About Star of the Sea · San Francisco, California
Star of the Sea is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of San Francisco serving the Richmond District — the Inner Richmond, between the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. The parish is particularly devoted to the Blessed Sacrament: it keeps its church doors open every day from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM and operates San Francisco's first 24/7 Parish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. It is also distinctive as one of the few parishes that celebrate Mass in both the Ordinary Form (English) and the Extraordinary Form (Traditional Latin Mass, with rubrics codified in the 1500s), and it counts 16 altars dedicated to the most important Marian apparitions — a 'shrine parish' for Our Lady. The parish grounds also host a year-round preschool, Stella Maris Academy (Classical Catholic K–8), and Nativity High School (Classical 9–12).
- Established
- 1887
- Patron
- Our Lady, Star of the Sea (Stella Maris)
- Rector
- Fr. Joseph Illo
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Francisco
Why belong here
Star of the Sea is a 'shrine parish' committed to the Holy Eucharist as the center of parish life: Mass in both English (Ordinary Form) and Latin (Extraordinary Form) multiple times a day, daily confessions before Mass, public rosary after every Mass, and San Francisco's first 24/7 Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel. The parish invests in families — a year-round preschool, the classical Stella Maris Academy (K–8), Nativity High School (9–12) on the same campus, an active Marriage and Family Apostolate, a vibrant Young Adults group (18–35), family catechesis including the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (ages 3–6), and an OCIA (formerly RCIA) process for adults. It also reaches out into the city with weekly food and clothing for the poorest and former-convent affordable housing. Visitors consistently remark on being warmly welcomed by what the parish calls 'a family of families.'
Mass times at Star of the Sea
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Weekday Masses: 7:00 AM — after the Mass; 12:00 noon and 6:00 PM — 15 minutes before the Masses
- Saturdays: 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
- Sundays: During the Masses
Adoration times
- 24/7 Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel — San Francisco's first 24/7 parish adoration chapel (adorers commit to a weekly holy hour)
Welcome & About Star of the Sea
Star of the Sea is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, located at 4420 Geary Boulevard in the Richmond District and serving San Francisco at large. The pastor's welcome page stresses that the parish's mission is to evangelize God's people, beginning with the gift of the Holy Eucharist: the center of parish life is the Holy Mass and Eucharistic adoration, with frequent confessions and a public rosary after every Mass. The pastor writes that a deep devotion to the Mother of God under her title Star of the Sea — because the Golden Gate Bridge lies within parish boundaries — draws the community toward the Sacraments of Christ. The parish grounds house a year-round preschool, the Classical Catholic Stella Maris Academy (K–8), and the parish-supported Nativity High School (9–12) on the same campus.
- Mission: to evangelize God's people, beginning with the gift of the Holy Eucharist.
- The church doors are open every day 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM as 'an oasis of prayer and Christian community.'
- San Francisco's first 24/7 Parish Perpetual Adoration Chapel is onsite.
- The church is dedicated as a 'shrine parish' for Marian apparitions, with 16 altars.
History of Star of the Sea Parish
Catholicism at this site begins on March 28, 1776, when three Franciscan priests with the Anza expedition offered Mass near present-day Mountain Lake Park — Fr. Illo commemorated this 250th anniversary with a Latin Mass in the park on March 28, 2026. By the 1870s the 'Outside Lands' west of the cemeteries was a stretch of sand dunes, sagebrush, and Irish horse and dairy farms around the Bay District Track at Arguello and Geary; locals called the foggy area 'Pneumonia Gulch.' In 1886, 41 Irish Catholic families felt ready to maintain a church of their own; on Easter Sunday 1887 the first Mass was offered at Farrell's Dance Hall at 9th and Geary, and within a year they had built a 500-seat frame church for $10,000, which served as a mission for six years. Father John P. Coyle, the first native San Franciscan to be ordained a Catholic priest, became the first pastor in 1894; he led the community through the 1906 earthquake and died two years later.
- Easter Sunday 1887 — first Mass at Farrell's Dance Hall, 9th & Geary.
- 1888 — Irish families build a 500-seat frame church for $10,000.
- 1894 — promoted from mission to full parish; Fr. John P. Coyle first pastor.
- 1906 — parish survives the great earthquake; rapid post-earthquake growth.
- 1908 — Fr. Philip O'Ryan from Tipperary becomes second pastor.
- 1909 — opens Star of the Sea Grammar School (Sisters of St. Joseph), 137 pupils.
- 1937 — Golden Gate Bridge opens; a second 'Star of the Sea' parish is created in Sausalito for the northern half.
- Eight more pastors follow across the 20th century through demographic shifts.
- Trinity Sunday, May 26, 2013 — Traditional Latin Mass resumes regular celebration.
- Recent years — 24/7 Perpetual Adoration, 16 Marian shrines, Stella Maris Academy and Nativity High School reopened.
Parish Clergy & Staff
Fr. Joseph Illo — baptized at Our Lady Star of the Sea in City Island, the Bronx, and ordained in 1991 in Stockton, California — is the current pastor; he previously pastored St. Joseph's in Modesto and served as chaplain at Thomas Aquinas College. He is assisted by three parochial vicars and a deacon who doubles as Parish Manager.
