A Parish at the Country's Edge
Saint Charles Parish sits on eight acres at 990 Saturn Boulevard in the South Bay of San Diego, hard against the Mexican border. It is, by its own long-standing claim, the most southwesterly parish in the United States, founded in 1946 to serve the Catholics of Imperial Beach, Nestor, and Palm City. Eight decades later, the parish campus, church, school, preschool, parish hall, retreat center, and former convent now adapted to other purposes, remains the spiritual center of the surrounding neighborhoods. The parish celebrated its eightieth year in 2026.
Three cultures have always been most visible here. Swiss-descended Egger family settlers donated the original land; a Mexican-American community provides the Spanish-speaking Mass and many of its largest ministries; and a large Filipino-American congregation sustains Cursillo, Santo Niño, the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and a flourishing devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague. Swiss, Mexican, Filipino, Asian, African, and Irish families are listed among the parish's founding and continuing identities, and that diversity still shapes the rhythm of parish life.
How the Parish Began
In the summer of 1946, Catholics in western South Bay still drove to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in San Ysidro for Sunday Mass. A handful of families, led by the Eggers, asked Bishop Charles E. Buddy to approve a new parish for the area. He agreed, and on Sunday, October 6, 1946, the bishop celebrated the first Mass in the Egger family home with thirty-six parishioners. Two and a half acres were donated for the new parish, and Father Francis McGann, a former Navy chaplain and an OSB, drove north with parishioners and Mr. Egger's trucks to Port Hueneme to bring back surplus barracks. On Christmas Eve 1946, Bishop Buddy dedicated the first church building, with the Bob Mitchell Boys Choir of Hollywood singing the Mass and the celebration ending with lunch at the Hotel del Coronado.
During those construction months, the parishioners chose Saint Charles Borromeo as their patron and Bishop Buddy enthusiastically approved. The Sisters of Mercy began the parish school in September 1948, commuting daily from Mercy Hospital in San Diego before the days of Interstate 5. The grammar school was built up through the 1950s and early 1960s, and the Eggers continued to donate adjoining land until the present eight-acre compound was assembled. In 1961 the parish helped establish Marian High School across the street, raising funds for its first buildings.
The Present Church
By the mid-1960s the original church was bulging at the seams with more than eleven hundred registered families. Parishioners purchased bonds to finance a new building, and construction began in 1965. The current church at Nineteenth and Elder was dedicated on January 23, 1966, by Bishop Francis J. Furey. Designed in a contemporary style with a cross formation that draws the eye toward the altar from every direction, it was built to reflect the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council, with the priest celebrating Mass facing the people and full congregational participation. West Coast Construction, owned by parishioners, supervised the build, and the architectural design and the decorative grill work behind the altar were also produced by parishioners. The mission-style bell tower, housing four bells, is a landmark visible across the South Bay.
Pastors who shaped the parish after the second church era include Monsignor Richard Duncanson, the eighth shepherd, appointed in 1990, and Father Dennis Mikulanis, appointed by Bishop Robert Brom in 1992, under whose leadership the registered census reached roughly thirty-five hundred families. Father Fernando Maldonado now serves as pastor, with Father Burt Boudoin as associate pastor. Four deacons, Mick Dennison, Ken Montoya, David Lewis, and Andy Jazmin, assist at Mass and in parish ministry.
Mass Schedule and the Rhythm of the Week
Weekday Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday at 7:30 AM and 5:30 PM, with an additional 8:00 AM Mass on Saturday. The Saturday Vigil Mass is at 5:00 PM. Sunday Masses are at 7:00 AM, 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM (in Spanish), and 1:00 PM. Confessions are heard on Saturdays from 3:30 to 4:30 PM inside the church, or by appointment. Holy Day schedules are listed in the bulletin.
Two long-standing devotions anchor the week. On Tuesdays, the Fatima Devotion follows the 7:30 AM Mass. On First Fridays, Eucharistic Adoration begins after the 7:30 AM Mass and continues until 5:00 PM Benediction; the 5:00 PM Mass on those First Fridays is celebrated in Spanish. Adoration is also offered every Friday from 4:15 to 5:15 PM.
The Seven Sacraments
Parish life at St. Charles is built around the seven sacraments. Infant baptism is open to all parents, whether or not they are registered, but requires a pre-baptism interview with a priest or deacon and attendance at a Baptism Seminar held on the first Sunday of every other month in the parish hall from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. The fee is $100 per child. Parents renew the faith alongside godparents in the seminar, and a Certificate of Baptism is required at registration for the parish school or religious education programs.
