As double USD alum, it was incredibly important to my now husband and I to get married at Founders. We both shared so many special memories in this chapel as students at USD- from participating in the SEARCH retreat to candlelight masses. Additionally, during my grad program, I participated in the RCIA program to be baptized and confirmed in Founders by Father Robert. Needless to say, this chapel is so special to us and although not as well known as the Immaculata, it holds much more significance and importance to our journey together. It is also so beautiful. We inquired about the chapel back in 2020. The chapel has USD affiliation requirements to marry in it and you must find your own priest to officiate your wedding. Naturally, we reached out to Father Robert. The chapel wedding coordinator, Darlene, is the best. She has facilitated so many weddings at Founders and is such a pro. She helped connect us with recommendations for musicians (as live music is required and there is no pre-recorded music allowed). On wedding day, she was the absolute best. She discreetly cued us from the side in sections of the mass to remind us where we needed to be and the ceremony was flawless. We are so grateful to add this additional memory to our list of significant moments in Founders Chapel. read more

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Beautiful chapel! The grounds are impeccable. You feel such a sense of spiritual calmness at USD.

This "nun's chapel" is an exquisite location for a wedding. You can see the side seating on the chapel where the nuns would sit, with the young girls using the pews. If attending a wedding there, I have a few suggestions for you: --- Go early as parking is challenging. --- If you're planning a wedding, with the invitation include a building map of that part of the campus because you have to walk through the first building, out and across an external courtyard, and then into another one (no clear signage). We almost ended up attending a play instead of a wedding because the front building is a twin, so facing it, enter the building on the right. --- On a warm day, wear natural fiber as there is no AC system We attended a wedding here and it was just wonderful, one of the most beautiful chapel wedding locations ever! It created an incredibly gorgeous ambience, but there's nothing "stuffy" about the location. I think one could marry here and walk down the aisle on departure with the sense that a sacred ceremony has just occurred. Just lovely. Can anybody tell me what that color blue is on the ceiling and at the front? read more

Founders Chapel - Beautiful blues in ceiling and elsewhere ... - Churches Near Me - San Diego, California

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I'm not Catholic so I don't go to churches very often, but somebody was getting married so I didn't want to be disrespectful and say no. In terms of decor its a very nice location and the people working there were very professional and nice, so I really can't complain about that. I'm a huge history type of guy so I do enjoy going into older buildings with a historical pretext so that helped justify my experience here. It was really hot in here though as it was a warm day and there was no breeze. There was an overweight man who really was sweating up a storm and would often go for his rag every few minutes. Either way, it's a beautiful building and an interesting experience watching the wedding ceremony as I've never experienced a Catholic wedding at a church before. read more

Absolutely loved getting married here! Darlene was so great to work with the year leading up and helped make sure all the details were taken care of. read more

Founders Chapel - Churches Near Me - San Diego, California

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The Founders Chapel is beautiful... We stopped in since we are considering this chapel as one of our wedding venues. I had been a student once on the grounds and this was the chapel I went to for mass. The fiancee is an alumni, and he loves this chapel as alumni have the ability to reserve the chapel for weddings. The location is tricky to find. You would need to enter through one of the buildings to actually get to the chapel (unlike the Immaculata). The chapel reminds me of the old school dark cherry wood churches I used to visit when I was a kid. The alter is amazing!!! All 24kt gold. I'm not sure how it would look in pictures, but I'm sure they're pretty. The chapel is an intimate setting and much smaller than the infamous Immaculata. Don't let size deceive you, however, since it is just as gorgeous. read more

What a cool chapel on such a great campus. The architecture really is amazing...since it's situated on a hill, you can almost forget that you're in San Diego. Everything is kept clean and in pristine condition. Outside of the chapel is okay, but the inside is wonderfully decorated and has that nice and cozy feel. I was here for a wedding and it was the perfect place for a smaller ceremony. There's also a small courtyard in front of the actual chapel which is nice. read more

I attending a wedding here. This is a superb location for a catholic wedding if you're looking for a very traditional setting. Set on top of a hill overlooking San Diego, this chapel is lavishly appointed with beautiful stained glass windows and murals on nearly every wall of the nave and chancel. I wasn't close enough to see the altar adornments clearly but they appeared in good condition from my vantage point about halfway between the narthex and chancel. This chapel is large enough to hold a decent sized wedding and the vibe is much more warn, intimate and inviting than say the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in LA, which I find to be modern, cold and sterile. Come to think of it, I probably should have given 5-stars based on the fact that I didn't spontaneously combust upon entering... eh. read more

