ST THERESE @ CAMINO RICO Parking is available in a large lot, and it was extremely easy to find a spot. I was also easily able to find their Mass times on their website beforehand. My friend and I attended the 5:00 PM Mass, and walking in, the church was beautiful. It was definitely a bit smaller than I expected, but it still felt very spacious. The community and environment were very friendly, which I really appreciated. One thing to note is that they have a "Blue" book that contains all the songs sung during Mass, and it can usually be found somewhere toward the front of the church. I do wish this had been mentioned when we first walked in, since I only found out about it from another person. Overall, it was a really good experience, and I would definitely come back! read more

St Therese - Churches Near Me - San Diego, California

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The first time my fiancé and I came to church here we were truly welcomed with open arms. If you are looking for a church I would really encourage anyone/everyone to come here. Father Devdas and Decaon Mike are my absolute favorites. As someone who grew up Episcopalian I felt very welcomed and loved coming here. I've been to other churches and have never felt this way towards a church. They don't consistently ask for money, not are they judgmental they truly are there to spread the love of God, and kindness this world is lacking at times. read more

I love this church, hidden away in Del Cerro. The French name---Sainte Therese de Lisieux, appeals to the Francophile in me. The interior of the church is very plain, but that simply accentuates the purity of the lines of the Spanish-style architecture. The parking lot stretches all around the building, so arriving for Mass or leaving, is always a breeze. There is a pretty garden on the side of the church, with a columned courtyard and even a grotto for Saint Bernadette, with a pond that has sadly been drained, so all that one sees is the concrete bottom. A silver haired man is the cantor leading the music, and he is excellent. The various priests seem nice, although two weeks ago at the 7:00 a.m. Sunday Mass, a deacon went on an anti-choice rant that was unexpected and not welcome. In fact, one man walked out during the middle of the babbling tirade, and I don't blame him! read more

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Having Father Devdas is such a blessing. In less than a year he has made tremendous strides to make this place more welcoming. The music is excellent, the message is unabashedly Catholic. Beautiful, reverent and holy! read more

St Therese - Churches Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is a gorgeous church. I've been going there from the 1st day it opened! They have a really good choir at 5pm mass

I admit. I do not go to church as often as I'm supposed to (which is supposed to be every week). In fact, I'm not much better than a CEO (Christmas and Easter Only). But if you must go sit on a hard pew for an hour, and you are Catholic, you could do a lot worse than St. Therese. Example one: Free donuts for visitors. During the morning masses, the priest asks who is visiting and you get to have a free donut at the coffee klatch afterward. Now that is hospitality. If you are not visiting, you simply shell out the two quarters or whatever. This is pretty much a fail-safe bribe for good kid behavior: a donut after church. You must attend an earlier mass to get one, or they'll be sold out. My husband's family has been attending this church since it opened, so we are rather well known here. Ah, gotta get some recognition where I can. Like Kathleen M says, this church has more going on than most other Catholic churches I've been to. There's a mom's group, a (secular) book club, Bible study, young adult group, teen group, and religious education. The religious ed lady, Dottie, is super nice and makes you feel like a better human being after you've spent about 30 seconds in her presence. They also have several different mass times. Each mass has a different flavor, with different people doing the music. Sometimes this has confused me, as they do the song responses differently at each mass. What I also like is this. I have friends who go to other churches where they won't baptize your baby or whatever unless you tithe a certain amount every week for a year. Oh no you didn't. St. Therese doesn't do that. They don't make you fork over large amounts of money (though they wouldn't say no) so you can take part in the community. Thus, I have been here while poor, and while less poor, and never have I felt bad about my financial status. read more

I grew up going to this church. I even went to school here for six years. My parents were married here, by Monsignor Florek no less (back when he was "just" a Father). More so than almost all churches I've been to, this church has a lot of people really involved in it, and there are a lot of different groups - Knights of Columbus, Young Adults, Italian Catholic Federation, etc. People are really involved setting up the church for Mass, being ushers, and serving as greeters, too. From the inside, the church looks like they have a lot of money coming in from parishioners. That's nice and all, but I think some of that money would be better served going to some less moneyed parishes. There are music groups (or at least a single singer) for every mass, ranging from the old people choir with organ at the 9 a.m. Mass to the 5 p.m. youth Mass with modern Christian music (that doesn't include the greatest hits of Marty Haugen and David Haas) that reminds me more of a Protestant church than a Catholic one. Overall, the 10:30 Mass is the way to go. Kids under 12 go to classrooms for religious instruction during the homily. The contemporary choir can really sing, and it's led by what's his name who's been there forever. It's no wonder why this Mass is packed. What makes a church for me though are the priests and the homilies. This church is a little on the conservative side for me, but the homilies by Monsignor Florek and Deacon Ekhaml are always good ones. Everyone here is very warm and inviting, and it's a great church for all ages - families as well as retirees. read more

