St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church sits at 278 Alvarado Street in Chula Vista, a parish of the Catholic Diocese of San Diego founded in 1921 by Rev. Michael Egan and twenty-five families and now serving approximately 5,500 families. It is known for worship in English and Spanish, nearly 20 Masses each week, a K-8 school and preschool in the De Flores Center, and the Sister Dolores Outreach Program, which gathers food and clothing for neighbors in Chula Vista, supports people who are homeless and collects basic commodities for the poorest in Tijuana. The parish describes itself as a welcoming Roman Catholic community dedicated to spiritual growth and social connection, inviting all to live in the family of Christ through worship, faith formation and service.
Twenty-Five Families in 1921, About 5,500 Today
St. Rose of Lima began in 1921 in Chula Vista with Fr. Michael Egan and his flock of twenty-five families. The parish has grown to serve approximately 5,500 families and remains open to serving more. Nearly 20 Masses are celebrated each week, and the parish offers all-day adoration on Fridays and confessions on Saturday mornings. More than 30 ministry groups give parishioners ways to take part in faith formation, parish life and Christian service.
Faith formation runs through a Religious Education program, a preschool, Daniel's Den and St. Rose of Lima School, a K-8 school located in the De Flores Center. The mission statement names worship, faith formation and service as the parish's means of spiritual growth and social connection, with opportunities for prayer, education and outreach that help members grow in their relationship with Christ and share his love.
The clergy team includes Fr. Miguel Campos as pastor, Fr. Ernesto Torres as associate pastor and Fr. Mario Vesga as resident priest, with deacons John Gabbard and Juan Buenrostro. Josephine Dana Advento coordinates faith formation, and David Zamudio serves as youth faith formation, young adult and communications coordinator.
English and Spanish Masses, With a Sunday Mass Interpreted in ASL
Weekday Mass is celebrated at 6:15 and 8:15 a.m. from Monday through Friday, with the early Mass offered in the church, and a Spanish Mass on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. Saturday brings a 4:00 p.m. Mass in English and a 5:30 p.m. Mass in Spanish. Sunday Masses are at 7:00 and 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. in English, at 9:00 a.m. in English with ASL interpretation, and at 1:00 p.m. in Spanish. A Mass is also livestreamed on YouTube.
Confessions are offered on Saturday from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. and by appointment at other times.
Mass at St. Rose is a liturgical celebration with lay ministers taking part. Altar servers assist the priest reverently and prayerfully with their assigned duties, while ushers and greeters welcome parishioners as they enter, help them find seats, take up the collection and wish everyone a good day at the close of the Eucharistic Celebration. Ministers of Hospitality are usually assigned one or two times a month and are asked to volunteer for holiday Masses and Reconciliation services.
When the St. Rose of Lima parking lot is full, the Gateway parking structure across the street on Third Avenue provides free parking for those attending Mass on Sunday. The parish office at 278 Alvarado Street is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. for lunch, and answers at (619) 427-0230.
Joining the Parish Family
Anyone may attend any Mass and is warmly welcomed to greet the church upon arriving. Those new to the area, returning to the Church or exploring the Catholic faith for the first time are invited to join Mass or stop by the parish office. The parish calls itself a multicultural community rooted in faith, family and service, with ministries for every stage of life, from young adults and families to seniors.
Registration is completed at the parish office, where a new member receives a registration packet containing four offertory envelopes. Each envelope is filled out exactly as the registration form was completed, and one envelope is turned in during each weekend attended. Registration must be fully completed within a three-month period, after which the forms are discarded and the process begins again. Parish registration forms are prepared in both English and Spanish, and the parish welcome information sets out what the parish offers visitors and new members.
Sister Dolores Outreach: Food, Clothing and Fellowship
The Sister Dolores Social Outreach Program is the parish's organized response to people in critical need of food, clothing and shelter. It serves the working poor and homeless in the community as well as the poorest of the poor in Tijuana. The parish maintains a community food pantry and a clothes closet, supports the San Diego Interfaith Shelter Network, coordinates the collection of basic commodities for distribution in Tijuana and serves as a referral resource for other federal, state and local social service agencies. The program is supported primarily by parish volunteers and by the Emergency Food and Shelter program sponsored by the San Diego Food Bank.
Parishioners take part by collecting day-old bread, bagging food for distribution, providing fellowship to the homeless and donating food and clothing to the pantry. Distribution follows a steady weekly rhythm:
- Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.: homeless lunch sack distribution.
- Wednesday, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.: Feeding San Diego produce distribution.
- Wednesday, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.: food commodities for registered Chula Vista residents.
The Sister Dolores Thrift Store offers another way to serve, described as a charitable way to shop. It is open Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Donations are accepted on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The De Flores Center: School, Preschool and Children's Music
St. Rose of Lima School serves kindergarten through eighth grade in the De Flores Center, alongside the parish preschool and Daniel's Den. The Religious Education program supports the parish's youngest members as they prepare for First Communion and Confirmation. Children's roles at the altar begin with the Altar Server ministry, open to parish children in the fourth grade and above who have made their First Communion, attend Mass regularly and continue in religious education classes. Training is provided in the fall and spring, and once the class is complete, altar servers are scheduled for their requested Mass time. Some also serve at funerals, weddings and special Masses during the year.
