About St. Mary Magdalene · Jacumba, California
Mission St. Mary Magdalene is a small Catholic mission church in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, in the southeastern corner of San Diego County along the U.S.–Mexico border. The mission shares its pastoral life with St. Adelaide of Burgundy Parish in nearby Campo, and the two communities are administered together under the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. The mission offers Sunday and weekday Mass, the sacrament of confession before Mass, and Eucharistic adoration with Benediction after the Tuesday evening Mass, serving both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Catholics in a sparsely populated mountain-border region.
- Patron
- St. Mary Magdalene
- Rector
- Father Lauro Minimo (canonical pastor); Deacon Fred Thornton (pastoral administrator, effective Nov. 24, 2025)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
Why belong here
Mission St. Mary Magdalene offers Catholics in the Jacumba Hot Springs area a true small-town parish home, with bilingual (English/Spanish) worship and a deeply communal border-land Catholic identity. Visitors are welcomed to a Sunday Mass and to weekly Eucharistic adoration with Benediction on Tuesdays. Because the mission is paired with St. Adelaide of Burgundy in Campo, parishioners also have access to a fuller sacramental and ministry life than its size alone might suggest, while still enjoying the intimacy of a tight-knit worshipping community.
Mass times at St. Mary Magdalene
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- One hour before each Mass at St. Mary Magdalene
Adoration times
- Adoration with Benediction following the Tuesday 5:00 PM Mass at St. Mary Magdalene
Parish Identity & Diocese
Mission St. Mary Magdalene is a Catholic mission in Jacumba Hot Springs (commonly called Jacumba), in southeastern San Diego County, California. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego and is canonically linked with St. Adelaide of Burgundy Parish in nearby Campo. Together the two communities share a pastor and a single administrative life, with mail, donations and many ministries coordinated between the two locations.
- Type: Mission (canonically paired with St. Adelaide of Burgundy, Campo)
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
- Deanery grouping includes both St. Adelaide of Burgundy, Campo, and St. Mary Magdalene in the Diocese of San Diego's east-county listings
History of the Mission
St. Mary Magdalene has been a small Catholic mission serving the Jacumba community for many decades. The earliest documented priest in charge found in diocesan records is Father Earl Ullman, who served as administrator of St. Mary Magdalene, Jacumba, in 1947–49 alongside his assignment to St. Mary's, Escondido. For much of its modern history the mission has been led by the pastor of St. Adelaide of Burgundy, Campo, including Father David (Dave) Leon, who also served as the Diocese of San Diego's contact for COURAGE.
- 1947–49: Father Earl Ullman, administrator
- Father David (Dave) Leon: pastor of St. Adelaide / Mission St. Mary Magdalene; diocesan contact for COURAGE
- December 2025: Father Lauro Minimo named canonical pastor; Deacon Fred Thornton appointed pastoral administrator effective Nov. 24, 2025
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The mission and its companion parish in Campo are currently led by Father Lauro Minimo as canonical pastor, with Deacon Fred Thornton serving as pastoral administrator (effective November 24, 2025). Father David (Dave) Leon, the long-time pastor, remains a recognizable figure in the community's recent life and in the wider diocese through his COURAGE apostolate work and his online reflections.
- Father Lauro Minimo — canonical pastor (effective Dec. 2025)
- Deacon Fred Thornton — pastoral administrator (effective Nov. 24, 2025)
- Father David (Dave) Leon — recent pastor; diocesan contact for COURAGE
Community Life & Bilingual Worship
Like its companion parish in Campo, Mission St. Mary Magdalene sits along the U.S.–Mexico border and serves a community with both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Catholics. The joint parish schedule offers Spanish-language Mass at St. Adelaide in Campo on Sundays at 12:30 PM, and the Jacumba mission itself has introduced a bilingual Sunday Mass option.
- Border-land Catholic community in southeastern San Diego County
- Spanish-language Mass celebrated at St. Adelaide, Campo (Sunday 12:30 PM)
- Bilingual Sunday Mass at 9:00 AM in Jacumba beginning October 4
Visit, Contact & Giving
The mission shares its phone number and mailing address with St. Adelaide of Burgundy in Campo, reflecting the joint pastoral arrangement. Visitors can reach the parish office by phone or email, and donations may be made online through the parish website or mailed to the shared P.O. Box.
- Address: 44686 Calexico Avenue, Jacumba Hot Springs, CA 91934
- Mailing address for both parishes: P.O. Box 369, Campo, CA 91906
- Phone: (619) 478-1017
- Email: [email protected]
- Online giving: available via the parish website (stadelaidestmarymagdalene.com)
Getting to Jacumba
Jacumba Hot Springs is a small community in the southeastern corner of San Diego County, near the U.S.–Mexico border. The mission is located on Calexico Avenue. Travelers coming from San Diego typically take Interstate 8 east toward El Centro; Jacumba is roughly an hour east of the city. Because the community is small and rural, those visiting should plan accordingly, especially around evening or weekday Mass times.
- Located in Jacumba Hot Springs, southeastern San Diego County
- Accessible via Interstate 8 (roughly one hour east of San Diego)
- Close to the U.S.–Mexico border
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Earl Ullman1947–1949
Served as administrator of St. Mary Magdalene, Jacumba, while also assigned to St. Mary's, Escondido, in the Diocese of San Diego.
- Father David (Dave) Leon
Pastor of St. Adelaide of Burgundy, Campo, with responsibility for Mission St. Mary Magdalene, Jacumba; diocesan contact for COURAGE; posts Divine Will reflections on YouTube.
- Father Lauro MinimoEffective Dec. 2025
Appointed canonical pastor of St. Adelaide of Burgundy Parish, Campo, and Mission St. Mary Magdalene, Jacumba, by the Office of the Bishop.
- Deacon Fred ThorntonEffective Nov. 24, 2025
Appointed pastoral administrator of St. Adelaide / Mission St. Mary Magdalene.