Magazine design · St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese
Kepha, Winter 2025: Built on the Rock
The first issue of Kepha tells the story of the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, from its founding in 2002 to the cathedral on Jamacha Way, and visits parishes in North Hollywood and Turlock.
St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese
Kepha
Our founding story
Built on
the Rock
How the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle began, and the cathedral at its heart.
ExclusiveThe story of our eparchy, from 2002 to today
PlusPraying in the language of Jesus
Contents
Winter 2025
Features
- 4
Built on the Rock
How the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle began, and where it reaches today.
- 6
Praying in the Language of Jesus
Chaldean, Arabic, and English at the altar: one liturgy, three tongues.
- 8
Sacred Spaces
A photo essay from the sanctuaries of the eparchy, from El Cajon to Scottsdale.
In every issue
- From the Editors3
- Parish Spotlight: St. Paul10
- Parish Spotlight: St. Thomas11
- Sacraments: Marriage12
- Churches and Institutions13
- Around the Eparchy14
- Mark Your Calendar15
- Pray Every Day16
24/7
Adoration at the Cathedral
The adoration chapel at St. Peter Cathedral is open around the clock. Come and pray.
Kepha is published quarterly for St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese, the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle. Winter 2025 edition.
Eparchy Office 1627 Jamacha Way, El Cajon, CA 92019. 619-579-7997. office@stpeterdiocese.org
Cathedral Office 619-579-7913
Design and production HQT
Photographs Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle
Mass times and event details were current at press time. Please confirm with your parish office.
From the Editors
Welcome to Kepha
When Jesus met Simon, son of John, he gave him a new name: Kepha, the Aramaic word for rock. In Greek it became Petros, and in English, Peter. It is the name our cathedral carries, the name of our eparchy, and now the name of this magazine.
Kepha will arrive four times a year, once each season. In its pages you will find the parishes and missions of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, the clergy who serve them, the sacraments and seasons that shape our year, and the practical details every family needs: Mass times, registration dates, and who to call.
This first issue begins where the eparchy began, in 2002, and at the cathedral on Jamacha Way. It visits two parishes hundreds of miles apart, in North Hollywood and Turlock, and looks at what it means to pray in the language Jesus spoke.
Keep it on the kitchen table, pass it to a neighbor, and tell your parish office what you would like to read next.
With prayers for a blessed new yearThe editors of KephaSt. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese
Built on the Rock
How a new eparchy for the Chaldean and Assyrian Catholics of the American West took shape in 2002.
On May 21, 2002, Pope John Paul II accepted the Chaldean Synod's election of Fr. Sarhad Jammo and named him the first bishop of a newly created diocese: the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle. Until then, Chaldean Catholics across the United States had belonged to a single diocese based in Detroit. The new eparchy took responsibility for the West.
On the eve of Mar Mari
Bishop Sarhad Yawsip Jammo was consecrated at 4:30pm on July 18, 2002, at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Troy, Michigan, the parish he had served as pastor for almost twenty years. The date was chosen with care. It was the eve of the feast of Mar Mari, the apostle to Mesopotamia.
The principal consecrator was His Beatitude Mar Raphael I Bidawid, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans. Among those present were Mar Dinkha IV, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, and Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop of Detroit.
Home in El Cajon
One week later, on July 25, 2002, Mar Sarhad was installed as bishop at St. Peter Chaldean Cathedral in El Cajon, California. The cathedral on Jamacha Way has been the seat of the eparchy ever since.
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.Matthew 16:18
Nineteen states, three vicariates
The territory entrusted to the new eparchy was vast: the nineteen westernmost states of the country, reaching from Alaska and Hawaii to Texas. Today it is organized into three vicariates, South, North, and East. Its parishes and missions run from San Diego County and Los Angeles to the Central Valley and the Bay Area, and east to Arizona, Nevada, and Texas.
A second shepherd
On August 29, 2017, following the retirement of Bishop Sarhad, Bishop Emanuel Shaleta was installed as the eparchy's second bishop.
Serving the whole eparchy
Alongside its parishes, the eparchy sustains institutions that serve every one of them: the Seminary of Mar Abba the Great, where men prepare for the priesthood; the Sons of the Covenant Monastery, a community of Chaldean monks in El Cajon; and the St. Peter Media Center, which carries the liturgy to those who cannot be present.
Praying in the Language of Jesus
At most Chaldean altars, the Mass moves between three languages. One of them is a living form of Aramaic.
Walk into St. Peter Cathedral on a Sunday and you can hear the Mass in three languages before noon: Arabic at 8am, English at 10am, and Chaldean at midday. At St. Michael and St. John in El Cajon the pattern is much the same, and in the Central Valley and the Bay Area the Assyrian liturgy is celebrated at St. Thomas, St. Mary's, and St. Matthew.