Music for younger members is central to parish worship. Joseph Advento directs the children's choir, which shares the 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass with cellist Omar Firestone. The Filipino choir Alegria Celestial leads music for the 5:30 p.m. Spanish Mass on the first Saturday of the month.
Faith Formation for Every Stage of Initiation
Sacramental preparation for Eucharist, Reconciliation and high school Confirmation is parish-based, and the parish sees it as an opportunity for students and their families to renew and deepen their understanding of the sacraments. Parents play an important role and are asked to provide follow-up after class sessions. In the Diocese of San Diego, Confirmation is generally conferred after two years of preparation covering the ninth and tenth grades, with reception at the end of the tenth grade or sometimes as late as the eleventh grade. Each candidate chooses a sponsor from the local parish community, a mature and fully initiated Catholic who can travel with the candidate toward Christian maturity and be available to listen to concerns and questions about the Church.
Adults who were baptized Catholic, are at least 18 and have received First Holy Communion but were never confirmed can join a 12-week preparation program offered twice a year. The program is led by experienced instructors and uses the DecisionPoint multimedia confirmation program from Dynamic Catholic and Matthew Kelly, with online lectures and a free mobile app guiding candidates through formation. Children seven years old or older who were not baptized as infants are welcomed into the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children, a two-year program that prepares them for Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation with the support of the parish community.
Registration for Religious Education, Confirmation and First Communion preparation is handled through the faith formation office, whose hours are Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m., Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., with summer hours sometimes different.
Baptism on the Fourth Sunday
Families preparing for the Baptism of a child under seven years old begin with an appointment with one of the parish's priests or deacons. Parents and godparents attend two preparation classes, held on the first and second Sunday of each month. Families attend the 9:00 a.m. Mass and then a one-hour class, while godparents may attend a class at another parish and provide a certificate of attendance. A $50 donation is requested when someone attends only for the class.
Godparents must be practicing Catholics at least 16 years old who have received Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, are registered at a parish and, if married, are married in the Catholic Church. One godparent is required, though two are traditional, and only two names can appear on the Baptism certificate.
Baptisms in English are held on the fourth Sunday of the month at 2:30 p.m., and all paperwork must be submitted by the Wednesday before. The suggested donation is $100, with an additional $75 asked of families not registered at St. Rose. Because Baptism is a celebration of the whole Church, private baptisms are only recommended in special cases such as health concerns. Adults who wish to be baptized are directed toward the parish's initiation program.
Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick
Confession is described by the parish as a sacrament of mercy and an opportunity to lay down the burdens of sin and receive the gift of merciful reconciliation. Preparation begins with prayer to the Holy Spirit for self-knowledge and trust in the mercy of God, followed by an examination of conscience. The penitent begins with the Sign of the Cross, confesses mortal sins openly and candidly along with the number of times each was committed, may also confess venial sins, listens to the priest's counsel, receives a penance and prays the Act of Contrition.
The parish keeps a detailed examination of conscience that walks through the Ten Commandments and the Precepts of the Church with questions about daily life, including whether one has kept Sunday as a day of prayer and rest, honored parents, cared for family members, shared with the poor and the Church according to one's means, and avoided the abuse of drugs or alcohol. The Acts of Contrition prayer is offered in full for those preparing to confess.
The Anointing of the Sick is available at any time by calling the parish office at (619) 427-0230 and requesting the sacrament from the priests. The parish notes that it is not only for those at the point of death but is fitting as soon as anyone is in danger of death from sickness or old age, and before a serious operation. Its special grace unites the sick person to the passion of Christ, strengthens and gives peace and courage in suffering, forgives sins when the Sacrament of Penance was not possible, restores health when conducive to salvation and prepares the person for passing over to eternal life.
Marriage, Vocation and the Seven Sacraments
Matrimony is understood as the marriage contract between Christians, raised by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament. Its features of unity and indissolubility are basic to marriage in natural ethics, but as a sacrament Matrimony is oriented toward the supernatural goal of the spouses, serving their mutual help and the increase of the people of God. Wedding forms and planning materials for the order of mass are prepared by the parish, which also provides a guide for reciting the rosary and forms for house blessings.
Holy Orders and vocation are treated as a call to know, love and serve God. Individual vocations take the shape of single, married, consecrated, religious or priestly life, and the priests and deacons of the parish offer support for discernment and an appointment for anyone considering the question of a call.
The parish teaches on the seven sacraments, pairing each with Scripture: Baptism, a call to make disciples of all nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Eucharist, the words do this in remembrance of me; Reconciliation, receive the Holy Spirit and what sins you forgive are forgiven; Confirmation, to be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit; Matrimony, the two shall become as one; Anointing of the Sick, to summon the priests of the Church to pray over the sick person and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord; and Holy Orders, to ask whom the Lord will send and who will be his messenger.
