Welcome to Star of the Sea Catholic Church, a shrine parish for the many apparitions of Our Lady throughout history, of which we have 16 altars to the most important. You may never have visited Star of the Sea, but please know that I offer a daily prayer for everyone who visits our website in my daily holy hour. You are always welcome to visit our shrine church, which is open every day from 6am to 7pm, with our Eucharistic chapel open 24/7 for those who commit to a weekly hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. I keep this most beautiful church on busy Geary Boulevard open all as an oasis of prayer and Christian community for all who seek peace of soul and union with God.

We place great emphasis on the primacy of prayer, especially through the sacramental life of the Church. Our Mission is to evangelize God’s people, beginning with the gift of the Holy Eucharist. Therefore, the center of our parish is the Holy Mass and Eucharistic adoration, along with frequent confessions (available 20 minutes before every Mass). A deep devotion to the Mother of God, under her title Star of the Sea (the Golden Gate Bridge lies within our parish boundaries) guides us to these Sacraments of Christ. A public rosary follows every Mass at Star of the Sea.

Our parish has a year-round preschool, and a Classical Catholic school, Stella Maris Academy, from grades K-8. The parish also supports a Classical secondary school, Nativity High School, on our campus. You can Google either of these schools to learn more about the excellence of a Classical Catholic education and how to enroll your children.

If you are visiting our site from far away, please pray for us and our mission here in San Francisco. If you live nearby, we warmly invite you to join us for Mass, adoration, and weekday evening prayer at 5:45 pm. I hope to meet you in person one day, and in the meantime, pray for your health and holiness.

Thank you for visiting our parish site!

Fr. Joseph Illo, Pastor