A living Aramaic
Chaldean, which many who speak it call Sureth, is a modern form of Aramaic, the language of Jesus and the apostles. It is spoken by families whose roots are in the cities and villages of northern Iraq, and it is the language in which the Chaldean liturgy is most at home.
The liturgy of Addai and Mari
The Chaldean Church celebrates the Holy Qurbana, the Eucharist, in the East Syriac tradition. Its anaphora, the great prayer of thanksgiving, bears the names of the apostles Addai and Mari and is among the oldest eucharistic prayers still prayed anywhere in the Church.
Three languages, one altar. Sunday Mass at St. Peter Cathedral: 8am Arabic, 10am English, 12pm Chaldean, 4pm English.
Let everything that has breath give praise to the Lord!Psalm 150:6
Why three languages?
The languages at the altar follow the people in the pews. Grandparents who came from Iraq may pray most easily in Chaldean or Arabic; their grandchildren, raised in California and Arizona, often pray in English. A parish schedule with all three keeps a family in the same church, even when its members are at different Masses.
Learning the responses
For anyone new to the Chaldean Mass, the responses come quickly with a little help. The Emmanuel Chaldean Prayer app, free on the App Store and Google Play, carries the day's prayers, feasts, and readings, and many parishes keep printed booklets in the pews.
The cross on our doors
The cross that marks the eparchy's churches, and the cover of this magazine, has arms that end in clusters of three circles. It is the budded cross of the Chaldean and Assyrian tradition, often read as a sign of the Trinity.
Sacred Spaces
From El Cajon to Scottsdale, the churches of the eparchy share the same signs: the cross, the icons of the saints, and the altar where the Qurbana is offered.
Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build.Psalm 127:1
North Hollywood, California
St. Paul Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church
St. Paul serves Assyrian and Chaldean Catholic families across the San Fernando Valley from its church on Vanowen Street in North Hollywood.
Its Sunday Mass is celebrated in Assyrian at 10:30am, and confession is available before or after Mass.
Inside, the sanctuary is crowned by a mural of the risen Christ among the angels, beneath a window of stained glass. Outside, a Marian grotto set into the brick wall of the church gives families a place to stop and pray on their way in.
Mass times
- Sunday
- 10:30am Assyrian
Clergy
Visit
Address
13050 Vanowen St, North Hollywood, CA 91605
Phone
818-765-3665
Turlock, California
St. Thomas Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church
In the Central Valley town of Turlock, St. Thomas gathers the Assyrian and Chaldean Catholic community of Stanislaus County for Sunday Mass in Assyrian at 11am. Confession is available before or after Mass.
The parish carries the name of the apostle who, in the tradition of the Church of the East, carried the Gospel eastward beyond the Roman Empire.
Its Marian garden is one of the loveliest in the eparchy: a shrine of stacked stone and a cascading fountain framed by roses, lit after dark so that it glows through the evening.
Mass times
- Sunday
- 11am Assyrian
Visit
Address
2901 North Berkeley Ave, Turlock, CA 95382
Phone
209-668-4500
Confession
Before or after Mass
Sacraments
Marriage: A Union in Christ's Love
Marriage is one of the sacraments of service. Through it, a man and a woman promise to serve each other and to build up the Church.
Marriage is not only a union between husband and wife but a union in Christ's love. Couples are called to mirror that love and service to the Church, to each other, and to their families.
Its purpose is simple to say and a lifetime to live: to build each other up in faith, to serve each other, and to be faithful to each other until death.
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her." Ephesians 5:25
Couples preparing to marry should speak with their parish priest early, before a date or a hall is booked. The diocese's Sacraments page also carries registration for baptism, communion, and marriage.
Before you set a date
- Call your parish office before booking a hall or a date.
- Complete marriage registration through the Sacraments page at stpeterdiocese.org.
- Ask your priest what preparation your parish asks of couples.
- If either of you was baptized in another parish, ask how to request your records.
Every Church and Institution
The parishes, missions, and institutions of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, by vicariate.
Southern California
St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Cathedral1627 Jamacha Way, El Cajon, CA 92019619-579-7913
St. Michael Chaldean Catholic Church799 East Washington Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020619-444-9911
St. John Chaldean Catholic Church1763 North 1st St, El Cajon, CA 92021619-558-5588
St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic ChurchSpring Valley, CA619-754-4222
St. Paul Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church13050 Vanowen St, North Hollywood, CA 91605818-765-3665
St. George Chaldean Catholic Church4807 W McFadden Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92704714-531-7760
Mar Narsai MissionTemecula, CA
Rabban Hormizd MissionRiverside, CA
Northern California
St. Thomas Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church2901 North Berkeley Ave, Turlock, CA 95382209-668-4500
St. Mary's Assyrian Chaldean Church109 North First St, Campbell, CA 95008408-378-6212
St. Matthew Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church3005 6th St, Ceres, CA 95307209-541-1660
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chaldean Church7625 Hazel Ave, Orangevale, CA 95662916-990-0150
St. Mary's MissionMarina, CA
East Vicariate
Mar Abraham Chaldean Catholic Church6816 East Cactus Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254480-912-1554
Holy Family Chaldean Catholic Church16612 North 21st Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85023480-905-1545
St. Barbara Chaldean Catholic Church4514 Meadows Ln, Las Vegas, NV 89107702-542-3390
Holy Cross Mission19 West Bruce Ave, Gilbert, AZ 85233480-596-6798
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission215 S Craycroft Rd, Tucson, AZ 85711
Holy Spirit MissionHouston, TX
St. Joseph MissionDallas, TX
Institutions
Eparchy Office1627 Jamacha Way, El Cajon, CA 92019619-579-7997, office@stpeterdiocese.org
Seminary of Mar Abba the Great1400 Monument Hill Rd, El Cajon, CA 92020
Sons of the Covenant Monastery1111 Pepper Dr, El Cajon, CA 92021619-454-2686
St. Peter Media CenterEl Cajon, CA
Around the Eparchy
Pray Every Day with the Emmanuel App
The Emmanuel Chaldean Prayer app puts the Church's day on your phone: the morning and evening prayers, the feast or commemoration of the day, and the readings at Mass.
It is free for iPhone on the App Store and for Android on Google Play. Search for "Emmanuel Chaldean Prayer". Families who travel, or who cannot always reach Mass, find it a simple way to keep the rhythm of the liturgical year.
Watch the Liturgy from Home
The St. Peter Media Center brings the liturgy to parishioners who are homebound, in the hospital, or far from a Chaldean parish. The cathedral's services and other programs are posted to the St. Peter YouTube channel, and the Qurbana Media channel carries more.
Links to both channels are on the home page at stpeterdiocese.org.
Winter at a Glance
Feasts, fasts, and standing appointments from January through March.
Epiphany (Denha)
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord and the revelation of the Trinity, which opens the season of Denha.
Rogation of the Ninevites
Three days of fasting and prayer, February 10 to 12, recalling the repentance of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah.
Great Lent Begins
The great fast begins on Monday, March 3, and leads to Easter on April 20.
Easter Sunday
Looking ahead: the Resurrection of the Lord. Our spring issue will carry the Holy Week schedule.
Special Needs Mass
Every first Sunday of the month, 2:30pm in English, at St. Peter Cathedral.
Adoration
The adoration chapel at St. Peter Cathedral is open around the clock.
Sunday Mass at the Cathedral
8am in Arabic, 10am in English, 12pm in Chaldean, and 4pm in English. Saturday Masses are at 10am in Chaldean and Arabic and 4pm in English, and confession is heard at every daily and weekend Mass.
Free on iPhone and Android
Pray with the Church, every day
Download the Emmanuel Chaldean Prayer app for today's prayers, feasts, and readings.
Search "Emmanuel Chaldean Prayer"St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic DioceseChaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle
1627 Jamacha Way, El Cajon, CA 92019
Eparchy Office 619-579-7997 · stpeterdiocese.org
Kepha · Winter 2025Delivered to the homes of parishioners across the eparchy. To update your address, contact your parish office.
About this issue
The launch issue of Kepha introduces the magazine and the eparchy it serves. Its cover story traces the founding of the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle in 2002, from the consecration of its first bishop on the eve of the feast of Mar Mari to his installation at St. Peter Chaldean Cathedral in El Cajon.
Inside, a heritage feature explains why the Chaldean Mass is celebrated in three languages, a photo essay visits sanctuaries across the eparchy, and two parish profiles go to North Hollywood and Turlock. The issue closes with a guide to the sacrament of marriage, a directory of every church and institution, and the season's calendar.
Inside this issue
- p. 3From the Editors
- p. 4Built on the RockHow the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle began, and where it reaches today.
- p. 6Praying in the Language of JesusChaldean, Arabic, and English at the altar: one liturgy, three tongues.
- p. 8Sacred SpacesA photo essay from the sanctuaries of the eparchy, from El Cajon to Scottsdale.
- p. 10Parish Spotlight: St. Paul
- p. 11Parish Spotlight: St. Thomas
- p. 12Sacraments: Marriage
- p. 13Churches and Institutions
- p. 14Around the Eparchy
- p. 15Mark Your Calendar
- p. 16Pray Every Day
Stories, schedules, and photographs in this issue come from the diocese's website, stpeterdiocese.org. Mass times and event details were current when the issue was prepared; readers should confirm them with their parish office.