- Fr. Joseph Illo — Pastor
- Fr. Michael Konopik — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Javier Olivera Ravasi — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. James Liebner — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Albear (Albert) Nimri — Parish Manager; lector coordinator
- Mariella Zevallos — Director of Communications & Parish Life
- Thelma Queri — Bookkeeper & HR Coordinator
- Karolina Zapolska — Director of Sacred Music Program
- Lynn Kraehling — Parish Organist
- Juan Carlos Lopez — Sacristan
- Dennis Ow — Maintenance and Facilities
- Santiago Ron — Front Desk / Admin Assistant
Masses & Liturgy
Star of the Sea operates one of the most full Mass schedules in the Archdiocese, celebrating both the Ordinary Form and the 1962 Extraordinary Form (Traditional Latin Mass). A public rosary follows every Mass; Lauds are prayed Monday–Friday at 6:45 AM and Vespers at 5:45 PM.
- Weekday Masses (Mon–Fri): 7:00 AM Latin Low Mass, 12:00 PM English Mass, 6:00 PM English Mass.
- Saturday Masses: 8:30 AM English, 12:00 PM Latin Low Mass, 4:30 PM Vigil Mass (English).
- Sunday Masses: 8:00 AM English, 9:30 AM English Sung, 11:30 AM Latin Sung, 7:30 PM English Sung.
- Holy Day Masses: 7:00 AM Latin, 12:00 noon English, 6:00 PM Sung Latin Mass.
Apostolates & Parish Groups
Parish apostolates — the parish's word for lay ministries — are organized through a community-life umbrella. They include family-focused, young-adult, and outreach ministries that allow parishioners to place their time and talents at the service of God and one another.
- Marriage and Family Apostolate — playground fellowship (First Fridays), Well-Read Mom book club, Park Day, Family Lunch, quarterly Parents' Night Out with childcare, trivia nights, sing-alongs, catechetical talks.
- Young Adults (ages 18–35) — Thursdays after the 6:00 PM Mass in the parish school gym; shared meals, clergy talks, Lectio Divina, retreats, hikes, sports.
- Hospitality / volunteer corps — greeting, setup/takedown, food, flowers, events support.
- Outreach to the Poor — weekly food and clothing distribution to the poorest of the city.
- Affordable housing in the parish's former convent building.
Faith Formation — OCIA & Family Catechesis
Adults seeking Baptism, Confirmation, or Eucharist join the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program, meeting every other Wednesday from 7:00–8:30 PM in the parish school gym (2nd floor). Children are served through a Family Catechesis program that prepares them for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation, with exit interviews conducted by the pastor before any sacrament is conferred. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Level I, ages 3–6) is offered in the Atrium in the parish preschool.
- OCIA — every other Wednesday, 7:00–8:30 PM; coordinator Greg Moeck.
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (ages 3–6) — two Sundays a month, 10:30–11:20 AM.
- Penance & Eucharist preparation class (First Holy Communion) — Sundays 10:30–11:20 AM at Stella Maris Academy.
- Baptism class for children ages 7–12.
- Tuition $100/child; scholarships available; ~45-minute weekly classes, September through first week of May.
Schools on Campus
Two classical Catholic schools and a year-round preschool share the parish's Geary Boulevard campus and benefit from close integration with parish life.
- Stella Maris Academy — Classical Catholic, K–8, 360 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118; (628) 977-4836; www.stellamarissf.org; Headmaster John Monaco.
- Nativity High School — Classical Catholic, 9–12, 350 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118; (415) 322-9229; [email protected]; www.nativityhs.org.
- Year-round parish Preschool (Atrium used for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd).
Music & Sacred Music Program
The parish maintains a dedicated Sacred Music Program under a Director of Sacred Music and a Parish Organist in support of both the English and Latin Masses.
- Karolina Zapolska — Director of Sacred Music Program.
- Lynn Kraehling — Parish Organist.
16 Marian Shrines — A Shrine Parish
Welcome describes Star of the Sea as 'a shrine parish for the many apparitions of Our Lady throughout history,' with 16 altars throughout the church dedicated to the most important Marian apparitions. Daytime tours and pilgrimages can be scheduled through the parish office; the church is open every day for visits.
- 16 altars to important Marian apparitions throughout the church.
- Day tours and group pilgrimages are available by appointment.
- First Friday Mass offered for the 1,800+ souls lost on the Golden Gate Bridge, which lies within parish boundaries.
Pastor & Publications
The pastor maintains a personal blog (frilloblog.com) and has written a parish history, 'Star of the West — A History of Star of the Sea Parish, San Francisco,' which traces the parish from the 1776 Anza expedition through the 2020 pandemic. A weekly bulletin is published and posted online.
- Fr. Illo's blog: www.frilloblog.com
- 'Star of the West' by Fr. J. Illo — available through the parish office.
- Weekly bulletin posted to starparish.com.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John P. Coyle1894–c.1908
First pastor; first native San Franciscan ordained a Catholic priest; led the parish through the 1906 earthquake; died two years later.
- Father Philip O'Ryanc.1908–?
Second pastor; young priest from County Tipperary, Ireland; opened Star of the Sea Grammar School with the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1909 (137 pupils in year one).
- Father Joseph Illo2012–present (current)
Baptized at Our Lady Star of the Sea in the Bronx; ordained 1991 in Stockton; brought back the Traditional Latin Mass (since Trinity Sunday 2013) and San Francisco's first 24/7 parish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel.