An End to Point Loma’s St. Agnes Catholic Church?

St. Agnes Catholic Church became a parish when Father Manuel Rose arrived in 1933. Lately, several congregants have been discussing among themselves the possibility that the beloved Portuguese mainstay in Point Loma may be closing.

A longtime parishioner mentioned declining attendance. The majority of weekly worshipers are elderly Portuguese and Point Loma families with kids. An usher told me that St. Agnes usually draws 700 people every weekend for all their services combined and hauls in about $20,000 in tithes per month.

All around the church, expensive condos are springing up, and the land St. Agnes sits on (at the corner of Evergreen and Cañon streets) is valuable. In fact, many nearby single-family homes have been torn down by developers who put up multifamily housing on the smallish lots.