Name of Church John Paul the Great Catholic University chapel
Address 155 W. Grand Avenue in downtown Escondido
Phone number (858) 653-6740
Website www.jpcatholic.edu
Mass times Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. during the 40 weeks of the year when classes are in session. The public is welcome to attend. The Mass draws some Chaldean rite seminarians, hence Friday’s Mass is a Chaldean rite liturgy.
Confessions Confession available after Mass.
Names of priests Different priests from the diocese come and celebrate Mass on a rotating basis.
Special events One way for the public to experience the school is to participate in the senior film screenings in early September. See the school website for details.
Fellow parishioners Mass is currently held in a classroom which seats about 80. Most who attend are JP Catholic students and staff. The school’s president, Derry Connolly, said he enjoyed going to Mass at the school because “I love being surrounded by 18 to 22-year-olds who are on fire with love for Jesus.”
Parking Plenty
Additional observations John Paul the Great Catholic University (or “JP Catholic”) was founded as New Catholic University in 2003, and opened its doors to students in 2006. It was renamed for the late pontiff after his death in 2005. The school offers bachelor’s degrees in communications, business and humanities, and an MBA in film producing. The university is pleased to share with visitors its mission: Impact Culture for Christ. The school is orthodox and prides itself on its Catholic identity. It serves nearly 300 students.
St. Teresa of Calcutta Chapel – In 2020 or 2021, the school hopes to open its first campus chapel, St. Teresa of Calcutta Chapel. The chapel is a 1925 structure located across the street from the school. The new chapel is currently in the design phase; work on the structure may begin in January 2019. Donations are being sought to help fund the chapel; visit https://jpcatholic.edu/giving/chapel/
Watch a video on the school:
Isn’t it presumptuous to give Pope JPII the honorific “Great”? I’m not aware that the Church has sanctioned that designation. I’m not saying he wasn’t great; I’m saying it’s not an official way to refer to him (yet).
An interesting point is that the University is repurposing existing buildings in the downtown area of a northeast suburb of San Diego.
How about CCD switch it up with a new series twist: “Churches NOT worth driving to.”
I’ve been to the University. It’s unique, challenging, and orthodox. The university witness Christ, even in the sense that they are revitalizing the downtown by growing and re-purposing buildings that have been abandoned. As they grow, and already, they are having an impact on the city and just like the early missions of California they are putting Christ in the center not just of the students education, but also of the city, even in their own hidden way in Econdido,(Escondido, the Spanish word for Hidden). I do hope people visit and enjoy the down town and stop by to visit the Blessed Sacrament at the college. As far as it being named John Paul the Great. This is one of the instances where we lay people can call him for the…