Magazine design · St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese
Kepha, Winter 2026: Return to Me
Kepha's Lenten issue explains the Rogation of the Ninevites and the Great Fast, previews a men's Lenten retreat, and invites golfers to the third St. Peter Cathedral Golf Tournament.
St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese
Kepha
The Lenten issue
Return
to Me
Three days for Nineveh, fifty for Easter: keeping the fast in the Chaldean tradition.
ExclusiveA men's Lenten retreat, February 13 to 15
PlusTee off for our youth on April 25
Contents
Winter 2026
Features
- 4
Three Days for Nineveh
The Rogation of the Ninevites and the Great Fast that leads to Easter.
- 6
Into the Desert
A weekend retreat for young men on the eve of Lent, led by Fr. Chris Somo.
- 8
Tee Off for Our Youth
The third St. Peter Cathedral Golf Tournament comes to Jamul on April 25.
In every issue
- From the Editors3
- Parish Spotlight: St. Joseph10
- Parish Spotlight: St. Michael11
- The Great Journey with Jesus12
- Mass Times in San Diego County13
- Around the Eparchy14
- Mark Your Calendar15
- Tee Off on April 2516
Feb. 16
Great Lent begins
Fifty days of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving lead to Easter on April 5.
Kepha is published quarterly for St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese, the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle. Winter 2026 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
A Season to Return
"Return to me with your whole heart." The words of the prophet Joel are read at the start of Lent in churches around the world, and they sum up the season: not a list of things given up, but a turning of the whole person back toward God.
The Chaldean Church begins that turning early. Three weeks before Lent, the Rogation of the Ninevites recalls the city that heard Jonah's warning and repented, a city whose ruins lie beside Mosul, in the homeland of so many of our families. Our cover story explains the three-day fast and the Great Fast that follows.
This issue also looks ahead to spring: a retreat for young men on the eve of Lent, the third St. Peter Cathedral Golf Tournament in April, and Vacation Bible School this summer, with registration opening March 23.
May this Lent bring every family of the eparchy closer to the Lord.
With prayers for a fruitful LentThe editors of KephaSt. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese
Three Days for Nineveh
Before the Great Fast comes a shorter one, kept by Chaldean families for centuries in memory of a city that repented.
The Book of Jonah tells of a prophet sent to Nineveh, the great city on the Tigris, to warn it of God's judgment. The people believed him. From the king to the least of them they fasted, put on sackcloth, and turned from their ways, and God spared the city.
The Rogation of the Ninevites
The Chaldean Church remembers that repentance with Ba'utha d'Ninwaye, the Rogation of the Ninevites: three days of fasting and prayer, kept from Monday to Wednesday three weeks before Lent. This year they fall on January 26, 27, and 28.
For Chaldean families the story is close to home. The ruins of Nineveh lie across the river from Mosul, in the region from which many of the eparchy's families came.
Then the Great Fast
Three weeks later, on Monday, February 16, Great Lent begins: seven weeks of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving that lead to Holy Week and to Easter on April 5.
Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.Joel 2:12
Keeping the fast
Families keep the fasts of the Church in different ways, and the rules of fasting and abstinence are set by the Church for each year. Ask your parish priest what is asked this Lent, and what is asked of children, the elderly, and the sick.
Prayer
Lent is a season to pray more, not just to eat less. The cathedral's adoration chapel is open twenty-four hours a day, and the Emmanuel Chaldean Prayer app carries the prayers and readings of every day of the fast.
Confession
At St. Peter Cathedral confession is heard at every daily and weekend Mass, and at St. Michael, St. John, and St. Joseph during the Sunday Masses.
Almsgiving
The third practice of Lent is giving. The eparchy's Donate page takes gifts for every parish and institution, and every parish knows families in need.
Holy Week
Palm Sunday falls on March 29, Good Friday on April 3, and Easter on April 5. Our spring issue will carry the season of the Resurrection.
Retreat
Into the Desert
A weekend retreat for young men on the eve of Lent, led by Fr. Chris Somo.
Before he began his public ministry, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, where he fasted and prayed for forty days. Every Lent the Church follows him there.
