About Founders' Chapel (University of San Diego) · San Diego, California
Founders' Chapel is the Catholic parish chapel at the heart of the University of San Diego (USD), serving the spiritual needs of the university's students, faculty, and staff within the Diocese of San Diego. Geared to university life, it offers daily 12:15 p.m. weekday Mass year-round (except university holidays), Sunday evening Masses at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. during the Fall and Spring semesters, and a Wednesday night 9:00 p.m. Mass for Peace during the academic year. The chapel is one of two Catholic worship sites on the Alcala Park campus — the other being The Immaculata — and is the primary hub for University Ministry, which coordinates liturgical life, retreats, faith formation, sacramental preparation, immersion trips, and pastoral care for the entire USD community.
- Established
- 1949
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
Why belong here
Founders' Chapel is the spiritual home of the University of San Diego Catholic community — a place where students can pause in the middle of a busy academic week for daily Mass at 12:15 p.m. or for the Wednesday night Mass for Peace, and gather as a community for Sunday evening liturgies at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. during the semester. Through University Ministry it offers everything from RCIA and Confirmation preparation to retreats, immersion trips to Tijuana, small faith communities, one-on-one spiritual direction, and pastoral counseling — making it easy to belong, serve, and grow in faith while in college.
Mass times at Founders' Chapel (University of San Diego)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 12:00 PM – 12:10 PM (Only during Fall and Spring sessions)
Founders' Chapel at the University of San Diego
Founders' Chapel is the central Catholic worship space of the University of San Diego, located at 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110. It sits within the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego and serves the entire USD community — undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff — through daily Mass, Sunday evening liturgies, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, retreats, faith formation, and pastoral care. The chapel is operated through the University's Office of University Ministry.
History of the University and Campus
The University of San Diego was founded in 1949 when Mother Rosalie Hill and the Religious of the Sacred Heart opened the San Diego College for Women on the mesa above Mission Bay. From the very start, the campus was laid out around Catholic worship: Mother Rosalie Hill developed the original master plan alongside architect Frank L. Hope Jr., creating a strong central axis along Marian Way. Founders' Chapel has been part of that plan from the beginning and remains the principal liturgical center for the university community, complementing its sister church, The Immaculata.
- USD founded 1949 as San Diego College for Women
- Original campus master plan by Mother Rosalie Hill with architect Frank L. Hope Jr.
- Renaissance-style axial layout along Marian Way
- Founders' Chapel located at the center of the Alcala Park campus
Architecture and Campus Style
The Founders Hall and Camino Hall buildings — which frame Founders' Chapel on campus — were designed by Frank L. Hope Jr.'s firm, while Edwin Ulrich contributed the nearby Immaculata church and other key structures. The overall campus is described as plateresque, a Spanish architectural style from 1492 to 1556 — named after the silversmiths (plateros) who put fine detail into their work — and predates the better-known Baroque style of San Diego's Balboa Park.
- Plateresque architectural style (1492–1556 Spanish)
- Frank L. Hope Jr. designed Founders and Camino Halls
- Edwin Ulrich designed the nearby Immaculata church
- Strong central axis along Marian Way
University Ministry Staff and Chaplains
Founders' Chapel is served by a large University Ministry team that includes ordained chaplains, lay university ministers, and resident ministers living in the residence halls. University Chaplains include Fr. Michael T. White, C.S.Sp. (Spiritans), Fr. Gino Correa, O.F.M. (Franciscan), and Fr. Greg McGivern. The division is led by Michael Lovette-Colyer, Ph.D., Vice President for Mission Integration, and includes ministers serving at Founders Chapel such as Annette Welsh, plus a wider team of university ministers and resident ministers across all the residence halls.
- Fr. Michael T. White, C.S.Sp. — University Chaplain
- Fr. Gino Correa, O.F.M. — University Chaplain
- Fr. Greg McGivern — University Chaplain
- Michael Lovette-Colyer, Ph.D. — VP for Mission Integration
- Sr. Virginia Rodee, R.S.C.J. — AVP for Mission
- Julia Campagna, Andrew McMillin, Mark Peters, Mary Kruer, Maria Gaughan — University Ministers
- Annette Welsh — University Minister at Founders Chapel
- Christian Santa Maria — Director of University Ministry
- Resident Ministers across the residence halls
Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation
University Ministry runs a full slate of faith formation offerings out of Founders' Chapel and the Ministry Center, including RCIA (for unbaptized and catechized adults preparing to enter the Church), Confirmation preparation for already-baptized Catholics, Bible study groups, and the St. Didacus Leaders Retreat for student leaders seeking to deepen the link between faith and justice.
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Confirmation preparation
- Bible Study
- St. Didacus Leaders Retreat
Retreats
Retreats are a hallmark of USD's University Ministry. The Pre-Orientation Retreat welcomes incoming students at the start of the year, and additional retreats are offered throughout the year — including the St. Didacus Leaders Retreat and others — providing space away from campus for prayer, reflection, and community building.
- Pre-Orientation Retreat
- St. Didacus Leaders Retreat
- Additional retreats throughout the year
Immersion Trips and Service
University Ministry facilitates immersion and service trips to the U.S.–Mexico border and Latin America, with the flagship Tijuana Day Trip running monthly in partnership with Casa del Migrante and the parish community of Parroquia María Inmaculada. Longer immersions have been run to El Salvador, Chiapas, Nicaragua, and East Los Angeles. The program, now nearly 20 years old, emphasizes encounter and accompaniment as its core values.
- Tijuana Day Trip (monthly)
- Partnership with Casa del Migrante
- Immersions to El Salvador, Chiapas, Nicaragua, East Los Angeles
- Border tour and Casa del Migrante dinner
Music Ministry and Choir
The Founders' Chapel Choir & Music Ministry supports the parish's liturgical celebrations, particularly the Sunday evening and special Masses. Student and community musicians are welcome to participate in leading the sung prayer of the assembly.
- Choir
- Music Ministry for Sunday and special liturgies
Pastoral Care and Spiritual Direction
Pastoral care at Founders' Chapel is offered through the University Ministry Center (Hahn University Center #238, extension 4735). Students can schedule one-time or ongoing spiritual direction sessions with a chaplain or minister, and the staff also provides pastoral counseling and confidential support during difficult moments. Resident Ministers live in each residence hall community and are a frontline pastoral presence for undergraduates.
- Spiritual direction (one-time or ongoing)
- Pastoral counseling
- Resident Ministers in each residence hall
- Confidential pastoral referrals via Michael Lovette-Colyer
Center for Christian Spirituality
The Center for Christian Spirituality, directed through USD's Mission office, extends the ministry of Founders' Chapel beyond the campus to faculty, staff, and the wider San Diego community through lectures, prayer series, workshops, and certificate programs. It also houses the Mission Integration Institute.
- Major lectures
- Prayer series
- Workshops and certificate programs
- Mission Integration Institute
Getting to Founders' Chapel
Founders' Chapel is at 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110, on the Alcala Park campus of the University of San Diego. It is marked as building C1 on the official USD campus map, with The Immaculata as C2. Visitors should consult the campus map for parking; the chapel is reachable on foot from the main campus along Marian Way.
- Address: 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110
- Campus map reference: C1 (Founders Chapel), C2 (The Immaculata)
- Phone: (619) 260-4735
- Email: [email protected]