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Santa Sophia Catholic Church
The dynamic Santa Sophia Catholic Church is located in Spring Valley, California. The church dominates the skyline of Casa de Oro and has become the landmark for this small East County community. The church has grown and thrived over the years due to a dedicated and committed Christian community. The spiritual leadership provided by the priests and nuns throughout the history of Santa Sophia is a legacy of loving and caring that remains an inspiration to its parishioners.
The community of Casa de Oro was once part of the extensive land holdings of the Mission San Diego de Alcala, a Franciscan Mission founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1769. In 1846, the Mission lands, and the rest of California, became part of the United States. American farmers began settling in Spring Valley in the 1870s. This area remained rural farmland for many decades until the flood of new residents following World War II. The population of San Diego County exploded during the war as soldiers, sailors, and war workers rushed to San Diego as part of the war effort. Many of these new arrivals remained and within a few years became part of the steady growth that built up the East County.
Bishop Charles F. Buddy, the first Bishop of San Diego, established the Catholic Community of Santa Sophia on October 10, 1956. This new parish was carved out from the parishes of St. John of the Cross in Lemon Grove, St. Martin's in La Mesa and Holy Trinity in El Cajon.
Msgr. Richard R. Daniels was the founding pastor. He was appointed in 1956 and passed away in 1958. During his brief tenure, much was accomplished. Masses were first celebrated in the Kalinoski Family home on Calavo Drive and in the Community Center on Memory Lane. Soon Msgr. Daniels commissioned a permanent house of worship for the 150 families under his care along with a rectory for the priests.
With the generous donation of land by the Nasim Fares Family, construction on both the church and rectory began in June, 1957. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on July 6, 1958. Unfortunately, Msgr. Daniels was not able to celebrate his accomplishments because of his untimely death at the age of 44 on June 7, 1958.
Succeeding Msgr. Daniels as second pastor of Santa Sophia was Msgr. John Verhoeven who was appointed pastor on June 29, 1958.
Msgr. Verhoeven supervised the completion of the half-finished church building. Bishop Buddy officially dedicated the parish to Holy Wisdom (Santa Sophia) on May 3, 1959.
The title of the parish is an ancient one, going back to Greece in the days of the Roman Empire. In the city of Constantinople (Istanbul), on the same spot where Constantine, the first Christian emperor, had built a basilica two hundred years earlier, the Emperor Justinian erected a monumental church in honor of "Hagia Sophia" the Holy Wisdom, in the year 538. The title, "Hagia Sophia" or Santa Sophia, has remained popular in the Greek Orthodox Church. The title is rare, however, for Roman Catholic churches.
The community of Casa de Oro was once part of the extensive land holdings of the Mission San Diego de Alcala, a Franciscan Mission founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1769. In 1846, the Mission lands, and the rest of California, became part of the United States. American farmers began settling in Spring Valley in the 1870s. This area remained rural farmland for many decades until the flood of new residents following World War II. The population of San Diego County exploded during the war as soldiers, sailors, and war workers rushed to San Diego as part of the war effort. Many of these new arrivals remained and within a few years became part of the steady growth that built up the East County.
Bishop Charles F. Buddy, the first Bishop of San Diego, established the Catholic Community of Santa Sophia on October 10, 1956. This new parish was carved out from the parishes of St. John of the Cross in Lemon Grove, St. Martin's in La Mesa and Holy Trinity in El Cajon.
Msgr. Richard R. Daniels was the founding pastor. He was appointed in 1956 and passed away in 1958. During his brief tenure, much was accomplished. Masses were first celebrated in the Kalinoski Family home on Calavo Drive and in the Community Center on Memory Lane. Soon Msgr. Daniels commissioned a permanent house of worship for the 150 families under his care along with a rectory for the priests.
With the generous donation of land by the Nasim Fares Family, construction on both the church and rectory began in June, 1957. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on July 6, 1958. Unfortunately, Msgr. Daniels was not able to celebrate his accomplishments because of his untimely death at the age of 44 on June 7, 1958.
Succeeding Msgr. Daniels as second pastor of Santa Sophia was Msgr. John Verhoeven who was appointed pastor on June 29, 1958.
Msgr. Verhoeven supervised the completion of the half-finished church building. Bishop Buddy officially dedicated the parish to Holy Wisdom (Santa Sophia) on May 3, 1959.
The title of the parish is an ancient one, going back to Greece in the days of the Roman Empire. In the city of Constantinople (Istanbul), on the same spot where Constantine, the first Christian emperor, had built a basilica two hundred years earlier, the Emperor Justinian erected a monumental church in honor of "Hagia Sophia" the Holy Wisdom, in the year 538. The title, "Hagia Sophia" or Santa Sophia, has remained popular in the Greek Orthodox Church. The title is rare, however, for Roman Catholic churches.