Groups for Prayer, Service and Cultural Community
The parish's more than 30 ministry groups are organized around worship, service, spiritual growth and community life. Among them:
- Men of Joseph: Christian men who meet weekly to pray together and encourage one another as the spiritual leaders of their families, with the purpose of instilling holiness in men and facilitating spiritual leadership in family and community life.
- Filipino American Association: brings together registered Filipino-American parishioners to foster friendship and camaraderie, maintain and advance Filipino-American Catholic heritage, and promote a stewardship of life that includes daily recitation of the rosary.
- Guadalupanos: a group working toward Christian perfection through the integral formation of its members, emphasizing faith formation and apostolate in the diocese, the parish, the workplace and the home, and holding a monthly Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Deaf Community: a monthly Deaf Mass in the hall on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. with lunch to follow, and weekly Mass in the church that unites with all parishioners and promotes awareness of Deaf culture.
- Comite Hispano and the Italian Catholic Federation, a nonprofit fraternal organization for practicing Catholics of all ages and cultures whose mission is to uphold and develop the religious spirit of its members and spread it through the community through love, hospitality and works of charity.
- Knights of Columbus: a Catholic service organization built on charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism, serving the church, the community and the family.
- Altar and Rosary Society: eight guilds that meet monthly to pray the rosary and take turns caring for the altar and sacristy, providing weekly flowers, priests' vestments, altar linens and hanging panels, and supporting fundraising for parish groups.
- Legion of Mary and Heart of Mary: lay ministries devoted to praying the rosary and special Legion prayers each day, strengthening the faith community through the rosary.
- Cursillo and the Men's and Women's Retreat: three-day learning, sharing and inspirational experiences of living in a Christian community, with Cursillo helping members understand their individual callings as Christian leaders.
- Marriage Ministry: connects couples who want to develop closer relationships through ongoing Bible studies, special events and outreach opportunities, keeping God's word at the center.
- Reflexiones Biblicas: a Bible study group for reading and understanding Scripture.
- 5-S Club: parishioners who assist the parish office with mailings and other needs as they arise.
- God's Helping Hands: assistance with general home maintenance and safety concerns for widows, senior citizens and others in need.
- Eucharistic Ministers to the homebound: bringing Communion to the sick, homebound and hospitalized.
- Bereavement Ministry: trained members who comfort and support families who have lost a loved one to death.
- Prison Ministry: a team of men and women who share the gospel message with incarcerated men, women and teens, and with those recently released, grounded in the words of Matthew 25:36 about visiting those in prison.
The Parish Council includes a finance council, which meets every second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m., and a Traffic Control group helps direct vehicles in the church parking lot.
Choirs and Musicians for the Masses
The Music Ministry is made up of different choirs from different Mass times. Joseph Advento, Jose Marquez, Jakob and Lucy Tatoy serve the 4:00 p.m. Saturday Mass. The 5:30 p.m. Spanish Mass is led by Miguel Martinez with Alegria Celestial, or by Josafat Rosales. Sunday music includes Joseph Advento with the children's choir and Omar Firestone on cello at 9:00 a.m., Jakob and Lucy Tatoy with Christine Aquino and choir at 11:00 a.m., Narciso De Guzman or Josafat Rosales at the 1:00 p.m. Spanish Mass, and Joseph Advento with youth and young adults at 4:00 p.m. The parish follows Diocesan Music Guidelines and offers sample songs for weddings, funerals and quinceaneras, including Ave Maria, Wherever You Go, Canon in D and Taste and See.
Youth Nights and Young Adult Life
Youth nights meet on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with David Zamudio leading the Youth Ministry and coordinating the young adult program as well as parish communications. Updates and information about the youth group are shared through the St. Rose of Lima Youth account on Instagram, and Confirmation materials are available through the youth ministry.
Safe Environment, Giving and Parish Support
St. Rose participates in the Safe Environment program of the Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Complaints about sexual abuse by a member of the clergy, or by a parish or Catholic school employee or volunteer, can be made by calling (858) 490-8353 or by visiting sdcatholic.org.
Parish giving can be made online through the secure giving service, and the parish also accepts stock donations and IRA charitable contributions. Parishioners can subscribe to a weekly email that links to the current bulletin, and the bulletins carry parish news, events, spiritual reflections and opportunities to connect. Announcements for a weekend Mass can also be submitted for a pulpit announcement, with regular bulletin submissions due by noon on Friday.
A full week at St. Rose of Lima moves from the 6:15 a.m. weekday Mass to the all-day Friday adoration, from the Thursday evening Mass in Spanish to the Sunday Mass interpreted in ASL, and from the Sister Dolores pantry and thrift store to classrooms in the De Flores Center where children prepare for their First Communion. The mission of the parish names spiritual growth and social connection, and more than 30 ministry groups give people of every age a way to join that work in Chula Vista.