Self-Realization Fellowship Blog

The Los Angeles Conservancy selected the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine as its 2025 Chair’s Preservation Award recipient for “extraordinary stewardship and dedication to preserving this historic and sacred space.” 

“It’s a beautiful, serene, historic place that we and so many other Angelenos feared would be lost during those early days of the fire,” said Adrian Scott Fine, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy, referring to the Palisades Fire, which devastated so much of the Pacific Palisades in early January of this year. “Thank you for all your efforts, bravery, and well-planned response to the fire.” 

In addition to an independent jury that honors a number of award recipients each year for excellence in historic preservation, the Los Angeles Conservancy board members recognize one special project for preservation excellence with its esteemed Board Chair’s Preservation Award. 

Preservation Awards Celebration 

Brother Saralananda, a member of the SRF Board of Directors, and Brother Satyananda, minister-in-charge at the SRF Lake Shrine Temple, accepted the Chair’s Award on behalf of the SRF president and spiritual head, Brother Chidananda, at the awards ceremony on April 23 held at the Founder’s Church of Religious Science, located in Koreatown.

The Los Angeles Conservancy produced a video feature on the SRF Lake Shrine, which includes a short interview with Brother Satyananda. This video was played at the 2025 Preservation Awards Ceremony.

“Our Chair’s Award recipient has long been a sacred sanctuary — a place of peace, spiritual reflection, and natural beauty. Through years of dedicated care and preservation, it has remained a refuge for generations of Angelenos,” said Steven McCall, Chair of the Los Angeles Conservancy Board of Directors.

“But recently, that refuge was nearly lost. Wildfires came dangerously close, threatening everything. And yet, it endured — thanks to the quick thinking and advanced preparation of community members and the steadfast leadership of those who’ve long protected it.

“Their courage and commitment didn’t just save a beloved place. They reminded us of something profound: that even in moments of danger and uncertainty, our shared values — and our shared love for these places — can bring us together and carry us through.”

The Los Angeles Conservancy has included a feature on the SRF Lake Shrine in its list of historic places in Los Angeles. 

“We are extremely grateful to the Los Angeles Conservancy for recognizing Self-Realization Fellowship’s stewardship and care of our beloved historic buildings and properties,” Brother Saralananda commented about this award.

“Having completed a few restoration projects over the past few decades, we have a deep appreciation for the additional workload carried by all the LA Conservancy award winners, past and present. For many, there’s an aspect of it being a labor of love, and so we offer our congratulations and deepest respect to all those team members who have accomplished the wonderful projects that the LA Conservancy has highlighted now and in past years.”

Self-Realization Fellowship now has legacy locations with buildings that are between about 75 and 116 years old — such as the SRF Lake Shrine, the SRF Hollywood Temple and Ashram Center, and the SRF International Headquarters — requiring efforts to preserve and protect these properties for many generations to come.

“Being recognized by the Los Angeles Conservancy provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and share the unique history and legacy of Paramahansa Yogananda and SRF in Los Angeles and that legacy’s lasting impact,” said Brother Satyananda.

“This moment is a great opportunity for us to remind people of all faiths or of no particular faith that they are welcome to enjoy the Lake Shrine (as soon as it reopens) and the other sanctuaries established by Yogananda. They can come and sit quietly and pray or meditate, or just enjoy the rejuvenating feeling they get from being in such a beautiful natural setting. These special places are each a safe and welcoming spiritual home for anyone seeking peace and love in this hectic, material world.”

You can read on a different blog post the latest update concerning the reopening of the SRF Lake Shrine, and of multiple recent occasions where SRF members who were affected by the wildfires this past January have been able to gather in divine fellowship with one another and with the support and encouragement of the SRF monks and nuns.