I've been on the road the last two weekends, and this weekend I was in SD. I stayed in the El Cajon area, so I wanted to find a Roman Catholic church within 15 minutes of my location. I Yelped and Googled, and chose St. Therese based off of the two previous reviews. When I arrived, I realized this was the church that my nephew received his sacrament of Holy Communion at years ago. I attended the 9am mass on Sunday. The ushers were very friendly in welcoming my niece and I into the church. The church grounds are well kept and inviting. The inside of the church has a very calm and roomy feel to it. The altar was adorned with two palm trees, which I thought gave it that San Deezy feel. The stage where the altar was seemed a little plain compared to other churches I've attended, but the beautiful stained glass windows balanced out the simplicity. A majority of the parishioners were in the 40+ group, maybe because of that particular mass time. There were some children in attendance too. I appreciated the soloist singer that morning. I didn't catch her name, but her voice was so powerful and clear... just beautiful! You could hear her clearly over the organ. St. Therese's family room is large and in a great position so parents have a great view of the altar. The priest gave a great homily that day. He spoke with great clarity, pace and feeling. It was like story time as a kid, because iit seemed like less a sermon and more of an engaging story. Similar to the last church I visited (in OC), I noticed the thurible was excluded. Not a big deal, but it's cool noting the similarities from church to church. It was nice to see a girl participate as an altar server again. Great message that day: "Actions speak louder than words! " Next time I'm in SD, I know where I'll be attending mass! read more

St Therese - Churches Near Me - San Diego, California

I'm in the choir, and I like it here. St Therese is in a convenient location for me, and it has ample parking. It also features a K-8 school with kids in cute uniforms. It is unfortunately in the middle of some construction right now so the church bells aren't in working order. The best part about St Therese is the Perpetual (24-hour) Adoration chapel (although they do ask that you don't go in 10pm-5am unless you're assigned for that time spot). I cannot tell you how thankful and blessed I am to have an Adoration chapel to go to whenever I need to see Jesus face to face. This has helped my prayer/spiritual life immensely. The two main priests at the 9am are Father Peter and Father Justin: Father Peter is very passionate, probably to a fault. He has a very particular way of doing things, for example, today on Palm Sunday he had the congregation say Christ's part instead of the crowd's part in order to share in Christ's priesthood. He gives relevant and applicable homilies and expects greatness out of his parishioners. I don't know how he does it, but Father Justin always (it seems) has at least 2 jokes ready to tell and incorporate into his homily, regardless which day of the week it is. Of course, this is tricky territory, and sometimes he crosses the line, but usually he tells a good one with a good message, such as: "...A priest and an astrophysicist are talking about their professions, and the astrophysicist says, "I think religion can really be broken down into 11 words: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'" The priest thinks for a while, then responds: 'I think astrophysics can really be broken down into 10 words: 'Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.'" As a choir member, I have found Renée to be a wonderful, most patient choir director who has dealt with my frequent absences from practice and pretty much always has a smile on her face. read more

After Moving into the neighborhood I called to inquire about their CCD classes which are 100$. Well, I'm a single working mother and work paycheck to paycheck and the CCD organizer was EXTREMELY rude when I asked if they could work with me on the price or payment plan. I'm actually quite appalled at their lack of understanding and the fact that in order to receive her sacraments my child needs to be in CCD and because I cannot pay for it apparently she should not be allowed to be Catholic? Very unhappy that I have to find a different church as it would have been nice to be able to go to the one that was right next to me. I will never attend or support this church. read more

I became a parishioner at this church about a year ago and have been loving it!!! The community here is so supportive and prayerful. The priests are very godly men who bend over backwards to serve in any way that they can. I am a part of the contemporary choir ministry as well as the new Catholic Young Adult group (ages 18-30) group that meets every Sunday from 6-8pm for dinner at a private house near St. Therese. It is all so much fun because I consistently feel so welcomed and appreciated. read more

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Truthfully one of the worst "Catholic" churches i have visited & attended. Recently had a wedding here and THE PRIEST WAS SOMETHING ELSE. He literally dictated everything & felt like we were judged for our traditional hispanic weddings. We struggled with decorating (even though we could assure him it would be picked up after) He would not even let us cover these green ugly folded chairs during the ceremony. Couldn't even give thanks to our virgin mother mary. Father's answer was always "no" It may seem like decorating has nothing to do with the sacred event but the Priest made everything impossible did not want flower girls, the traditional walking in with the sacred items lasso bible arras ect. , not letting our musician use the speakers, did not take him time explaining the day before of the wedding. Seemed like he was in a hurry during the mass, he did not even let us take pictures inside the church after the mass. He was extremely rude. CAN NOT BELIEVE THIS. TRULY SADDENED THAT THIS CHURCH FAILED SOMETHING SO SACRED, OUR FAMILY AND OUR CATHOLIC CHURCH. And why am I posting this ? For someone else to not have their special day ruined like ours was. read more