On a quiet stretch of Jamestown Avenue in San Francisco's Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood, St. Paul of the Shipwreck Catholic Church has gathered worshippers for more than a century. The parish is known across the city for the way it weaves together three very different Catholic traditions under one roof: a Spirit filled Gospel and Jazz liturgy rooted in African American spirituality, a vibrant Spanish speaking Eucharistic community formed around a charismatic prayer group, and a monthly Igbo Mass that draws faithful from across the Bay Area. Together they make Shipwreck, as parishioners call it, one of the most culturally layered parishes in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
A Name Drawn From a Shipwreck and a Warm Fire
The parish takes its name from the Acts of the Apostles, where the imprisoned Apostle Paul and his companions are shipwrecked on the island of Malta and welcomed by locals who light a fire to warm them in the cold rain. The story reads almost like a parish history. In 1913, roughly three hundred Maltese immigrants settled in the Bayview Hunters Point area, joined by neighbors from the Italian community, and petitioned the Archbishop to establish a Maltese national church. The new parish was dedicated to St. Paul of the Shipwreck and began serving the neighborhood in 1915.
That same impulse toward hospitality has shaped the parish for over a hundred years. Through waves of immigration and demographic change, St. Paul of the Shipwreck has continued to welcome newcomers. The Conventual Franciscans of California, a Western United States Province of the Catholic religious order founded in Italy in 1229 by St. Francis of Assisi, pledged to minister to California's diverse ethnic communities and accepted responsibility for the parish. The Franciscans, especially known for their service to the poor, served here until June 2015. Since then, the parish has been served by priests of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Three Liturgies, One Parish Family
On any given weekend, the parish church on Jamestown Avenue hosts three distinct celebrations of the Eucharist, each with its own music, its own rhythm, and its own deep roots.
The Gospel Mass at 10:45 AM
The Sunday morning Gospel Mass is the spiritual heart of the parish. Steeped in the traditions of the African American Church, this liturgy is described by the parish as a lively, Spirit filled celebration where passionate and moving song and worship enhance the Catholic liturgy. The Inspirational Voices of Shipwreck, the parish's gospel choir known as IVS, ministers in song every Sunday. The music draws on the same well of joy, contemplation, and justice minded faith that has shaped Black Catholic spirituality for generations, a tradition the parish reflects on through its Five Spiritual Gifts of African American Catholics program with names like God on our mind, People of the Book, Joy wholeness and contemplation, All are welcome, and Called to do justice.
Spanish Mass at 8:30 AM
The Spanish speaking community at the 8:30 AM Sunday Mass has grown since 1998, when the pastor at the time, Fr. John Heinz, OFM Conv., invited a Spanish speaking charismatic prayer group called Alfa and Omega to the parish. Members of that prayer group formed the Hispanic Council to advise the pastor on how to minister to and build the Spanish speaking community. Today the congregation includes people from Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Argentina, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Peru. The annual celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12 brings together choir, Aztec dancers, mariachi musicians, and children participating in the Offertory Procession, followed by a procession of flags of the different countries and a reenactment of the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe by the parish youth group.
Igbo Mass on the Last Sunday of the Month
Once a month, members of the Igbo Catholic Foundation of the Bay Area travel from across the region to worship at Shipwreck in their indigenous language. The Igbo people, an ethnic group from southeastern Nigeria, speak Igbo, a language from the Benue Congo branch of the Niger Congo language family. The 1:00 PM Igbo Mass on the last Sunday of every month is one of the ways Vatican II's call to make Christianity native to every people's culture comes alive on Jamestown Avenue.
Livestreamed Masses
Masses at St. Paul of the Shipwreck are livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel on the first and third weekends of the month. The schedule includes the Saturday 5:00 PM Mass in English, the Sunday 8:30 AM Misa en Español, and the Sunday 10:45 AM Gospel Mass, with some special Masses added throughout the year.
Pastoral Leadership With Deep Roots
The parish is led by two Augustinian priests from the Province of St. Augustine of Nigeria who are on mission to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The Administrator, Rev. Andrew Chioma Ibegbulem, OSA, was ordained to the priesthood on July 3, 2004, and has served as associate pastor, treasurer, youth chaplain, vocation director, spiritual director, and pastor in Nigeria. He earned a master's degree in counseling in clinical mental health from Villanova University in 2016 and practiced as an intern with Siloam and Eagleville Hospital in Philadelphia before coming to Shipwreck. The Parochial Vicar, Fr. Chinonso Egbedike, OSA, was ordained on July 19, 2014, and completed a master's degree in Jewish Christian Studies at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. He serves alongside Shipwreck and at Our Lady of Lourdes and All Hallows parishes.
Two permanent deacons round out the ordained ministry. Deacon Larry Chatmon brings more than two decades of experience in nonprofit and government work, including sixteen years with the City and County of San Francisco Department of Human Services. Deacon Sergio Gomez was born at San Francisco General to Irma and Elijio Gomez, started the youth group at Shipwreck in 2008 with his wife Griselda and Fr. Paul Gawlowski, and now also directs Hispanic youth ministry for the archdiocese. He was ordained a deacon in May 2017.
Sr. Estela Martinez, MFP, serves as Pastoral Associate. A sister within the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady of Peace since 1993, she professed her final vows in 2005, came to the United States in 2004, volunteered at St. Paul of the Shipwreck in the Religious Education Program from 2004 to 2006, and returned as a Pastoral Associate in October 2016.
Forming Disciples at Every Age
Faith formation at Shipwreck begins with children and runs through adulthood.
Religious Education and Confirmation
The Religious Education program, known as Catecismo in Spanish, partners with neighboring Our Lady of Lourdes to prepare children for the sacraments. Confirmation is a two year preparation for students in grades 9 through 12.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
Each year on Holy Saturday during the Easter Vigil, those who have completed RCIA classes are baptized and welcomed into the Catholic Church. The parish also offers RICA in Spanish, with sessions beginning in October every Wednesday from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, providing preparation for adults who have not yet received their initial sacraments.
Junior Apostolates for Christ
The Junior Apostolates for Christ, known as JAC, is a Catholic charismatic youth movement of youth and young adults from the Archdiocese of San Francisco and neighboring dioceses. Its mission is to bring Christ to youth and youth to Christ, and it has been active for more than thirty years. Activities include overnight weekend retreats, confirmation retreats, prayer meetings, youth conferences, and international pilgrimages. The group welcomes participants aged 13 to 25 and older. JAC was founded in 1985 and 1986 by Fr. Virgilio Bartolome, SVD, and Bro. Mario Vierneza, who prayed for spiritual revival among the teenagers of San Francisco.
Servants of the Altar
Children and youth who have already made their first communion are invited to serve at the altar as acolytes, supporting the priest during the liturgy.
Liturgical Ministry
Proclaimers of the Word and Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist attend training given by the Archdiocese and receive monthly ongoing formation at the parish. The same ministry operates bilingually, with Spanish speaking members receiving formation in Spanish through the Ministerio de Liturgia.
Health, Healing, and Wellness in 94124
The Bayview district carries a disproportionate burden of chronic disease compared to other neighborhoods in San Francisco, with asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer prevalent in the 94124 zip code. Only two adult primary care clinics and two primary care youth clinics serve the area. In response, the Shipwreck Health Ministry has partnered with St. Mary's Medical Center to put on health fairs that have drawn more than five hundred people in a single day, with blood pressure checks and screenings for diabetes, high cholesterol, and prostate cancer. Forums led by physicians have created an approachable atmosphere for questions on disease, anti bullying, and violence prevention.
The Health Ministry also partners with the Arthur H. Coleman Medical Center in the Bayview to offer diabetes education, nutrition and cooking classes, free flu shots administered by Walgreens, and Arthritis 101 and Cancer 101 workshops led by certified professionals. Exercise classes, walking groups, and Zumba classes with Myrna Bulos on Mondays from 6:30 to 7:30 PM in the Eunice Willette Room encourage healthy lifestyle changes. Free blood pressure checks are offered every third Sunday of the month in the Eunice Willette Room following the 10:45 AM Gospel Mass.
A separate Prostate Health Support Group for African American men meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Bayview Hunters Point Clinic at the Arthur H. Coleman Medical Center at 6301 Third Street. Its mission is to provide a safe and supportive place where men can come together for dialogue and education. Flyers are available in the back of the church.
