Our History

Humble Beginnings

On April 24, 1970, responding to the projected growth of San Diego's northern communities of Mira Mesa, Rancho Penasquitos and Scripps Ranch, Bishop Leo T. Maher of the Diocese of San Diego established The Church of the Good Shepherd and named Father William A. Kraft* as founding pastor for this parish which would support an area of over 100 square miles.

On June 14, 1970, the first Mass was offered in Good Shepherd Parish at the Rancho Penasquitos Shopping Center, which also served as our first parish church. Homes at Reagan Road and at Ivory Coast Drive were purchased to serve as a rectory and temporary chapel for Mass. Another home on Eagle Rock Avenue served as a convent for the Daughters of Divine Charity who would provide religious instruction for the children of the parish. Ten acres of land were also purchased from the Pardee Construction Company for the Church/Multi-Purpose Hall. This building would seat 600 parishioners for Sunday Mass, provide a permanent chapel for daily Mass, classrooms for CCD classes and a parish hall for community gatherings.

On December 24, 1972, Mass was celebrated for the first time in the Church/Multi-Purpose Hall. The Good Shepherd Catholic Community raised $300,000 over a 40-month period on a Capital Fund Pledge Campaign setting a tradition of unselfish giving and generosity. On March 25, 1973, our new Church/Multi-Purpose Hall was formally dedicated by the Bishop.

In 1978, office and storage space were added along with a separate building for the ever growing CCD classes. In 1981, the rectory was constructed for the 3 assigned priests which would allow them to reside on the church premises.

In 1982, Good Shepherd School was established. Staffed by the Sisters of Mercy from Ireland and dedicated lay teachers, the school started with grades one to three. About the same time, the communities of Rancho Penasquitos and Scripps Ranch each established their own parishes. By 1984, a new Building Fund Drive was initiated to raise funds in order to build our present church. Over 1,000 families raised $800,000 in the next four years. The Diocese of San Diego matched this amount as a loan. In August 1986, the parochial school expanded grade offerings from one through eight with the addition of portable classrooms.

In January 1988, the construction of our present church began. Many parishioners and parish organization contributed toward the interior furnishings. The new building would seat 1,150 people for each of the 6 weekend masses to serve over 3,500 registered parish families at that time

Growing Through Change

Since our founding in 1970, The Church of the Good Shepherd has experienced tremendous growth. With nearly 6,000 registered families and numerous ministries and organizations, our meeting space had become insufficient. In order for the mission of our Church to continue, we undertook a Capital Campaign Drive in 2010 for building a two story 29,000 square foot Parish Center for school administrative offices, meeting rooms, conference tooms, preschool and extended care facilities and a gymnasium/mutipurpose room that seats up to 700 people. Each weekend there are eight Sunday Mass celebrations, serving a diverse ethnic community where we strive to make everyone feel welcomed.

Looking to the Future

Improvements to some of our older existing structures to better serve the many needs of our still growing parish including a youth, teen and young adult faith formation center are being reviewed. At Good Shepherd Parish, there are over 90 organizations who pump the life of the parish into their ever visible activities and the presence of Christ into our community by their actions of service, worship and fellowship.