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Churches Worth Driving To

 November 6, 2009

Our Lady of the Rosary, San Diego

Name of Church Our Lady of the Rosary

Address 1629 Columbia St., San Diego CA 92101
(this is rectory address; church is in back of rectory at corner of Date and State streets)

Phone number (619) 234-4820

Parish website www.olsd.org

Mass times Sat. 5:30 p.m., Sun. 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 12:00 noon.

First Sunday of each month and Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s, the noon Mass is in Italian.

Second Sunday of each month, there is a Latin Mass at 4:00 p.m. with Gregorian chant and polyphony.

Daily Mass is 7:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon

Padre Pio devotions, Monday, 7:00 p.m.

Confessions 4:00-5:00 p.m. Saturdays and before the 12:00 noon Mass Mon.-Sat.

Rosary procession from here to Planned Parenthood after the 7:30 a.m. Mass first Saturday of the month.

Names of priests Fr. Steven Grancini, pastor; Fr. Louis Solcia, associate, Fr. Joseph Tabigue.

All three priests are Barnabites, Frs. Grancini and Solcia are from Milan area; Fr. Tabigue is from Mindanao, Philippines

School No school, but there are four levels of Latin taught to home schoolers at 11 a.m.-12 noon on Wednesdays in the Italian Community Center behind the church, next to the rectory.

RCIA Tues. evenings 7:00-8:30 p.m., CCD after 9:00 a.m. Mass on Sundays

Special events St. Anthony, June 6; Madonna Addolorata, Sept. 19; Our Lady of the Rosary, Oct. 3; Madonna del Lume, Oct. 17; Spaghetti Dinner, Nov. 7, Madonna del Paradiso, Nov. 15.

Special parish groups Societa’ del Santo Rosario, Rosary Guild, Altar Society, St. Joseph Society, Amici of Our Lady of the Rosary, Madonna del Lume Society, Madonna Del Paradiso Society, Sacred Heart Society, Italian Catholic Federation, Padre Pio, Maria Goretti groups

Building exterior White stucco with red tile roof, two short bell towers in front; stained glass windows covered with screen (to prevent vandalism?)

Interior Venetian Fausto Tasca painted the huge Crucifixion mural above the altar and the Last Judgement above the back choir loft. Tasca depicted Fascist sympathizers as the damned in the Last Judgement mural.

Stained glass windows each show one of the 15 mysteries of the rosary.

Traditional tabernacle in the center of the altar.

Liturgy All three priests celebrate reverent novus ordo Mass.

Music Most of the music is standard Glory and Praise, but the 10:30 Sun. Mass includes some fine polyphony; 4:00 p.m. Latin Mass on second Sunday has beautiful chant and polyphony

Homilies Simple, profound, faithful to the Magisterium

Fellow parishioners One third tourists, one third Italian-Americans, many young families who drive here for sermons and faithfulness of priests

Parking Metered parking usually available around the church, but come early for weekday noon Mass. Parking free in parking lot on Date and Columbia for Mass-goers Sundays.

Acoustics Best sound is on left (south) side. Can be an issue because of priests’ accents

Cry Room Yes

Literature in vestibule Often this is the parish to find the pro-life flyers first.

Parish bulletin Standard announcements

Additional observations Church founded in 1921 by fishermen and families from Genoa and Sicily.

Mafia hit-man Frank Bompensiero funeral here in February, 1977.

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna celebrated the 12:00 noon Mass here in February, 2008.

Atmosphere reverent but friendly. Noise from outside includes many street festivals and Saturday farmers market.

Parish guilds usually celebrate feasts with processions around church and/or down to fishing boats in the harbor.

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Acoustics
Cry Room
Literature in vestibule
Parish bulletin
Additional observations

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