About Our Lady of Angels Church · San Diego, California
Our Lady of Angels Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the Sherman Heights neighborhood of San Diego, California, located at 656 24th Street in the 92102 zip code. Founded in 1906, it is the second-oldest Catholic parish in the city of San Diego and is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Today the parish serves a primarily Spanish-speaking community with four Sunday Masses (three in Spanish, one in English), a daily 6:00 PM Spanish Mass Monday through Friday, weekday Eucharistic Adoration, and Saturday confessions. The parish shares a sister-parish relationship with St. Gregory the Great and is closely associated with the adjoining Our Lady's School.
- Established
- 1906
- Patron
- Our Lady of Angels (Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles)
- Rector
- Father Bernardo Lara
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
Why belong here
Our Lady of Angels is a small but deeply rooted downtown parish where English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics worship side by side. It offers four Sunday Masses, a daily 6 PM Mass, all-day weekday Eucharistic Adoration from 8 AM to 9 PM, and Saturday confessions. A faith-formation program led by a Director of Religious Education serves parish children, and the parish is twinned with St. Gregory the Great for ongoing outreach to needy families. Visitors are welcomed in both English and Spanish and can join a congregation that has been praying in this Sherman Heights landmark since 1906.
Mass times at Our Lady of Angels Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Monday – Friday 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM (Blessed Sacrament exposed; closed Saturdays and Sundays)
Parish History
Our Lady of Angels was founded in 1905–1906 when Father William Quinlan was sent from Los Angeles to build San Diego's second Catholic church. The cornerstone was laid on July 19, 1906, and the first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Day 1906 in a still-unfinished building. Originally a parish of fewer than forty families, it grew through the twentieth century as Irish families were joined, and eventually largely replaced, by Hispanic families moving into the Sherman Heights neighborhood. The parish is the mother community from which the mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe was later carved to serve Mexican families south of the original parish boundaries. Today it is recognized as a landmark of downtown San Diego, both for its 1906 architecture and its restored steeple.
- 1905 – Father William Quinlan sent from Los Angeles to build the church
- July 19, 1906 – cornerstone laid
- December 25, 1906 – first Mass celebrated (before pews and kneelers were installed)
- Early 1900s – parish shaped by Irish immigrant families
- Mid–late 1900s – Hispanic families become the heart of the parish
- 1990 – steeple restoration wins a People in Preservation award
- 1994 – Sister Parish Outreach Ministry with St. Gregory the Great founded
Church Building & Architecture
The church is described in the Sherman Heights Historic District survey as a turn-of-the-century Craftsman interpretation of the Gothic, built in shingles and brick (parts of which were later covered with stucco). Its restored steeple is visible from much of downtown San Diego and won a 1990 People in Preservation award. The parish has also maintained a Photos page documenting recent liturgical celebrations including the Paschal Triduum.
- Craftsman / Gothic style in shingles and brick
- Stucco covering added to parts of the brick later
- Restored steeple — 1990 People in Preservation award
- Paschal Triduum and Holy Week liturgies photographed each year
Parish Staff
Our Lady of Angels is led by a small, bilingual parish team serving the Sherman Heights community. The current pastor is Father Bernardo Lara. Day-to-day operations are supported by two administrative assistants, a Director of Religious Education, and a Facilities Manager.
- Father Bernardo Lara — Pastor
- Norma Fields — Administrative Assistant
- Milagros Ortíz — Administrative Assistant
- Ascensión Olivas — Director of Religious Education
- Gerardo Hernández — Facilities Manager
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious Education (Educación Religiosa) at the parish is directed by Ascensión Olivas and can be reached at (619) 239-1526. The parish also maintains an RCIA / RICA page that gathers resources for those exploring the Catholic faith, including links to daily readings from USCCB, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Holy See website, the Catholic Bible, and the Diocese of San Diego's Safe Environment materials.
- Religious Education office — (619) 239-1526
- Director of Religious Education — Ascensión Olivas
- RCIA / RICA resources page with daily readings, Catechism, Bible and Vatican links
- Diocesan Safe Environment Program for Children and Youth
Sister Parish Outreach
Since 1994, Our Lady of Angels has been twinned with St. Gregory the Great Parish through the Sister Parish Outreach Ministry, founded by Father Jim Poulsen and Father Kenneth Del Priore to share StGG's blessings with OLA's low-income families. The partnership has run a weekly food pantry, a school-supply drive, a tuition-assistance drive for children attending Our Lady's School, a winter blanket drive, a Thanksgiving food drive, and an Adopt-A-Family program at Christmas.
- Weekly food pantry
- School Supply Drive
- Tuition Assistance Drive (for Our Lady's School)
- Blanket Drive
- Thanksgiving Food Drive
- Adopt-A-Family Christmas program
Liturgy & Sacraments
The parish publishes weekly Mass Intentions in both English and Spanish, and posts the Sunday readings (and daily readings via USCCB) directly on its website. Confessions are available Saturday afternoons, and the Blessed Sacrament is exposed Monday through Friday for nearly thirteen hours of daily Adoration. Sacramental preparation for children is coordinated through the Religious Education office.
- Weekly bilingual Mass Intentions published on the website
- Sunday readings posted from USCCB
- Confessions Saturday 4:00 PM or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Visit, Contact & Office Hours
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and again from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM (closed for lunch noon to 1:00 PM, and closed Saturdays and Sundays). The Religious Education office has its own phone line. Mass intentions, donations, and the parish bulletin are all linked from the main page.
- Office hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and 1:00 PM–5:00 PM
- Phone: (619) 239-1231 — Fax: (619) 234-5520
- Email: [email protected]
- Religious Education phone: (619) 239-1526
- Address: 656 24th Street, San Diego, CA 92102
- Online donations accepted via the parish website
- Diocesan misconduct reporting hotline: (858) 490-8353 / [email protected]
Community & Identity
Our Lady of Angels describes itself as a bilingual, bicultural parish where the legacy of its early Irish families and the devotion of its Hispanic families come together to form a reflection of the universal Church. The parish is the second oldest Catholic community in the city of San Diego and serves a primarily low-income, Hispanic population in Sherman Heights, supported in part by its sister-parish relationship with St. Gregory the Great and by its long-running ministry through Our Lady's School.
- Second-oldest Catholic parish in the City of San Diego
- Sherman Heights neighborhood, central San Diego
- Bilingual English/Spanish worship
- Sister parish of St. Gregory the Great (since 1994)
- Connected to Our Lady's School
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father William Quinlan1905–
Sent from Los Angeles in August 1905 to build San Diego's second Catholic church; laid the cornerstone on July 19, 1906 and celebrated the first Mass on Christmas Day 1906.
- Father Kenneth Del Priore
Co-founder (with Fr. Jim Poulsen of St. Gregory the Great) of the Sister Parish Outreach Ministry in 1994.