The Men's Lenten Retreat gives young men a weekend to do the same before the fast begins: to step away from work, screens, and noise, to pray, and to listen. It runs from Friday, February 13, to Sunday, February 15, and ends on the eve of Great Lent.
Fr. Chris Somo, a youth minister at St. Peter Cathedral, leads the retreat. It is open to men from 21 to 35, and the cost is $150.
Before you register
- Spots are very limited.
- Sign up through the link in the cathedral's Instagram bio, @stpeterchaldean.
- The retreat is open to men ages 21 to 35.
- Questions? Email Fr. Chris Somo at chrissomo@gmail.com.
One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.Matthew 4:4
Tee Off for Our Youth
The third annual St. Peter Cathedral Golf Tournament raises money for the youth program. Registration is open now.
The St. Peter Cathedral Golf Tournament returns for its third year on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Steele Canyon Golf Course in Jamul. Every dollar it raises supports the cathedral's youth program.
The day
Check-in opens at 7:30am, and play begins with a shotgun start at 9am: every team tees off at the same moment from a different hole, so the whole field finishes together.
The champions to beat
The 2025 tournament was won by the team of Freddy Garmo, Dylan Garmo, Matt Sheena, and Robert Garmo, who return as defending champions.
Registering a team
Team registration opened in January and is handled online at stpeterdiocese.org/events/golf.
Steele Canyon Golf Course, 3199 Stonefield Dr, Jamul, CA 91935. Saturday, April 25. Check-in 7:30am, shotgun 9am.
Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe.1 Timothy 4:12
Why it matters
The youth program is how the eparchy keeps its young people close to the Church as they grow up: retreats, youth nights, and the friendships that make a parish feel like home. Events like the golf tournament make that work possible.
Ways to help
Put a team together, or play as a single and be placed on one. Spread the word among friends, coworkers, and fellow parishioners who play. And if golf is not your game, pray for the young people of the eparchy and the priests who serve them.
More for young people this year
Vacation Bible School returns to the cathedral this summer for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, with registration opening March 23 (see page 12). The men's Lenten retreat on February 13 to 15 is described on page 6.
Spring Valley, California
St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church
St. Joseph in Spring Valley has one of the most striking sanctuaries in the eparchy: Christ enthroned in gold, surrounded by angels and saints, across the whole east wall of the church.
Mass is celebrated every weekday at 6pm in Chaldean and Arabic, and on Sunday at 8:30am in Chaldean, 10am in Arabic, and 12pm in English. Confession is available during all Sunday Masses.
The parish office is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 3pm, and closed on Wednesdays.
Mass times
- Mon to Fri
- 6pm Chaldean and Arabic
- Sunday
- 8:30am Chaldean, 10am Arabic, 12pm English
Clergy
Visit
Phone
619-754-4222
Office hours
Mon to Sat, 10am to 3pm; closed Wednesdays
El Cajon, California
St. Michael Chaldean Catholic Church
On East Washington Avenue in El Cajon, St. Michael is one of the busiest parishes in the eparchy, with Mass twice every weekday and four times on Sunday.
Weekday Masses are at 9am in Chaldean and 6pm in English. Saturday evening Mass is at 6pm in English, and Sunday Masses are at 8am in Arabic, 10am and 12pm in Chaldean, and 6pm in English.
Confession is heard during all Sunday Masses, and the chapel is open for adoration during office hours.
Mass times
- Mon to Fri
- 9am Chaldean, 6pm English
- Saturday
- 6pm English
- Sunday
- 8am Arabic, 10am and 12pm Chaldean, 6pm English
Clergy
Visit
Address
799 East Washington Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020
Phone
619-444-9911
Youth and Family
The Great Journey with Jesus
Vacation Bible School returns to St. Peter Cathedral this summer. Registration opens March 23 at 7pm.
This year's Vacation Bible School invites children to walk with Jesus through the Church year: through Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, and Easter.
Families choose one of two weeks, from June 29 to July 3 or from July 6 to 10. The program is open to children from kindergarten through fifth grade, ages 5 to 10, and the cost is $85 per child. Space is limited, so plan to register when it opens on March 23 at 7pm.
