Best Catholic Church Oceanside Near Me

4worldlovers: First Friday at 8 a.m. followed by Holy Hour; First Saturday at 7 a.m.

4worldlovers: The Lord has commanded us to pray without ceasing, and this is what the Church's official Liturgy of the Hours help us do, whether we are alone, at home or work.

Access each individual liturgy for today by clicking on the relevant time of day below.

Morning Prayer – at the start of the day's work and the coming of the light. The theme of this prayer is praise.

Day time Prayer – at mid-morning, noon and in the afternoon, to unite us with the one for whom and through whom we are working. The theme of this prayer is asking for help.

Evening Prayer – at the end of the day's work, to offer up what we have done. The theme of this prayer is gratitude and remembering back on the day with thanksgiving.

Night Prayer – last thing at night, to commend our souls to God. The theme of this prayer is the rest that comes from trusting in God.

And finally, there is the Office of Readings, at whatever time of day is best for us to reflect on the mystery of salvation, with the help of Scripture and the writings of the Fathers of the Church.

4worldlovers: In these days of the pandemic, I share with you what I am doing;

As your Pastor, I encourage you to “Hang on to Jesus!”

These days are difficult, but if we walk with Jesus, we will make it through.


We will be scarred, but we will be better people once this is behind us.

In these days, our lives go on and the life of St. Thomas More Parish continues as well.


The Seasons Campaign was successful but not to the degree that was needed.

Click on the link below for a “recap” of Seasons Campaign I

Also watch, pray, and reflect upon the two special videos created for our first Campaign,

“St. Thomas More: A Parish For All Seasons” at the left.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or

Let us continue to make St. Thomas More Parish not only survive but to thrive!

4worldlovers:
Saturday Reconciliation will not be available for the rest of May, due to other celebrations and commitments. Call 760-757-3250 for a weekday appointment.

4worldlovers: Landmarks in California were sometimes named by the Spanish after the saint whose feast day was closest to the day of discovery. San Diego was originally named San Miguel when the explorer Juan RodrÃguez Cabrillo saw it in 1542 near the feast day of Saint Michael the Archangel, but when the explorer Sebastian Viscaino returned to the bay in 1602 it was closer to the feast day of Saint Didacus of Alcalá and so it was renamed, San Diego. Saint Didacus was a Franciscan missionary who brought Christianity to the Canary Islands in the 1400s. So when the Franciscan Friars Serra, Parron, and Palou founded the first church in what would become California, they named it, as it turns out, for one of their missionary predecessors.

This is not the original site of the mission. It was founded on an area overlooking the harbor but a lack of freshwater caused the fathers to move the mission inland 5 years after it was founded. 5 different parties were dispatched from Mexico to found this mission. 3 came by ship and 2 by land. Of the 219 colonists in the first 4 groups, near half of them died on the way or shortly after arriving. The biggest killer was scurvy. Father Serra came with the 2nd land party. He was 56 years old at the time, 5′ 2″ tall, 120 pounds and walked with a limp. It was perhaps not the most auspicious start.

The mission (then in ruins) was returned to the Roman Catholic church on May 23, 1862, by President Lincoln.

Notable: This mission is not only the oldest mission, and therefore the oldest surviving structure in the state, but also has the first historic cemetery. The mission also has a garden with trees that date back to the time of the early missionaries.


This mission was named for Saint and King of France Louis IX. Louis IX led the 7th and 8th crusades in the 1200s and died while on the 8th crusade. It is one of two mission named for a king and was also one of the largest and most prosperous, giving San Luis Rey de Francia the moniker the “King of the Missions”. It was founded by fathers Antonio Peyrà and Josà Faura. The mission was occupied by the U.S. Army for sometime before it was returned to the church in 1865. But then the mission sat derelict for some years before it was restored in 1892. The current church which seats 1000 people was the 3rd one constructed at the mission and was built in 1815. There is also a large (6 acre) central square in the mission complex.

Notable: The gardens contain the first pepper tree planted in California which was transported from Peru.

This mission is the start of what became Orange County California. In November of 1775, the first mission was destroyed by a Kumeyaay war party only a month after it was founded.

It was founded for good by Father Serra in 1776, but that was not the end of its ill-fortune. A great stone church was finished in 1806 which was considered the Jewel in the Crown of the California Missions. It was destroyed only 6 years later in 1812 by an earthquake. The earthquake killed 40 worshippers and a couple of bell-ringers.

It is named for the Italian warrior saint John of Capistrano who led a crusade against the Ottoman Empire at the siege of Belgrade in 1456 when he was 70 years old.

The mission was given back to the Roman Catholic Church by Lincoln in 1865 and the church still owns the land but the mission is run by a non-profit organization.

Notable: The mission is known for the annual migration of swallows from Mexico and Central America on March 19th. Urbanization has significantly decreased the number of swallows which used to number 6,000 at a time. In 2012, the mission started a project to attract the swallows back which includes bird calls and a stationary nest wall.

Notable: The mission is the only surviving church where Father Serra said mass.