Address 750 Medford Street, El Cajon, CA 92020
Phone number (619) 337-1350
Website www.stephremchurch.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/p/Saint-Ephrem-Maronite-Catholic-Church-100069051996500/
Divine Liturgy Schedule Saturday vigil, 5:30 p.m. Sundays, 9:15, 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. Watch past liturgies here.
Confessions By appointment.
Names of priests Fr. Toufic Nasr, pastor. He grew up amidst civil war in Lebanon, was active in the Church and opted to come to the U.S. because there was a shortage of priests. He has served the community since 2012.
Special groups Sorority of St. Rita, St. Ephrem Church Ladies Guild, St. Ephrem Men’s Organization, Order of St. Sharbel, Arabic language program, programs for youth and young adults, National Apostolate of Maronites.
Fellow parishioners Lebanese Catholics who are Roman rite, Melkite rite and Maronite rite Catholics.
Parking There is ample parking around the church.
Additional observations The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic community in union with Rome. The head of the Maronite church lives in Lebanon. (Click here to learn more about Maronite history and liturgy.) St. Ephrem got its start in the 1970s when Lebanese families in the San Diego area sought a community of their own in which to worship. They gathered at a variety of sites until coming to their current location in 1999. Outdoor features of the church include a large statue of Mary (at the Mariam Mother of Life Shrine) and a memorial to the unborn.
Soon any church not performing same-sex union blessings will be a church worth driving to. A German bishop has just instructed his priests to start blessing same-sex unions in churches. We’re still in the first quarter of the schism showdown, however. The ball is now in Pope Francis’ court. Let’s see what play option he uses. 🏀😓
This is a sui juris (self-governing, from the Latin term meaning “in one’s own right”) Catholic Church. It is not subject to the Latin Church’s Code of Canon Law or liturgical regulations. There will not be “blessings” of gay “couples.” It seems those who desire such could more easily join the Episcopalians, Lutherans or others who’ve abandoned the apostolic faith.
I’ve heard many good things about this parish. May God bless them.
I love that church! It’s external architecture is hideous though, it was a former mainline protestant church prior to 1999 and built in the 1950s, as I recall. But the Maronite community have done a beautiful job with beautifying the interior and turning it into a sacred space.