known Catholic authors, including timeless classics as well as new releases. Our spiritual mission is to bring our Catholic faith to others by providing a variety of catechesis materials for children and adults.