Welcoming parishioners. Loved the priest Hit home on his preaching. Down to earth on what he had to say. read more

Always a nice mass friendly people/parishioners and fantastic music. Many community events and good food read more

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My husband and I were married at St. Joachim parish on 8/30/14. The ceremony was beautiful, and Father Martin Bui is an amazing Priest. In fact, we will attend this parish on occasion just because of him. We are not parishioners of this particular location, so the deposit to be married there was $650 + $150 for a cantor. The music department is VERY strict on what can be played, even for the recessional. Just stick with classical music/hymns and don't get your hopes up for anything else. Flowers are to be kept at a minimum. If you want to go crazy with floral arrangements, this may not be the parish for you to be married in. We like simple, and flowers aren't that big of a deal to us. The church speaks for itself in beauty, anyhow. We worked with Mirtha, the wedding coordinator for this location. She was very helpful, but on the day of rehearsal, she did not show up, and a volunteer who did not know what she was doing, or even what our names were, was there to tell us that Mirtha would not be there on the day of our wedding. No one called us ahead of time to explain to us that the person who coordinated our entire day was not going to be there. We worked with her for 8 months! With this being a stressful time for couples, one would hope that they would get at least a phone call, or some sort of forewarning. The rehearsal went terribly! I was at a point, where all I could do was laugh. My wedding was the next day, and the coordinator knew nothing. In spite of it all, our ceremony wound up being just gorgeous, and I believe Fr. Martin had a lot to do with this. We are so grateful for him, and we wouldn't change a thing about our day. This parish is beautiful, it is a little bit old school, but that is how I like it! It was also the only parish in the diocese that allowed us to perform the unity candle. read more

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St Joachim Catholic Church is a wonderful parish with a multicultural congregation. On any given Sunday there are many masses to chose from in either English or Spanish. Traditional Catholics tend to favor the 10 a.m. mass where you'll find the incredible St Joachim Choir leading the congregation in song as well as a wonderful organist and a host of talented musicians. Mr. Andrew Everson has been the choir director at St Joachim for 20 years. In addition to leading the music ministry he has also written and published many beautiful songs for the catholic mass. He's truly a gem! If you prefer to attend Sunday morning mass there is a transition right before the homily where kids are invited to listen to the Gospel in a classroom across the courtyard, but it's purely optional. I've always been impressed with the priests at St Joachim. Although quite different in personality, I find them to be consistent in their love and acceptance of their parish community. Each one is kind, helpful, and dedicated in their service. The staff at St Joachim is equally kind and helpful. Fr. Enrique Sera is the presiding pastor assisted by Fr. Gilberto, and Fr. Martin. Fr. Sera celebrates mass with poise and sincerity. Being a history buff he has a nice way of linking the Gospel readings to historical events of the period, and always gives an enlightening homily. From time to time he is known to give a series of lectures on the gospels which are truly great. Fr. Gilberto begins mass by shaking hands with nearly the entire church on his way down the aisle, making regulars and newcomers alike feel welcome. He is a very inspirational homilist and always leaves me contemplating how to be a better example of Christ's love to everyone around me. Fr. Martin recently joined St Joachim and brings a youthful vigor and sense of humor to the parish. His homilies speak of thoughtful reflection, and are often deeply touching. No matter which priest you get you'll leave feeling positive and hopeful. With such inspirational celebrants, gone are the days of catholic guilt! Although great priests are a blessing, the true test of any parish is its community. Whether you attend mass faithfully, once a month, or once a year, the St Joachim parish community will welcome you with kindness and acceptance. A great example of this is St J's youth program. Lead by Miss Alex Frausto, the teen religious ed program is growing by leaps and bounds! I am always so impressed to see how exemplary and faithful the teens are at mass. Of course St Joachim does provide them with a wonderful environment. The 5 o'clock mass on Sunday focuses on the youth of the parish. Once again you'll find the fantastic St Joachim music ministry doing a more contemporary selection of Catholic songs for the mass. The mass is attended by all ages, but definitely has a more youthful feel. Whatever your preference, be it more traditional or contemporary St Joachim offers many great options and a great experience. read more

Saint Joachim Catholic Church - St Joachim Catholic Church - Churches Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I have a thing for places of worship...I like them when they're empty. =) My review of this church has to do with the accessibility to the public. If you need to hear a sermon, there's one in English and Spanish. However, I don't feel a need for a sermon, I just like sitting here when I need a moment of quiet, a moment of reflection, a moment of meditation, peace, prayer and acceptance. Other things I like about this church is that you can drop in a quarter and light a candle. There's something nice about lighting a real candle, it's a ritual (regardless of your religion) for petitioning that your intentions/prayer/hopes be heard. Gone is this ritual for a lot of churches I've been to and I find it really sad pushing a button only to watch an electronic candle light up. I like the statues and pictures of saints, the virgin mary, st. joachim, st. anne, joseph, mary, and padre pio. The indoor is nice and cool. Regarding the office of this church, I found the people very helpful especially since I needed their help for godparenting classes and certifying that I went to their church. All in all, I would give this place a two thumbs up, 1) for not making you feel guilty that you're not catholic enough 2) the great feng shui read more

My friend had his marriage at this church and they were very nice and accommodating. The ceremony was very nice and they went out of their way to ensure that the wedding was a success. read more

St. Joachim has been my parish for over 20 years. My children were baptized and had their first communion here. They also attended the amazing school that is on the parish campus. By design, priests come and go. I suppose this keeps the focus on God, verses any one man, and gives parishioners different points of view. By the time a priest is ready to transfer, no one wants to see hin go. The reason I love this parish is not because of the building, or any one priest, but rather the friends, family and community that have become fellow travelers on this journey. One outstanding group that deserves a special mention is the Music Ministry. To me, music is a big part of worship, and the St. Joachim choirs are the best. That's right, we have a Spanish chior, English chior, School Chior, and various combinations of the three. On any given week you will see string instruments, drums, bells, trumpets, guitars, piano, organ. All this is inder the direction of Mr. Andrew Everson, music director of the church and school for over 25 years. Under Andrew's direction, the St. Joachim Chior has released three CD's, and also has songs available for online purchase and downloads. Most of these recordings, as well as much of the weekly mass music are original compositions of Andrew Everson. Mr. Everson has had several songs published. He is always excited when he gets another email from a far away church that is performing a hymn that he wrote. (Yes he gets royalties) If you are looking for a home, and want to be part of a real church community, visit St. Joachim and see how many people introduce themselves and welcome you. Spanish and a English masses available. read more

The Caucasian priest yells when he gives the mass.......very annoying.

Wonderful priests and parishioners. St Joachim is where I worship and consider it my home. read more

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My wife and I were in town for my cousins wedding. Saint Joachim was the closest Catholic Church to the hotel we were staying. The schedule of Masses gave us a variety of times to choose from. The church and its campus was very well maintained, the people were very welcoming and the priest who said Mass Father Timothy Peters had a great message and prepared the congregation for the content of the readings and the gospel. A great experience for us a visitors. read more