As Little Italy adds condos and shops, its centerpiece, Our Lady of the Rosary Church, has undergone a restoration.
On the corner of State and Date streets, the church is noted as a place guaranteed to make a first-time visitor’s jaw drop when he sees wall-to-wall renderings of the 12 Apostles, the Crucifixion, Rosary Mysteries, and Last Judgment, by artist Fausto Tasca. After a year of restoration, the color and intensity of those paintings are brighter.
“It’s like the shadow has been removed and it’s come alive!” says Patricia Kaszas, restoration project liason.
The most noticeable change in the church’s interior is the marble floor, replacing the original wood floor, carpeted since the 1970s. Father Joe Tabigue, the church’s pastor, claims it was his idea, but Kaszas adds that it was her suggestion. “He liked the idea. We found a red marble stone called ‘Rojo Alicante’ and Father said ‘It reminds me of the Blood of Christ!’ For the altar area, we picked a white marble and Father said, ‘This looks like Heaven.’”
Father Tabigue says that it was his idea to restore the church for its 100th anniversary in 2025: “We kicked off fundraising in October of 2018 on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.”
Full story at San Diego Reader.
Beautiful, beautiful restoration. In this church, what Catholicism is and stands for surrounds you 360 degrees.
What is the greater glory of God? Beautiful chuch or feeding the hungry in times of pandemic?
Judas Iscariot asked a similar question.
Why not both, mikem? Jobs for people restoring a church to honor the Lord Jesus AND food for the poor. Do you not think some of the workers support their families and also give to the poor from their salaries?
And Mikem, I would add that I do not think you are a “Judas Iscariot”. I do not think you asked those questions because you are stealing from the Church as he was doing. The similarity between your and his questions merely popped up in my mind, and the Lord’s answer to him.
mikem— why view these good things as being mutually exclusive?
Mikem, that’s a false dichotomy.
As often, the Catholic answer is both/and, not either/or.
Do you love you wife OR your children?
And, in fact, those who attend churches (and build them with their donations) donate more money to the poor than do their secular neighbors.
Go to church and feed the hungry.
(And, the more you go to church, the more you’ll feed the hungry. Matthew 25:40)
mikem, What does a beautiful church and feeding the poor have anything to do with each other? Yes, we can have a beautiful church and feed the poor. It’s that simple.
What kind of music do they have there?
Traditional music. In more typical times, there is a monthly Ordinary Form Sunday Mass in Latin with Gregorian chant. Well worth the trip!
Many years ago as a young man I worked at a business located in this neighborhood and would spend part of my lunch hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It was and is a beautiful little Church!
One can accomplish a great deal if we don’t take all the credit.
Another important landmark there is Italian priest Fr Louis Solcia. He’s a riot.
Wish the kneeling rails came back!?
Very nice indeed! But alas the “Novus Ordo table” is standing in the way of the Traditional high altar and it should have the TLM as well! The Novus Ordo in Latin does not compare with the Mass of All Times, yes it is far better than the Novus Ordo in English yet it is still not the TLM. But kudo’s for the priest to do what he did and especially getting rid of carpet good grief how tacky. Btw the “communion rail” is in place for the TLM so it should be used as it was intended to be used.
It is not a table. It is an altar. It is consecrated. What you said is sacrilegious.
No it’s a table!
It looks like a marble table to non-Catholics, I guess, but please do not disrespect the Sacrifice of Calvary which Catholics believe is re-presented on this altar. This is very offensive to Catholics.
I think Romulus Augustus dislikes the altars at the newer Masses because they look like the “altars” in some Protestant churches, such as Lutheran. Before Vatican II all Catholic churches had high altars, even in poorer areas, because the sacrificial part of the Mass was stressed and transubstantiation took/still takes place. When Luther rebelled against Rome, he got rid of the sacrificial part of the Mass since their pastors did not have the ability to turn the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord. They then put in tablelike altars to avoid looking Catholic. Now Catholics use them.
The Novus Ordo is valid; it just does not compare to the Mass of All Times and that is not sacrilegious to say so dear Sir or Madam.