Rumor is that in order to have a wedding here you have to had attended the school or sign up for a 2 year waiting list. After attending a good friend's wedding here I see why: the church is beautiful. Old fashioned seats, a lovely stained glass window series of all the events leading to Jesus's hanging on the cross, lovely candles everywhere. The feeling in here is so peaceful and serene yet also not so stuffy where you feel uncomfortable. I can see why anyone wanting to hold a Catholic ceremony would hold out for this place. read more

I adore Founders Chapel at the University of San Diego! I must admit, though, that I'm entirely biased. I went to school at USD and fell in love with the Chapel as soon as I first laid eyes on it. Also- I'm not Catholic, but I attend Mass every now and again because Founders has such a wonderful community feel to it. My fiance (and Catholic counterpart) and I are planning to get married in the Chapel next year and we've had a great experience working with the Chapel Coordinator thusfar (her name is Darlene and she is just amazing.) A few items worth mentioning... in order to get married at Founders Chapel either the bride or groom must be baptized Catholic, and must be one of the following: a USD alum, student, faculty, staff member, or a child of one of the mentioned groups. The whole 2-year wait list myth is entirely false. They definitely do have openings closer than 2 years out. With that said, the Catholic church does "recommend" 8-9 months for marriage preparation, etc (think pre cana, obtaining a new baptismal certificate, etc.) Interested in learning more about the Chapel? Here's the link to its website: http://www.sandiego.edu/um/worship/sacraments.php. Someone else recommended in their review to stop by Founders Chapel if you happen to be near USD's campus. I agree. USD's campus is open to the public (just remember to grab a visitor pass from one of the kiosks) and take a walk around campus. My alma mater is beautiful (it was recently dubbed the 4th most beautiful campus in the nation by US News and World Report, afterall!) Go Toreros! read more

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F.Y.I: Words can't ever describe the beauty of this place! It seriously took my breathe away and fell in love with Founders Chapel instantly... To get to the chapel you first have to go through a separate building and then through a beautiful garden area where the stations of the cross is located. The architecture in Founders Chapel is absolutely beautiful and it makes you feel like you're in the Vatican City. I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend daily mass several times during this Lenten season....and I would recommend everyone to go here for daily mass @ 12:15pm in a heart beat. To me its like a daily dose of God every day...I mean life cant get any better than that :) Honestly I could go on and on about Founders Chapel but this is a place you have to experience for yourself! Yelpers...Take care and God Bless! read more

I don't think there's much to say about this chapel that isn't already obvious, but ever since attending USD, it was my dream to get married here. Last year, I fulfilled my dream when I married my husband here. It was all I hoped for and more. Darlene, the wedding coordinator, was amazing to work with. It is a bit hard to get a hold of her since she is only part-time there, but she really went out of her way to help us out and was just a pleasure to work with. Plus, she is very knowledgeable and clearly knows what she's talking about. She even made suggestions to the photographer that turned out to be some of the best photos. San Diego has a lot of beautiful places to get married, but if you are Catholic and eligible to marry here, there is no better place to get married. read more

Gorgeous chapel! One of the most beautiful in all of San Diego, next to Our Lady of the Rosary in Little Italy, in my opinion. A couple complaints I have though are that when I attended as a USD student, they never kneeled at the consecration! Very irreverent and unCatholic action. And when I inquired to get married there, they said I COULD but had to find my own priest. I had a priest ready to perform the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, but when they found out it was the Tridentine Latin Mass, they renigged said I couldn't have it. The "Motu Propio" from Pope benedict XVI had already come out saying that the Traditional Latin Mass was never abrogated and that any faithful asking to have it should have it. Yet, they still denied me that right. read more

As a Catholic wedding planner and a USD alum, Founders Chapel is my dream venue. I would work here every weekend and never tire of the solemnity, the history, the design - it is all perfect. It can be difficult to find, so you need to include specific directions for your guests and post signs. Simply the most gorgeous Catholic venue in San Diego. read more

Relatively large and beautiful chapel (remember, it is a chapel). During the school year, you will see a lot of undergraduate students here celebrating mass. Very social - a great experience. read more

One of the reasons i went to this school. i knew i'd want to get married here one day and i did. Father Lawrence did our mass and he was great! They are very organized here and made wedding planning so much easier. If you are an alumni here, I highly suggest you get married here. read more

One of the most beautiful Chapels I have ever seen! It is true that it's tough to get married there, but it's easy to see why...everyone would want to! If you're on campus or even near USD, stop in for a quick prayer. It does a body good! read more

Probably, the most gorgeous Church in San Diego--actually, a campus chapel. I got married there and the pictures are just stunning. Unfortunately, the communion rails were removed depleting its historical integrity and the Catholic tradition that they conveyed. Also, it has a gorgeous marble altar that goes unused since they only celebrate Novus Ordo. The ceiling is coffered with rosettes--also very beautiful. Rev. Mother Rosalie Hill, RSCJ who was instrumental in its design out-did herself! read more