Unlike the rest of La Jolla Village, a tour of Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church is free.
By John Murphy
Tuesday on our mini-vacation I ventured into La Jolla Village to check out the scene.
In my previous blog I described La Jolla as an “upscale Santa Cruz” and that’s not really true. Upon further review it’s fare more expensive and considerably less funky than the Surf City to the north.
During my stroll around the village I managed to avoid the $9 waffle cone at a joint called “Oh Goodies” and a $41 leather lid at “Hats Unlimited” and found something decidedly less expensive … a church!
Right there on the corner of Herschel and Kline is Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church. The landmark was built in 1906 in a Spanish revivalist style and it was wide open, which stunned me. So I ventured in.
Mary Star from the outside resembles a small mission with two stars adorning the front, a mission bell that really rings and a mural of the Virgin Mary, flanked by two angels. ‘
I walked in like I owned the place. The interior is egg-shell white with light brown pews and ancient wood beams across the ceiling. My first impression was favorable.
I’m Catholic so all of this was familiar, but infinitely cooler. There were ornate confessional boxes on either side of the entrance, beautiful stained-glass windows and fancy light fixtures. It was all incredibly tasteful.
Progressing to the front of the church I also saw votive candles to light for the prayerful, a white marble altar and a display in the corner honoring the Immaculate Conception.
I wandered around, respectfully taking a photo here and there. I reached another section of the church with a small tabernacle. By this point an elderly Latino man had wandered in and was deep in prayer. I tried not to disturb him. But it was also hard not to notice a stained-glass window of St. Patrick holding a clover in his hand with snakes cowering at his feet. As an Irish-American, I appreciated that.
There is also a grade school in the vicinity. The Stella Maris Academy for grades K through 8 is adjacent to the church. I attended a Catholic grade school similar to this, so again I was in familiar territory.
Every Catholic grade school worth its salt, in my opinion, must have a blacktop with at least one basketball hoop. I found just that catty-corner from the church. But I didn’t have a basketball and folding chairs covered the court, so there was no shoot-around on this day.
Finally, it was time to depart. But before I did, I saw a hand-written sign near the school auditorium that said, “We Are So Excited to Be Welcoming You Back to School. Open Safe, Open Strong, Aug. 19, 2020.
I’m sure that’s a sentiment, in these pandemic-marred days, we can all agree with.
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