About St. Christopher Catholic Church · West Covina, California
St. Christopher Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish located at 629 South Glendora Avenue in West Covina, California, in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Founded in 1952, the parish serves a culturally diverse community that worships primarily in English and Vietnamese, with regular weekly Masses in both languages. The parish offers a robust spiritual life including daily Mass, Saturday confessions, Eucharistic Adoration several days a week, and various ministries. It is especially known for its large Vietnamese Catholic community and is a designated site for the Marian devotion of Our Lady of La Vang.
- Established
- 1952
- Patron
- St. Christopher (patron saint of travelers)
- Rector
- Fr. Ben (as referenced by parish email [email protected] — full name not confirmed)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Why belong here
St. Christopher is a multicultural Catholic parish where English-speaking and Vietnamese-speaking Catholics worship side by side, with a Vietnamese Mass on Sunday mornings and Saturday Vietnamese Mass at 7:00 AM. Parishioners can grow in Eucharistic devotion through the daily adoration chapel (open Monday through Friday) and seek the sacrament of Reconciliation every Saturday afternoon from 4:00 to 5:00 PM, with a special Advent Penance Service in December. The parish offers daily Mass Monday through Saturday, Sunday Mass in both English and Vietnamese, Sunday live-stream Mass for the homebound, and a range of ministries and prayer groups documented on its parish website — making it an active, accessible faith community for families, travelers (under the patronage of St. Christopher), and Vietnamese Catholics in the San Gabriel Valley.
Mass times at St. Christopher Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Thursday 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM (Advent Penance Service, one night only)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with Benediction at 5:00 PM
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with Benediction at 5:00 PM
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with Benediction at 5:00 PM
- Per alternate source, the Adoration Chapel is also open Monday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM and Friday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM (with extended 7 PM close on Tuesdays and Thursdays).
About St. Christopher Catholic Church
St. Christopher Catholic Church, located at 629 S. Glendora Ave., West Covina, CA 91790, is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The parish describes itself as 'a faith community of diverse people who gather to joyfully celebrate life, faith, and love in Jesus Christ through serving others.' It is a bilingual, multicultural community serving English-speaking and Vietnamese-speaking Catholics in the San Gabriel Valley. The parish website invites visitors to attend Mass, receive the sacraments, participate in prayer and devotion, and join the Sunday live-stream Mass from home.
- Roman Catholic parish in West Covina, CA
- Parish of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
- Patron: St. Christopher
- Bilingual community (English and Vietnamese)
History of the Parish
Founded in 1952 to serve West Covina's expanding postwar Catholic population, St. Christopher has grown into a multicultural parish with a significant Vietnamese Catholic presence. The campus, anchored on Glendora Avenue in West Covina, has developed over decades into a complex featuring a main church, a South Chapel, and devotional areas including the La Vang shrine honoring Our Lady of La Vang. The parish reflects the broader story of Catholic immigration and growth in the San Gabriel Valley during the second half of the twentieth century.
- Founded 1952 in West Covina, California
- Under the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
- Welcomed Vietnamese Catholic community (especially post-1975)
- Campus named entrances: Guadalupe, La Vang, Christopher
Prayers & Devotion
St. Christopher hosts a 'Prayers & Devotion' section on its parish website (sccwestcovina.net/prayers-devotion) and posts the Daily Readings for Sunday Mass. Devotional life at the parish is centered on the Eucharist (Adoration and Benediction), the sacrament of Reconciliation, and Marian devotions including Our Lady of La Vang for the Vietnamese community.
- Daily Readings posted online
- Marian devotion to Our Lady of La Vang (La Vang shrine area on campus)
- Blessed Sacrament Benediction weekdays
Sunday Live Stream Mass
For parishioners who are homebound, traveling, or otherwise unable to attend Mass in person, St. Christopher provides a Sunday Live Stream Mass accessible through the parish website.
- Sunday Live Stream Mass available via sccwestcovina.net/sunday-live-stream-mass
Parish Vision & Structure
The parish website references a 'Parish Vision & Structure' resource, signaling formal organizational planning for the community's ministry, staff, and lay leadership. Visitors to sccwestcovina.net can read the parish vision documentation to understand how the parish organizes its sacramental, devotional, and outreach activities.
- Parish Vision & Structure page on parish website
Getting to the Parish
St. Christopher's campus is accessed via three named entrances. The Guadalupe Entrance on Glendora Avenue (first driveway / Guadalupe side) is the normal parking-lot entry but is closed during Weekday and Sunday Mass because check-in tables are positioned near the South Chapel, creating a safety concern for entering vehicles. During Mass times, parishioners are directed to use the La Vang Entrance instead. The Christopher Entrance on Christopher Street serves as the main entrance and exit when Mass is being celebrated.
- Guadalupe Entrance (Glendora Ave.): closed during Mass times for safety
- La Vang Entrance: in use during Mass
- Christopher Entrance (Christopher St.): main entrance/exit during Mass
- Phone: (626) 960-1805 for directions
Contact & Visiting Hours
Parish Office hours are Monday through Saturday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The Gift Shop is normally open 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM but is currently suspended until further notice. The parish mailing and street address is 629 S. Glendora Ave., West Covina, CA 91790.
- Parish Office: Monday–Saturday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM; Sunday 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
- Gift Shop: 8:00 AM – 1:30 PM (currently suspended)
- Address: 629 S. Glendora Ave., West Covina, CA 91790
- Phone: (626) 960-1805
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Founding Pastor (1952–)1952–
Parish established in 1952 under the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to serve West Covina; specific founding pastor name not found in searched sources.