A Hexagonal Sanctuary at Catalina and Chatsworth
All Souls' Episcopal Church rises from the corner of Catalina Boulevard and Chatsworth Boulevard in San Diego's Point Loma neighborhood as one of the most distinctive small churches on the peninsula. Its mid-century modern sanctuary, dedicated in 1969, takes the shape of a hexagon that follows the angles of its corner lot, with a simple cross at the center where the six points meet. Architect Robert Mosher, who also designed the Coronado Bridge, considered the design a personal favorite among his many buildings. Behind the altar, a stained-glass window by the well-known local artist James Hubbell floods the nave with color. The campus includes three buildings: the sanctuary itself, Gooden Hall, and the Sunday school and office wing, along with a columbarium built in 1970 as a resting place for cremated remains.
The Fritts & Richards Opus 5 and the Choir
Music is at the core of All Souls' worship life, rooted in the Anglican choral tradition with a commitment to excellence. The Choir of All Souls' Church, made up of professional and volunteer singers, sings at the weekly Choral Eucharist, quarterly Evensongs, Holy Days, and other principal services throughout the year, drawing on a repertoire that runs from plainchant to liturgical music of our own day. Their work is supported by the Fritts & Richards Opus 5 pipe organ, the only mechanical-action organ of its kind in San Diego and one of a handful in Southern California. Dedicated on April 6, 1986, the instrument takes inspiration from seventeenth-century Northern German designs and features gold-leafed carvings of Pacific Ocean sea creatures by artist Jude Fritts. It has hosted performances by Dame Gillian Weir and Marie-Claire Alain and is regularly used by the American Guild of Organists for recitals and master classes. The Bach Collegium San Diego, led by Founder and Artistic Director Ruben Valenzuela, serves as the parish's Ensemble-in-Residence and brings historically informed performances of Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical repertoire to Point Loma.
The parish also nurtures the next generation of singers through the All Souls' Choristers Program, affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music (America). Open to young singers ages 8 to 18 regardless of musical background, the choristers rehearse every Wednesday from 4 to 5:15 p.m., sing a monthly Sunday Eucharist, and lead a quarterly Evensong. The program is offered tuition free, and All Souls' is certified by the Episcopal Church's Safeguarding God's People program.
Sunday Worship, Saturday Celtic Eucharist, and Mornings of Prayer
All Souls' is a liturgically traditional parish that follows the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (Rite II) and observes seasons and rituals that Christians have celebrated for nearly two millennia. Sunday worship centers on the Holy Eucharist. At 8 a.m. the Spoken Eucharist is a quiet, reflective service with no music, identical otherwise to the later liturgy and usually lasting about fifty minutes. At 10:15 a.m. the Eucharist with Music brings together congregational hymns, anthems sung by the choir, and organ accompaniment in a service that many parents and grandparents attend with their little ones; it typically runs about seventy minutes. Coffee hour and fellowship follow both services.
On Saturday evenings at 5 p.m. the parish offers a family-friendly Celtic Mass that reads the Sunday lessons and replaces the sermon with rich conversation. Prayers are drawn from liturgical resources in Scotland, Ireland, and England, and the service emphasizes the goodness of God and all creation. Quarterly on Sundays at 5 p.m., Choral Evensong follows the shape of the 1662 English Book of Common Prayer with psalms, hymns, scripture readings, prayers, and music, closing the day with prayer and thanksgiving; a light reception usually follows.
Beyond these principal services, the parish keeps a steady rhythm of prayer. Morning Prayer gathers on Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom for psalms, Scripture, and prayers in the classic Anglican tradition. Bible Study meets on Tuesdays at noon, in person in the Sherman Room or online. Centering Prayer is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 4 p.m. On Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. the parish gathers in the Sherman Room and on Zoom for about forty-five minutes of mostly silent prayer and reflection in a service called Praying in These Times.
The Prayground, Children's Chapel, and Youth Group
Children are welcome at every service at All Souls'. At the front of the church the parish has set up the PRAYground, a safe and caring worship space equipped with books, coloring pages, interactive children's bulletins, and manipulatives for little ones to use during the liturgy. There is also a quiet space for nursing mothers who want to sit comfortably, change diapers, and still enjoy the service. It is the philosophy of the parish that children's spiritual formation is best served by their attendance at worship.
During the 10:15 a.m. Sunday Eucharist, after the Gospel reading, the Children, Youth and Family Minister escorts children to Children's Chapel in a nearby room for Bible readings, a children's sermon, activities, and prayers. They return to the sanctuary in time for Holy Communion with their families; parents are welcome to accompany them. On the third Sunday of each month, the Youth Group gathers from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Youth Room for fellowship, spiritual formation, games, movies, service projects, and pizza. All persons in grades 6 through 12 are welcome. During Advent and Lent, families also enjoy Kids' Night Out on a Friday evening for dinner, games, crafts, and a movie.
The Labyrinth and the Sacraments
Walking the parish's outdoor labyrinth has become a quiet spiritual practice at All Souls'. The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in many cultures, a universal symbol with a single path and no dead ends. It is offered as an inclusive sacred space that welcomes all faith traditions. Some come with questions, others come to relax or during times of grief and loss. The parish shares resources on praying with the labyrinth and reflects on the words of Thomas Merton: I have no idea where I am going... I will not fear, for you are ever with me.
The parish celebrates the seven Sacraments of the Episcopal Church: Baptism, which usually takes place during the main Sunday Eucharist; the Eucharist, where all baptized Christians are invited to receive Holy Communion as the real presence of Christ; Confirmation, performed by the bishop during the annual visitation; Marriage, available to all couples regardless of sexual orientation and generally scheduled at least six months in advance; Reconciliation (Penance), available by appointment; Ministration to the Sick (Unction), a laying on of hands and anointing with blessed oil for healing of body, mind, or spirit; and Ordination to holy orders. Burial is celebrated as an Easter liturgy filled with joy and hope. Father Douglas Worthington welcomes inquiries about any of these sacraments.
Parish Feasts Through the Year
Celebration is a longstanding tradition at All Souls'. Major feast days are marked by Solemn Choral Eucharists, and the parish keeps a number of beloved customs. All Souls' Day brings a Requiem Mass followed by a potluck of the congregation's diverse cultural traditions. Advent is marked by the making of Advent wreaths and a visit from the Bishop of Myra (a.k.a. Pierce Pontyz), who brings handmade St. Nicholas gingerbread spice cookies for children of all ages. Christmas brings three magnificent Eucharists on Christmas Eve and a Christmas Morning service. On Shrove Tuesday the men's Brotherhood sponsors a pancake dinner with pancake-flipping races and the solemn burial of the Alleluia banner in the columbarium. Lent is kept with soup suppers and adult formation conversations. The Easter Vigil on Easter Eve, a service that traces its roots to the fourth century, recounts God's saving acts through history, and Easter Day opens with a flowering of the Cross and an Easter Egg hunt for children. On Pentecost, the fiftieth day of Easter, the congregation wears the colors of fire and gathers for a parish picnic.
Showers, Food, and Friendships on the Peninsula
All Souls' approaches service as an expression of faith. The parish operates Showers of Blessings, a mobile shower program for unsheltered individuals in Ocean Beach that runs twice a month at the Episcopal Church Center and always needs drivers, volunteers, and donations. After each Sunday service, everyone is invited to take a Blessings in a Bag containing a flashlight, snacks, water, cash, and hygiene products to give to someone they encounter on the street. The church serves as a drop-off location for Loaves and Fishes of San Diego, a non-profit food pantry, with dry and canned goods accepted Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon. As a partner of the Interfaith Shelter Network, the parish rotates shelter, food, and support to unhoused individuals and families with over one hundred other congregations, and supports St. Paul's Senior Housing for older neighbors who have experienced homelessness.
The parish also partners with the Peninsula Community Senior Center to support Point Loma elders with transportation and social programs, supports the annual Back to School Bash and weekly food pantry at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in City Heights, and hosts a satellite music academy for Villa Musica that offers individual and group instruction for children and youth two days a week. Each December, the congregation wraps Christmas presents for students at Colegio Esperanza in Tijuana. Long recognized as a Veteran Military Friendly Congregation in San Diego County, All Souls' has historically welcomed military families and reached out to sailors and Marines on ships that call San Diego home. Acolytes, lectors, chalice bearers, and youth are especially encouraged to serve in worship, and training is provided for all ages.
A Postwar Mission on the Point
All Souls' history begins in 1946, when Point Loma was filling with new housing for wartime factory workers and returning service members. Gladys Gauss, a forward-thinking resident, personally canvassed the neighborhood to identify other Episcopalians and wrote to the presiding bishop of the Los Angeles Diocese to charter a mission parish, with the goals of providing Christian education for children and the sacrament of baptism. In 1947, with the help of active and retired clergy, the mission was established in a dance studio, using altar implements and prayer books donated by other parishes. The first vicar, the Reverend Frederick Hammond, began his work in November 1948 and steered the new congregation toward parish status. Land was acquired at the prominent intersection of Chatsworth and Catalina, and a surplus chapel moved in 1949 from a decommissioned army camp served as the sanctuary until the present church was built in 1969. The parish hall was added in 1952, the Sunday school and administration building in 1957, and All Souls' became an official parish in 1954.
Over more than seventy-five years the parish has called seven rectors, two interim associate rectors, and two retired priests serving during transitions. One rector was a woman, and three other women were ordained at All Souls' and served as associate rectors until called elsewhere. The congregation has sponsored Scout troops, hosted AA and Al Anon meetings, fed the hungry in Ocean Beach, cared for members of the armed forces, and provided Christmas gifts for children in Tijuana. Between 2001 and 2011, two members served as missionaries in Maseno, Kenya, supporting a hospital, an Episcopal seminary, an AIDS orphan relief program, and a farmers' co-operative, and helping fund a field-trial project to eradicate the parasitic Striga weed that devastates corn crops across sub-Saharan Africa. Today All Souls' continues that same mission under the leadership of Father Douglas Worthington: to serve God by serving others, spreading love and compassion in the world, and welcoming home all who come through the door.