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St. Joseph Cathedral (San Diego, California)

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St. Joseph Cathedral
32°43′16″N 117°09′42″W / 32.72114°N 117.16158°W
Location 1535 Third Avenue
San Diego, California
Country United States
Denomination Catholic Church
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Website www.sdcathedral.org
History
Founded 1874
Architecture
Architectural type Mission Revival
Completed 1941
Administration
Diocese San Diego
Clergy
Bishop Most Rev. Michael Pham
Pastor Rev. Peter Navarra

St. Joseph Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in the Cortez Hill neighborhood of San Diego, California, in the United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of San Diego.

The first St. Joseph's Church was dedicated in 1875. It was replaced by a second larger church in 1894. St. Joseph's Church was dedicated as a cathedral in 1936; a fire destroyed it in 1937. The new St. Joseph's Cathedral was dedicated in 1941.

History

St. Joseph's Church

During the middle of the 19th century, the Catholics in the San Diego area were part of the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles; the Mission San Diego de Alcalá was the first parish in San Diego.[1]

The diocese erected St. Joseph Parish in 1874, with Reverend Antonio Ubach assigned as its first pastor. It was the third parish in the community. The real estate developer Alonzo Horton donated a plot of land on Third Avenue and Beech Street to the parish to build a church. The first St. Joseph Church, a wooden structure, was dedicated by Bishop Francis Mora. in 1875.The parish was reportedly so poor that the priests were forced to sleep on the floor in their residence.[2]

In 1894, the parish completed and dedicated the second St. Joseph's Church, a brick building located on the property of the first church.[3] The church was ravaged by a fire in 1903.[4] The parish started a grammar school in 1925.[4]

St. Joseph's Cathedral

When the Vatican erected the Diocese of San Diego in 1936, St. Joseph Church became the first St Joseph Cathedral.[5] St. Joseph's Cathedral suffered severe fire damage in 1937. At that time, the diocese decided to build a new, larger cathedral on the same site. The St. Joseph Cathedral high school for girls was opened by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1939.[4]

The Second St. Joseph's Cathedral was dedicated by Bishop Charles. F. Buddy in 1941.[6] The girls high school in 1970 was merged into the new University of San Diego High School.[4]

St. Joseph underwent restoration work in 2011 which included repainting and restoring exterior wood and concrete. Earlier work upgraded restrooms and accessibility to the facility.[7]

Present day

St. Joseph's Cathedral offers public liturgies every day of the week, including a Sunday mass in Spanish.[8] A young adult ministry, confessions, and devotions are also available.

The cathedral frequently hosted concerts by Orchestra Nova San Diego and other classical groups.[9]

Pastors

  1. Antonio Ubach, 1874 – 1907
  2. Bernard Smyth, 1907 – 1912
  3. Joseph Nunan, 1912 – 1914
  4. Eugene A. Heffernan, 1914 – 1919
  5. John J. Brady, 1919 – 1929
  6. John M. Hegarty, 1929 – 1940
  7. Franklin Hurd, 1940 – 1947
  8. Francis Dillon, 1947 – 1954
  9. William A. Bergin, 1954 – 1955
  10. George M. Rice, 1955 – 1969
  11. Anthony Giesing, 1969 – 1976
  12. Rudolph Galindo, 1976 – 1983
  13. Gilbert E. Chavez, 1983 – 2007
  14. Peter Escalante, 2007 – 2015
  15. Patrick Mulcahy, 2015 – 2019
  16. Peter Navarra, 2019 – present

See also

References

  1. Back to citation "San Diego (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  2. Back to citation Hebert, Edgar W. (April 1964). "The Last of the Padres". Journal of San Diego History. 10 (2). Retrieved 2014-03-27; "Cathedral History". St. Joseph Cathedral. Retrieved 2026-03-14; "History of San Diego, 1542-1908". Our City, Our Story. Archived from the original on 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  3. Back to citation Smythe, William E. (1907). History of San Diego, 1542 - 1908. pp. 537–567. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  4. Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 Back to citation occurrence 4.3 "Cathedral History". St. Joseph Cathedral. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  5. Back to citation "St. Joseph Cathedral". GCatholic.org. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  6. Back to citation "Church is dedicated; Bishop C. F. Buddy Officiates at Ceremonies in San Diego". St. Joseph News-Press. 27 January 1941. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  7. Back to citation "St. Joseph's Cathedral Beautified". San Diego Metro. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  8. Back to citation "Mass Schedule".
  9. Back to citation Mellin, Maribeth; Onstott, Jane (2007). Insiders' Guide to San Diego (5 ed.). Morris Book Publishing. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-7627-4191-5. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
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