About Saints Peter and Paul · San Francisco, California
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church is a Salesian parish at 666 Filbert Street in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, directly across from Washington Square. Founded in 1884 as California's first national Italian parish, it became a Salesian ministry in 1897 and is popularly known as "la cattedrale italiana dell'Ovest" — the Italian Cathedral of the West. Today the parish serves a multilingual community, offering weekly Masses in English, Italian, and Cantonese, and remains a center of worship, cultural identity, and pilgrimage in the heart of the old Italian quarter.
- Established
- 1884
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul
- Rector
- Fr. Tho Bui, S.D.B.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Francisco
Why belong here
Saints Peter and Paul offers something rare in San Francisco: a Salesian parish in the heart of historic North Beach where Mass is celebrated in English, Italian, and Cantonese every Sunday. With weekday Masses, daily rosary, weekly Bible study, Eucharistic Adoration, religious education (CCD) and OCIA, plus a thriving Salesian Young Adults group (board games, Bible studies, museum trips, volunteering), there's a place for every age and background. It's also a beautiful and welcoming stop for pilgrims and tourists visiting Washington Square — a parish where you can pray, learn, serve, and belong.
Mass times at Saints Peter and Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Friday: 7:00 AM (before 7:00 AM Mass)
- Friday: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Also available during Rectory business hours
Adoration times
- Friday: 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
- 1st Friday of the month (extended)
Our History
The parish was founded on June 29, 1884 by Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany as California's first national Italian parish. The original wooden church at Filbert and Grant (then Dupont) was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. The Salesians of Don Bosco, led by Fr. Raffaele Piperni, have administered the parish since March 11, 1897. The present church, with twin spires reaching 191 feet and a Dante inscription across the facade, was completed in 1924 and has served as the cultural and spiritual heart of North Beach ever since.
- Founded 1884 — first national Italian parish in California
- Salesian administration since 1897
- Original church destroyed April 18, 1906
- Present church completed 1924, twin spires 191 feet
- Subject of five anarchist bombings, 1926–27
- Facade bears a verse from Dante's Paradiso
Clergy and Parish Staff
The parish is led by a team of Salesian priests (S.D.B.) of the Salesians of Don Bosco Western Province, supported by three permanent deacons and lay parish staff.
- Fr. Tho Bui, S.D.B. — Pastor
- Fr. John Lam, S.D.B. — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Al Mengon, S.D.B. — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Damien Quang Ho, S.D.B. — In Residence
- Deacon Edward Te
- Deacon Jose Lopez — Sacristan
- Deacon Dang-Khoa (Khoa) Pham, S.D.B.
Religious Education and OCIA
Faith formation for children and adults is a cornerstone of the parish's Salesian mission. The CCD program welcomes students Kindergarten through Grade 8 and meets Sundays in the school gym. The OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program journeys unbaptized and baptized adults seeking full communion in the Catholic Church, preparing them for the Sacraments of Initiation.
- CCD (Religious Education) — Sundays 9:45 AM – 11:00 AM, K–8, school gym
- OCIA — Wednesdays 7:00–8:30 PM in the Don Bosco room (Sept–Pentecost)
- OCIA covers Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist for adults
- Registration via the parish / Deacon Edward Te ([email protected])
Bible Study and Adult Faith
Adult faith formation includes a weekly Bible Study led by Deacon Khoa Pham and other parish-led Scripture gatherings in Bosco Hall.
- Bible Study — Thursdays 7:00 PM, SS Peter and Paul Bosco Hall
- Led by Deacon Khoa Pham
- Restarted mid-September annually
Salesian Young Adults (YAG)
The parish's Salesian Young Adults group welcomes young adults for faith, friendship, and service. Members meet several times a month for monthly Mass and meetups, board games, Bible studies, movie nights, volunteering, museum tours, and outdoor excursions.
- Monthly Mass and meetups
- Board games and movie nights
- Bible studies and volunteering
- Museum tours and outdoor excursions
- Contact: [email protected]
- Listed in the Bay-wide YAG Grapevine newsletter
Devotions and Cultural Feasts
Living out the parish's Italian-American identity, Saints Peter and Paul keeps alive a calendar of Italian and Sicilian-Calabrian patron-saint feasts, alongside universal Catholic devotions like the daily Rosary.
- Daily Rosary — Mon–Fri 7:30 AM
- Monthly Rosary gathering
- Italian saint-day feasts (San Calogero, Madonna delle Grazie, etc.)
- Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul observed June 29 (transferred to a nearby Sunday for parish celebration)
- Anointing of the Sick at weekday 9:00 AM Mass
Ss. Peter and Paul Salesian School
The parish is home to a Salesian coeducational grammar school that has served North Beach Catholic families since the early 1920s. Originally established by the Salesians in 1925 with two classes, it grew into a full K–8 grammar school taught by Salesian Brothers, Priests, FMA (Salesian Sisters), and lay teachers. The school gym hosts Sunday CCD classes today.
- Founded by the Salesians in September 1925
- Coeducational K–8 grammar school
- Originally accompanied by a Salesian High School (closed during the Great Depression)
- Hosted Religious Education (CCD) in its gym
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed. The Rectory office is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM (closed on weekends), and the church itself is open to all pilgrims and tourists who come to admire its architecture and pray across from Washington Square.
- Address: 666 Filbert Street, San Francisco, CA 94133-2805
- Phone: (415) 421-0809
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon–Fri 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Open to pilgrims and tourists
- Scam warning: any 'missionary' emails claiming SSPP affiliation are fake
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Carlo Franchi1884–1897
Founding pastor; built the original wooden church at Filbert and Dupont (Grant)
- Fr. Raffaele M. Piperni, SDB1897–
Led the first Salesian team to the parish on March 11, 1897