About St. Charles · San Diego, California
St. Charles Catholic Church (originally St. Charles Parish, Imperial Beach) is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of San Diego serving Imperial Beach and the South Bay area of San Diego County. Founded in 1946 under the patronage of St. Charles Borromeo, it sits at 990 Saturn Boulevard in San Diego's 92154 ZIP code and bills itself as the most southwestern Catholic parish in the continental United States. With roughly 3,200–3,500 registered families, the parish runs a parish school, a preschool, a Catechetical Center, an active outreach ministry (St. Charles Caritas), and a weekly Mass schedule that includes a regular Spanish Mass.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- St. Charles Borromeo
- Rector
- Father Emilio Magaña
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
Why belong here
St. Charles is a Christ-focused, bilingual (English and Spanish), family-centered Catholic community serving Imperial Beach and the South Bay — billed as the most southwestern Catholic parish in the continental United States. Parishioners can worship at one of five Sunday Masses (including a Spanish Mass at 11:30 AM), send children to the on-site St. Charles Catholic School and Preschool, enroll them in the parish's Catechetical Center, and pray through weekly Eucharistic Adoration, the Tuesday Fatima Devotion, and Saturday confessions. Outreach is a major part of parish life: the parish hosts the South Bay Nutrition Program for seniors and is home to St. Charles Caritas, a lay-run charity that ships food and supplies to families and religious communities on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border and in the Philippines.
Mass times at St. Charles
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30–4:30 PM (inside the church)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday after the 7:30 AM Mass until 5:00 PM Benediction (followed by 5:00 PM Spanish Mass)
- Fridays 4:15–5:15 PM
Parish History
St. Charles was born from the post-World War II growth of the South Bay. After Bishop Charles Buddy approved a new parish for Nestor, Palm City, and Imperial Beach in the summer of 1946, the Egger family donated land and a chapel-house, and parishioners hauled surplus Navy barracks north to Port Hueneme and back to build the first church. That temporary church was dedicated on Christmas Eve 1946, with Bishop Buddy, Fr. Francis McGann, OSB, and the Bob Mitchell Boys Choir of Hollywood.
- First Mass celebrated October 6, 1946 by Bishop Charles E. Buddy in the Egger family chapel-house, with 36 parishioners present.
- Fr. Cornelius J. Monoghan named first pastor; succeeded in November 1946 by Fr. Francis McGann, OSB due to Fr. Monoghan's illness.
- Altar Society and Holy Name Society formally organized October 14, 1946.
- First church dedicated Christmas Eve 1946; the day's celebration ended at the Hotel del Coronado.
- 1959 fire partially destroyed the original church, which was then rebuilt.
- Current church at Nineteenth and Elder dedicated January 23, 1966 by Bishop Francis J. Furey.
- Eggers' continued land gifts grew the parish compound to its present eight acres.
Architecture and Campus
The parish sits on an eight-acre compound made up of land parcels donated over the years by the Egger family. The present church, built 1965–66, is a contemporary cruciform design reflecting Vatican II, with a Blessed Sacrament Chapel added to the west side in the early 1980s and a Parish Center (meeting hall, kitchen, meeting rooms, upstairs Catechetical Center and youth offices) completed in the late 1980s.
- Contemporary cruciform church design — altar visible from all sides.
- Decorative grillwork behind the altar designed and produced by parishioners.
- Blessed Sacrament Chapel added on the west side under Fr. Mullarkey.
- 1988 Parish Center with stage, full kitchen, and Catechetical Center upstairs.
- Former convent (built by Msgr. Daniels for the Sisters of Mercy) converted into a diocesan Retreat Center.
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Religious education at St. Charles is served by the parish school, the preschool, and the separate Catechetical Center that operates Monday through Friday from the second floor of the Parish Hall.
- St. Charles Catholic School (PK–8) — principal Sylvia Benning, (619) 423-3701, www.saintcharlesschool.com.
- St. Charles Catholic Preschool — director Oralia Puga, (619) 423-0784.