Reconciliation is celebrated in the sacrament's communal form during Advent and Lent, and individual confessions are heard Saturday afternoons. First Eucharist and Confirmation are prepared through a two-year process. Children in grades two through six complete the Parents' Sacramental Program alongside their faith formation classes, and Confirmation preparation for high school youth is a separate two-year program with a $325 retreat fee in year two. Adult Confirmation is offered as a five-month course meeting Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:30 PM, open to registered Catholics 18 and older who have already received First Communion. Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick are coordinated through the parish office. The Bereavement Ministry Team walks families through the Order of Christian Funerals, helping plan the Vigil, liturgy, and burial, and the parish follows diocesan policy on cremation.
Religious Education for Children
The Catechetical Center, directed by Alicia Policarpio and reachable at 619-575-2240, runs the parish's faith formation programs. Children's Religious Education for grades one through six meets on Saturdays from 10:00 to 11:30 AM in English. The Spanish program, Catecismo Español, meets on Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:30 PM and is a two-year preparation for First Communion; parents are expected to attend adult faith formation at the same time. Registration is $120 per student, and a copy of the child's baptismal certificate is required for new students. Children with disabilities are welcomed, with catechists holding special-needs certification assigned to support them.
Three tracks run inside the elementary program. Basic Faith Formation is for first-year children preparing for First Communion. Sacramental Preparation is the second-year program for children who have completed Basic Faith Formation. Intermediate Faith Formation continues the journey through grade six for those who have already made their First Communion. The Parents' Sacramental Program, required for parents of First Communion candidates, covers the Catechism, church history, moral issues, and social teaching, and meets in both English and Spanish during the children's class time.
At the 8:30, 10:00, 11:30 (Spanish), and 1:00 PM Sunday Masses, children in grades one through six may be called forward before the Liturgy of the Word and process to the parish hall with a catechist. There, using the Children's Lectionary, the same Sunday readings are proclaimed and reflected on in language they can understand. The children return to their families for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
Youth, Young Adult, and Adult Faith Formation
Youth Ministry is split into two halves. Acts 29 is the middle school program for grades seven and eight, designed around the energy and questions of twelve-to-fourteen-year-olds with interactive, discussion-driven sessions rather than classroom lectures. High School Ministry serves grades nine through twelve and aims to respond to the social and spiritual needs of teens through programs that excite, inspire, and form young leaders. Confirmation preparation for high schoolers is a two-year program with annual registration and a retreat fee in the second year. The Youth Group, open to all teens, has no fee beyond the information sheet.
Young Adult Ministry is open to single or married adults aged eighteen to thirty-nine. The group's three pillars are spiritual (self-reflection, fellowship, and prayer), community (sharing time, talent, and treasure with the parish), and social (building friendships). It also hosts the parish Giving Tree each Advent, in which parishioners sponsor children whose families need Christmas help.
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) welcomes those who have never been baptized, baptized Christians from another tradition seeking full communion, baptized Catholics who have not yet received Confirmation and Eucharist, and returning Catholics who want to rediscover the faith. The process begins in mid-September and culminates at the Easter Vigil, marked by the Rites of Acceptance, Election, and the scrutinies during Lent. Adult Confirmation meets on Wednesday evenings, and Bible Study and a Charismatic Prayer Group round out the adult formation offerings.
Parish School and Preschool
St. Charles School has educated children of the South Bay since 1948, beginning with the Sisters of Mercy and now led by Principal David Blair. The school shares the parish campus and draws from the same families the parish serves. Melissa Olivares directs the parish preschool, which serves the youngest children of the parish and surrounding neighborhoods.
Music, Liturgical, and Devotional Ministries
The Music Ministry, led by Choir Director Florentino R. Idosor, supports the congregation in the hymns and responses of every Mass and lifts hearts through the Church's musical heritage. Instrumentalists, cantors, choirs, and directors are all needed.
Surrounding the altar are several lay liturgical ministries. Sacristans and Altar Servers prepare and serve at the altar. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist the priest in distributing the Eucharist at Mass. The Ministry of Communion to the Sick and Homebound, coordinated by Sybil Quileza, brings the Eucharist to those who cannot attend. Lectors proclaim the readings at Sunday and weekday Masses, with both English and Spanish lector teams. Ushers and greeters, organized as Ministers of Hospitality, are the first faces visitors meet as they arrive for Mass.
The Bereavement Ministry Team walks with grieving families through the planning and celebration of the Order of Christian Funerals. The Culture of Life Ministry, coordinated by Mark and Marilyn Pelayo, staffs an information table on the West Patio during Pro-Life Awareness Month each October and supports the work of the diocesan Office for Life Ministry. The Daughters of Mary Immaculate, the Legion of Mary, the Holy Name Society, the Knights of Columbus, the Patricians, the Rosary Makers, and the Guadalupanas each contribute their own devotional and service character to the parish.
