About St. John Chaldean Catholic Church · El Cajon, California
St. John Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic parish in El Cajon, California, and the third Chaldean parish in the San Diego area. It belongs to the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, an Eastern Catholic diocese in full communion with Rome that serves Chaldean Catholics across the western United States. Dedicated in December 2017 with its first Mass celebrated on Christmas Eve of that year, the parish is unique in that it is a monastic church served by the Sons of the Covenant Chaldean Monastery. Worship is offered in three languages — English, Chaldean (Neo-Aramaic), and Arabic — reflecting the Iraqi-Christian heritage of the community it serves.
- Established
- 2017
- Patron
- St. John
- Rector
- Abbot Ankido Sipo
- Diocese
- Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle
Why belong here
St. John Chaldean is a young, monastic Eastern Catholic parish where parishioners experience the ancient Chaldean liturgy — celebrated in Chaldean Aramaic, Arabic, and English — in an intimate setting served by the monks of the Sons of the Covenant. The community offers an unusually rich prayer life, with daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, the full Liturgy of the Hours prayed publicly (Sapra, 'Idana, Ramsha, and Lilya), and regular Rosary devotion. Anyone seeking a connection to the apostolic roots of Christianity and a close-knit Iraqi-Christian heritage community in East County San Diego will find a warm home here.
Mass times at St. John Chaldean Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available during all Sunday Masses (Arabic, Chaldean, English)
Adoration times
- Monday–Friday: 8:30 AM
- Monday–Friday: 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM (Eucharistic Adoration)
About St. John Chaldean Catholic Church
St. John Chaldean Catholic Church is the third Chaldean parish in San Diego, California, serving the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle. The church and its altar were dedicated in December 2017, with the first Mass celebrated on Christmas Eve of that year. The Eparchy purchased the building from another Christian denomination and renovated it for Chaldean liturgical use; it also acquired a small house next door for parish administration, a parking lot, and a larger adjoining house that became the monastery for the monks who serve the parish. The parish is part of the Chaldean Catholic Church, a Patriarchal Church with roots in ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome. Its origins trace to the apostolic preaching of St. Thomas the Apostle in Mesopotamia before his martyrdom in India, and its liturgical language is Chaldean (a form of Neo-Aramaic).
Monastic Heritage — Sons of the Covenant
St. John is a monastic church: it is served by the Sons of the Covenant Chaldean Monastery, a men's monastery sui iuris of eparchial right in the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle. The monks live on the parish property in the monastery house and dedicate themselves to contemplative prayer, communal life, and pastoral service. The abbot of the community, Fr. Ankido Sipo, also serves as the parish's pastor. The monks' mission is to foster communion — unity with God and with one another in God — through common prayer. All the monastery's prayers are open to the public, so that the People of God can join the monks in their Liturgy of the Hours. In addition to prayer, the brothers serve the parish in various ways: as youth ministers, sacristans, and church maintainers; some cultivate artistic gifts in iconography and woodwork. The community also runs the monastery's and parish's web and social media presence.
- Abbot Ankido Sipo — Pastor
- Fr. Augustine Hammi
- Br. Matthew Palander — Prior
- Br. George Koza — Professed Monk
- Br. Andrewval Yacoub — Professed Monk
- Br. Ephrem Khairo — Professed Monk
- Br. Christian Barno — Temporary Vows
- Br. Fahmy Attar — Temporary Vows
- Br. Revan Mksayo — Temporary Vows
- Br. Sinan Salim — Novice
The Chaldean Catholic Tradition
The Chaldean Church is a Patriarchal Church whose homeland is ancient Mesopotamia — modern Iraq. It is one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome, tracing its origins to the apostolic preaching of St. Thomas the Apostle, who evangelized the people of Mesopotamia before his martyrdom in India. The church's liturgical language is Chaldean (a dialect of Neo-Aramaic), and its eucharistic prayer is considered the oldest in continuous use anywhere in the Catholic Church.
Liturgy of the Hours (Open to the Public)
A distinctive feature of this monastic parish is that the full Liturgy of the Hours is prayed publicly and the faithful are warmly invited to join the monks in prayer. The hours include the Chaldean Morning Prayer (Sapra), Midday Prayer ('Idana), Evening Prayer (Ramsha), and Night Prayer (Lilya), each offered in both Chaldean and English throughout the week.
- Sunday: High Sapra (Chaldean) 9:30–10:00 AM; High Sapra (English) 11:30 AM–12:00 PM; Ramsha (English) 6:30–7:00 PM
- Mon–Fri: 8:00–10:00 AM — Rosary, One Hour Eucharistic Adoration, Sapra (Chaldean), Martyr Hymns
- Mon–Fri: 12:00–12:30 PM — 'Idana (English Midday Prayer)
- Mon–Fri: 5:00–6:00 PM — Half Hour Eucharistic Adoration and Ramsha (English Evening Prayer)
- Mon–Fri: 9:00–9:30 PM — Lilya (English Night Prayer)
- Saturday: 9:00–9:30 AM — Sapra (English Morning Prayer); 4:30–5:00 PM — High Ramsha (English) followed by Vigil Mass
Other Devotions
Beyond the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours, the parish maintains several longstanding devotional practices, especially the daily Rosary prayed publicly as part of the morning prayer hour and following the principal English Masses.
- Rosary — Monday through Friday as part of the 8:00–10:00 AM prayer hour
- Rosary following the Sunday 7:00 PM English Mass
- Rosary following the Saturday 5:00 PM English Vigil Mass
- Martyr Hymns — Monday through Friday morning prayer
Ministries & Community Life
Parish ministry at St. John is largely carried out by the monks of the Sons of the Covenant, who serve as youth ministers, sacristans, and church maintainers according to their gifts. The wider Chaldean community is supported by the Mar Toma Council, the local Chaldean community council that played a key role in funding the church's establishment and continues to organize community events and fundraisers in the San Diego area.
- Youth Ministry (served by the monks)
- Sacristan Ministry (served by the monks)
- Liturgical and Pastoral Service (Sons of the Covenant Monastery)
- Knights of Columbus — Mar Toma Council #10981 (community council)
- Iconography and Woodwork (artistic ministries of the monks)
Parish Location, Contact & Visiting
St. John Chaldean Catholic Church is located at 1763 N 1st St, El Cajon, CA 92021, in East County San Diego. The Eparchy acquired a parking lot adjacent to the church for the convenience of parishioners and visitors. The parish office can be reached by phone at (619) 558-5588 or by email at [email protected].
- Address: 1763 N 1st St, El Cajon, CA 92021
- Phone: (619) 558-5588
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://stjohnchaldean.org/
- Parking: on-site lot adjacent to the church