- Catechetical Center — director Alicia Policarpio, (619) 575-2240.
- RCIA / Adult Initiation offered on-site.
- First Eucharist and First Reconciliation preparation through the school and Catechetical Center.
- Youth Ministry office located in the upstairs of the Parish Center.
Outreach and Charity
Outreach is a defining mark of the parish, anchored by St. Charles Caritas and the long-running South Bay Nutrition Program. St. Charles Caritas began in 2001 when parishioner Merlyn Baker approached then-pastor Msgr. Dennis Mikulanis about helping a charity in Tijuana; it has since grown into a multi-country effort.
- St. Charles Caritas — provides food, toiletry items, and a 'Pastoral Charity Fund' for rent and utility emergencies.
- Jim's Project Homeless Help — 100 bags of food and toiletries distributed monthly to homeless in the South Bay.
- International sponsorships: La Casa de Cuna (Tijuana, ~70 children); Beato Juan Pablo II / Casa Hogar (Tijuana seniors); Monasterio del Inmaculado Corazón de María; Centro de Salud Esperanza; Casa Hogar Santa Teresita (Ensenada).
- Feed the Children and Rosary Evangelization programs in the Philippines.
- South Bay Nutrition Program — meals for senior citizens, founded 1974, continues today in the old parish hall / former church building.
- St. Charles Caritas has no overhead costs; expenses are covered by volunteers.
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation and celebration are coordinated through the Parish Office, the school, and the Catechetical Center. The parish asks engaged couples to give nine months' notice before marriage.
- Baptism — contact the Parish Office.
- Marriage — contact the Parish Office (nine-month notice required).
- Reconciliation — Saturdays 3:30–4:30 PM or by appointment.
- First Eucharist and First Reconciliation — second-grade preparation through the school and Catechetical Center.
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the Parish Office.
- RCIA for adults seeking initiation into the Catholic Church.
Parish Organizations and Groups
Two of the parish's oldest lay organizations — the Altar Society and the Holy Name Society — were formed even before the first pastor arrived in October 1946. Today the parish continues to host a wide range of parish organizations, supported by the meeting rooms in the Parish Center.
- Altar Society (founded October 14, 1946).
- Holy Name Society (founded October 14, 1946).
- Youth Ministry.
- Bible Study groups.
- Engaged Encounter retreats (hosted at the parish Retreat Center).
- Women's and men's parish organizations meeting in the Parish Center.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Cornelius J. Monoghan1946
First pastor appointed for the newly formed South Bay parish; succeeded quickly due to illness.
- Father Francis McGann, OSBNovember 1946–c. 1948
Former Navy chaplain; arranged to bring surplus barracks from Port Hueneme to build the first church; celebrated the Christmas Eve 1946 dedication Mass with Bishop Buddy.
- Monsignor Richard Danielsfrom 1952
Used the original Egger house as the rectory; built a convent for the Sisters of Mercy and began construction of the larger 1954 church.
- Father Stadlerthrough 1970
Predecessor of Fr. Harnett; pastorate ended in 1970 when he 'moved on.'
- Father Timothy Harnett1970–1979
Census rose past 1,200 families; founded the South Bay Nutrition Program in 1974 for senior citizens.
- Father Patrick Mullarkey1979–c. 1990
Added Blessed Sacrament Chapel and made sanctuary changes; converted the old convent into a Retreat Center; broke ground in 1988 for the Parish Center.
- Monsignor Richard Duncanson1990–1992
Eighth shepherd of St. Charles; the parish continued to grow in ethnic and cultural diversity under his leadership.
- Monsignor Dennis L. Mikulanis1992–2002
Appointed by Bishop Robert Brom as pastor with a census approaching 3,500 registered families; later made a monsignor; became Vicar for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Diocese of San Diego; retired from active ministry in 2023.
- Father Emilio Magaña2016–present
Current pastor; has supported and expanded the parish's outreach ministries including St. Charles Caritas.