Ethnic and Cultural Communities
The Spanish-speaking community sustains a full parallel life within the parish. A weekly Spanish Mass at 11:30 AM Sunday is accompanied by COMUNIDAD NUEVA EXPRESION, Ministerio de Catequesis, Ministerio de Comunión a los Enfermos, Ministros de la Palabra (lectors), Ministerio de la Eucaristía, Grupo de Oración, Guadalupanas, and the Posadas of Advent.
Filipino-American parishioners maintain the Saint Charles Filipino Cursillo Group, which meets on the second, third, and fourth Fridays of each month in Room 13 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM and follows the Cursillo method of piety, study, and action. The Santo Niño Group promotes devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague and the Blessed Virgin Mary, with a feast traditionally celebrated in January. The parish also keeps Simbang Gabi, the Filipino Advent novena of Masses, on the wider parish calendar.
The South Bay Deanery of Catholic Women draws members from Sacred Heart, St. Pius X, St. Charles, Corpus Christi, St. Rose, St. Michael's, and St. Mary Magdalene parishes. The St. Charles Deanery Ladies raise funds for diocesan seminarians and meet at St. Charles Parish Room 15 on the second Monday of each month from 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM, with a potluck lunch and a seminarian fund drawing. The Heart of the Family, an impromptu group of parents, grandparents, and children, packages and delivers Thanksgiving baskets to needy families each November and runs the Fish 'n Fries dinner during Lent.
Outreach to the South Bay
Three programs reach beyond the parish into the surrounding community. The South Bay Nutrition Program, established in 1974 by Father Timothy Harnett, continues today as the Saint Charles Nutrition Center in the original church building, providing meals to seniors. Saint Charles Caritas carries the corporal and spiritual works of mercy into the wider South Bay. Each January the parish hosts the Interfaith Shelter Network of San Diego's Rotational Shelter Program, providing shelter, meals, showers, and laundry to homeless men, women, and children, with parish organizations cooking the daily meals and parishioners volunteering for night-shift supervision.
The Widows & Widowers Support Group, founded in February 2014, offers a place for those who have lost a spouse to share their stories and learn coping skills together. The Prayer Quilt Ministry, chartered as Chapter 1188 of Prayer & Squares, combines hand-tied quilts with prayer: each knot on a quilt represents a prayer said for the recipient. Quilts are given without charge to anyone experiencing physical, emotional, spiritual, or other life crises, and the group meets on the first Saturday of each month from 8:30 to 10:30 AM at the Nutrition Center.
Stewardship as a Way of Life
St. Charles frames parish giving around the three traditional pillars of stewardship: time, talent, and treasure. The Finance and Pastoral Councils focus on awareness and education of stewardship year-round. Stewardship, in the parish's own words, is a path to holiness, the recognition that all a Christian has and is comes freely from God and is meant to be shared in justice and love. Total registered families stand at about thirty-one hundred, and the parish's weekly operating cost runs roughly twenty-three thousand dollars. Online giving is available.
The Annual Catholic Appeal
Each year the parish participates in the Diocese of San Diego's Annual Catholic Appeal. The 2026 campaign, themed "In Mission, We Are One," supports diocesan ministry offices, Catholic schools, faith formation at every age, family strengthening, the culture of life, retired clergy, seminarians, and outreach to the marginalized. The parish's target for the 2026 campaign is $50,017; any amount received over the target is returned to the parish for its own use.
Formation in the Eucharist
The Eucharistic Revival at Saint Charles, led by Father Burt Boudoin, is a parish-wide series on the truth and beauty of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist. Sessions cover the origins of the Holy Eucharist and Sacred Scripture, apostolic practice and the Fathers of the Church, the witness of the saints, the doctrine of Transubstantiation and its controversialists, Catholic art and Eucharistic liturgy, and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament including Adoration and Procession. The series is part of the National Eucharistic Revival movement to restore understanding of and devotion to the Eucharist in the United States.
Becoming a Parishioner and Staying Connected
Registration forms for new parishioners are available online and at the parish office. Once registered, parishioners begin receiving offertory envelopes. Email updates can be received through Flocknote (text INVITATION to 84576), and the myParish app, available in the App Store and Google Play, brings the parish's announcements, calendar, and resources to a smartphone. Bulletins are posted online for those who want to follow along from home.
Parish Office hours are Monday 1:00 to 5:00 PM and Tuesday through Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with a brief closure for lunch at noon. The Catechetical Center, reached separately at 619-575-2240, is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, also closing for lunch at noon. The parish sits at 990 Saturn Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92154, in the South Bay, and remains, after eighty years, a steady center for Catholics at the southwestern corner of the country.