VBS depends on volunteers. Teens and adults who would like to help can sign up on the same page.
Registering
- Registration opens Monday, March 23, at 7pm.
- Register at stpeterdiocese.org/vbs.
- Choose week 1 or week 2.
- Volunteers sign up on the same page.
Mass Times in San Diego County
Weekday and weekend Masses at the eparchy's parishes in San Diego County, and at the mission in Temecula.
| Mon to Fri | 10am Chaldean and Arabic, 6pm English |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 10am Chaldean and Arabic, 4pm English |
| Sunday | 8am Arabic, 10am English, 12pm Chaldean, 4pm English |
| Mon to Fri | 9am Chaldean, 6pm English |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 6pm English |
| Sunday | 8am Arabic, 10am and 12pm Chaldean, 6pm English |
| Mon to Fri | 10am Chaldean, 6pm English |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 5pm English |
| Sunday | 8am Arabic, 10am Chaldean, 12pm English, 7pm English |
| Mon to Fri | 6pm Chaldean and Arabic |
|---|---|
| Sunday | 8:30am Chaldean, 10am Arabic, 12pm English |
| Sunday | 1:30pm Chaldean and English |
|---|
Confession in Lent
Confession is heard at every daily and weekend Mass at the cathedral, and during Sunday Masses at St. Michael, St. John, and St. Joseph. St. John holds adoration at 8:30am and 5pm on weekdays.
Around the Eparchy
Golf Registration Is Open
Team registration for the third St. Peter Cathedral Golf Tournament opened in January at stpeterdiocese.org/events/golf.
The tournament is Saturday, April 25, at Steele Canyon Golf Course in Jamul, and supports the cathedral's youth program.
Pray the Fast with the Emmanuel App
The Emmanuel Chaldean Prayer app carries the prayers and readings for the Rogation of the Ninevites and every day of the Great Fast.
It is free on the App Store and Google Play.
Winter at a Glance
Feasts, fasts, retreats, and registrations from January to April.
Epiphany (Denha)
The baptism of the Lord and the revelation of the Trinity.
Rogation of the Ninevites
Three days of fasting and prayer, January 26 to 28.
Men's Lenten Retreat
February 13 to 15, led by Fr. Chris Somo. Ages 21 to 35.
Great Lent Begins
Seven weeks of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.
VBS Registration Opens
At 7pm, at stpeterdiocese.org/vbs.
Palm Sunday
Holy Week begins.
Easter Sunday
The Resurrection of the Lord.
Golf Tournament
Steele Canyon Golf Course, Jamul. Check-in 7:30am.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Tee off for our youth
The 3rd Annual St. Peter Cathedral Golf Tournament at Steele Canyon Golf Course, Jamul. Check-in 7:30am, shotgun 9am.
stpeterdiocese.org/events/golfSt. 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 2026Delivered to the homes of parishioners across the eparchy. To update your address, contact your parish office.
About this issue
The winter issue prepares for Lent. Its cover story explains the Rogation of the Ninevites, the three-day fast that comes three weeks before Lent, and the Great Fast that leads to Easter on April 5. A program page previews the men's Lenten retreat led by Fr. Chris Somo on February 13 to 15.
A youth feature invites teams to the third annual St. Peter Cathedral Golf Tournament on April 25, a fundraiser for the youth program, and a family page announces this summer's Vacation Bible School. Parish profiles go to St. Joseph in Spring Valley and St. Michael in El Cajon, and the issue closes with Mass times across San Diego County and the season's calendar.
Inside this issue
- p. 3From the Editors
- p. 4Three Days for NinevehThe Rogation of the Ninevites and the Great Fast that leads to Easter.
- p. 6Into the DesertA weekend retreat for young men on the eve of Lent, led by Fr. Chris Somo.
- p. 8Tee Off for Our YouthThe third St. Peter Cathedral Golf Tournament comes to Jamul on April 25.
- p. 10Parish Spotlight: St. Joseph
- p. 11Parish Spotlight: St. Michael
- p. 12The Great Journey with Jesus
- p. 13Mass Times in San Diego County
- p. 14Around the Eparchy
- p. 15Mark Your Calendar
- p. 16Tee Off on April 25
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.
