Our Mother of Confidence Church, San Diego, CA

Before

The existing church was built over the first church, which then became a hall, offices and classrooms for Religious Education. Access to the church was by a ramp with a steep grade. People with disabilities were driven to the church doors via a golf cart. There was much wasted space in the sanctuary. There was a portable baptismal font for infants. The church was very dark due to paneling. However there was a real problem with the natural light which blinded one side of the church in the morning and the other side in the afternoon. The church had orange carpet and a very dominant sculptural piece of the Shroud of Turin on the wall behind the altar. There was no possibility of building a new church so the Diocese approved the largest renovation project ever. The entire church was gutted and only the stained glass windows remained.

After

A gathering space was added, a new entry way was created and an elevator was installed. The axis of the sanctuary was shifted to address the problem with the sunlight. The ceiling was lowered and a skylight was added. An immersion font was placed just beyond the entry doors to the worship space. The completed worship space is bright and filled with natural light. It has a dramatic entrance to the worship space and an ample gathering space that can serve as overflow space if needed.