The FRANCIS Center: A Family Resource Hub
The Family Resource Addressing the Needs of our Community with Information and Services, the FRANCIS Center, sits at 1122 Jamestown Avenue across the street from the church and forms the outreach backbone of the parish. Its Learning Center, a renovated upper floor of a house above the church office, includes a large living and dining area, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. Its Recreation Center includes the parish gymnasium, a stage, a kitchen, a school cafeteria, a conference room, and the church choir loft. Together the two facilities allow the parish to serve entire families at the same time, with parents and caregivers in the Learning Center while children participate in programs in the Recreation Center.
The FRANCIS Center offers tutoring, mentoring, college information, college and career visits, counseling, support groups, parenting classes, spiritual development, 12 step programs, and help for parents and guardians finding good schools and supporting their children's education. The gym provides health, exercise, sports, and arts programming for adults and children together.
Walking With Those Affected by Incarceration
The Restorative Circle Support Group is a forum created to address the often unmet emotional and spiritual needs of all those affected by incarceration. Guided by the paradigms of empathy, love, reconciliation, and forgiveness, the group offers a safe space grounded in respect for all. While it focuses primarily on supporting the families and friends of incarcerated persons, it welcomes everyone, including those who were formerly incarcerated.
Shipwreck's commitment to prison ministry also includes the Angel Tree Project, now in its seventh year of participation. The program provides gifts and a festive party for children with an incarcerated parent, and reinforces that the gifts were specifically chosen for them by their parent. In addition, the parish once ran a food pantry that served more than 275 families every week and a Sports and Arts Academy after school program that gave over 150 families a safe haven, positive role models, and character development through arts and sports. The parish also partnered with the San Francisco Organizing Project to bring $2.5 million to the Bayview Hope House project for housing and job training for the homeless, and hosted weekly street vigils for peace on the corners of Sunnydale and Hahn in Visitation Valley and at Third and Palou.
A Catholic Elementary School Lives On as a Charter Middle School
From the 1950s through 2003, the parish operated its own Catholic elementary school. Since 2010, the school property has been leased to KIPP Bayview Academy, a public charter middle school serving grades 5 through 8. KIPP's mission is to develop middle school students into critical thinkers and change makers who possess the academic foundations, social emotional skills, and sociopolitical consciousness necessary to succeed at top performing colleges and to lead meaningful, productive, and choice filled lives.
Parish Councils and Shared Stewardship
The Parish Council is a body of committed, registered parish members who use their God given perspectives, skills, and talents to consult and make recommendations that assist the pastor in carrying out the mission of the church. Members currently include Guillermo Reece as Chair, Keiru Ugo, Yessica Joya, Dinia Wright, Michael Vezzali, Yolande Haskin, and Evette Monachino. The council carries out the parish vision by facilitating spiritual life and enhancement, faith formation, community service, and evangelization.
The Finance Council provides assistance and support to the pastor in the financial matters of the parish and oversees budget decisions and all fundraising activities of the various committees. Members include Debra Greenblat as Chair, Mariella Anguiano, Grant Stewart, Diane Wright, Kathy O'Brien, and Renee Thierry Jones.
Tithes and donations are collected in the basket during services, and electronic giving is available around the clock through the parish's online giving portal.
A Stained Glass Renovation and a Worship Space to Treasure
The parish is currently raising funds for a Stained Glass Windows Renovation Project to restore the windows of the worship space that has hosted three liturgies, countless retreats, quinceañera Masses, wedding anniversaries, baptisms, and funeral Masses for more than a century.
Planning a Visit
Shipwreck sits in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood and is easily reached by public transportation on the Muni T line. Riders can get off at the Salinas and Paul Street stop and walk three blocks to the church. Drivers coming from Highway 101 South take exit 429B onto Third Street, turn right on Jamestown Avenue, and arrive at 1122 Jamestown Avenue. From Highway 280, drivers take the San Jose exit onto US 101 South, then the Cow Palace and Third Street exit, turn left on Third Street and right on Jamestown Avenue. From Interstate 80, drivers merge onto US 101 South and follow the same Cow Palace exit. Parking is available by continuing on Jamestown Avenue to Jennings Street, turning right, and using the parking lot entrance on the right.
Anyone interested in becoming part of the parish can register as a parishioner through the parish office. The office can be reached at (415) 468 3434 or by email at spswoffice@aol.com.