St Charles Catholic Church

For as long as I’ve been going here the church is really anti upgrading safety features that’ll help make this a tad bit safer of a place. Not only is the lack of parking TERRIBLE but the lack of lighting in completely unacceptable. I’m sure that this is a liability. They want the kids to attend mass then find there way through the blanket of darkness to the Parrish for more lecturing. It’s a maze of cars parked wherever they can fit because there is no lighting or bright enough lines on the ground to show people where to park.
I don’t know anymore. By the time I get in all flustered and frustrated but thankful that my children and I weren’t ran over its hard to pay attention. I’m sorry. It’s the truth.

I’ve recently started attending this church on a regular basis. I was a bit turned off at first, but then I visited several other parishes in the area and decided it’s clearly the best of the lot. What turns me off? The architecture just isn’t that inspiring. The church was built in 1965 in a post-​Vatican II style. It’s got stained glass windows, but they are the modern kind made up of shards that don’t make any pictures. There is a nice big picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and several statues but they’re mostly hidden away in odd corners and niches and not well lighted. Even the big cross over the main altar is barely lit enough to stand out from its background. Honestly, it’s as though someone deliberately hid the artwork as much as possible, and made it uninspiring when they couldn’t hide it! On the plus side, there’s a nice Holy Sacrament chapel suitable for quiet contemplation, but I understand that they have plans to move the reserved sacrament back to the high altar in the future.
In other respects the parish is great. The church is usually nearly full for the masses. There is an elementary school and a preschool and lots of other buildings that form quite a large campus. There are lots of ways to get involved in the charity work of the church and socialize. As someone else noted, the Filipinos are very active and this is a good thing. I’ve been praying daily each afternoon with a group of mostly Filipinos that comes together to pray the rosary, the Divine Mercy chaplet, and the Divine Office before daily Mass. I enjoy the cantor named Andy. Most of the other singers are at least pleasant to listen too, but they aren’t up to his standard. Where the music falls down for me is that the songs themselves are insipid post-​Vatican II tunes for the most part. I’d much prefer more emphasis on the grand classical repertoire that so enriches Catholicism when it is heard that it even converts Protestants. There are several priests that serve the community and all but one are easy to understand, and all are worth listening to. There are also several deacons that help minister to the people. The best sermon I’ve heard so far was actually given by one of the deacons. It’s a large parish (larger than most in the area) so I have no doubt that they need all those people on staff.

Good masses and a very welcoming environment. Father Jim is AWESOME!!! This guy should have a tv show. Great, well spoken and fun, he reminds us all that being Catholic is supposed to be a positive and happy experience. St. Charles has put both of our kids through their Sacraments, and is an important part of our life in the IB area!

My fiancée and I came here for our Engaged Encounter retreat and we loved it. The grounds were peaceful and inviting. All of the interaction we had with parishioners were lovely and welcoming. In all, it was a great experience. If I ever find myself in the area again (I’m from Los Angeles) I will definitely be stopping by for mass.

My parents got married here in 1988! How can I not give it 5 stars!?! Lol
Since then, I have frequented this church plenty of times whenever I visited my family in San Diego. The church is pretty large and also very beautiful inside. In the past recent years they have renovated the church which was beautifully done. In my last visit I noticed they are currently doing a fundraiser to expand the church, along with its parish center and other nearby buildings. I am glad to see that while this church has been here for many decades, they strive to keep improving to make their location a nice place for its visitors.
Not only the location is nice but the community is very active and friendly. A lot of people attend this church, and its nice to see the activities they do here. I particularly like the musicians that play, from what just used to be just a pianist. they know a full band with an organ player, flute players, violinists, and a choir! Its always nice to hear the music played here during the church service.

My family has been attending this church for years. My mother and aunts attended Marian high school when it was across the street. So this has been one of the churches I have attended in my life.
I suppose this was more my grandparents church and this where they had their funeral services so I do have a special connection to it.

Great Parish. Very welcoming.

I grew up going to this church. Definitely many changes have occurred but I’m very excited that the priest who officiated my wedding is back!

Catholic Church

My husband thinks it’s a bit sinful to Unilocal a church, but I find it important.
So I’m in search of a new Catholic church since moving to SD and trying a new one out every week. And this weekend, St. Charles was up.
The Good…
–Beautiful church: I know it sounds vain, but I like the House of God to be easy on the eye. It’s a fairly large church, but because of the layout it still feels cozy and you feel close enough to the altar.
–Very old-​school Catholic: This can be a negative in your book. I grew up in a very traditional Catholic church and St. Charles reminded me of my church. By old-​school I mean they sing everything (every «Lord have mercy» and «Holy, holy, holy Lord») and still have the bells at consecration.
–Prepared sermons: This is huge! I haven’t found a church in SoCal where the priest have their sermons written out and aren’t just up there rambling for 20 minutes. I love priests who do this! It just makes more sense and you don’t get a pieced-​together homily with jokes, anecdotes, and whatever else comes to their mind. Big plus with me!
–Only 1 collection during mass: I know the church struggles to collect money for the Parish and various other worthy causes, but collecting donations before and after communion at some churches really disrupts the mood of the mass and makes dollar signs flash! I appreciate that they only have 1 collection.
–Parking: Not a problem here! Ample parking in the lot and also along the street for easy exit.
The Bad…
–The music: This is always my husband’s biggest complaint. I loved the organ because it sounded beautiful, but the actual singer… uh…if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. We’ll leave it at that. It’s just distracting to hear some really great songs butchered. Sorry Jesus!
–Too hot to handle: They left the doors open for a breeze, but didn’t turn all the fans on. In the middle of summer, it’s so necessary! Bring your own fan! Some find this disrespectful, but I say if it’s not the missal or the bulletin you’re using it’s okay.
I’d probably go back because 1) the homilies are well-​prepared and thought-​provoking and 2) it’s a beautiful church.
FYI…this is a filipino-​dominated congregation. I can say this and not sound racist because I’m filipino! haha Just throwing it out there because to some it matters.

I went to Mass when I went to Catholic High School at Marian back in «04. Father Joe who was there up and disappeared on me and I really liked him being there. Where did you go?

A nice, family-​oriented parish in Imperial Beach.
St. Charles is a big church with a beautiful polished stone interior. The sound system is good, and they have talented musicians at mass. There is one gentleman who sings and plays piano who is a pleasure to listen to.
Masses are at the usual times… but there is no Sunday evening mass.
There is a big parking lot behind the church, a few spaces in front, and street parking.