St. Joseph's Church During the middle of the 19th century, the Catholics in the San Diego area were part of the
Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles; the
Mission San Diego de Alcalá was the first parish in San Diego. The diocese erected St. Joseph Parish in 1874, with Reverend
Antonio Ubach assigned as its first pastor. It was the third parish in the community. The real estate developer
Alonzo Horton donated a plot of land on Third Avenue and Beech Street to the parish to build a church. The first St. Joseph Church, a wooden structure, was dedicated by Bishop
Francis Mora. in 1875.The parish was reportedly so poor that the priests were forced to sleep on the floor in their residence. In 1894, the parish completed and dedicated the second St. Joseph's Church, a brick building located on the property of the first church. The church was ravaged by a fire in 1903.St. Joseph's Cathedral suffered severe fire damage in 1937. At that time, the diocese decided to build a new, larger cathedral on the same site. The St. Joseph Cathedral high school for girls was opened by the
Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and the
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1939. The girls high school in 1970 was merged into the new
University of San Diego High School. ==Present day==