Diocese of San Diego

The Diocese of San Diego, erected in 1936, covers San Diego County and Imperial County in the far southwest corner of California. With 106 parishes, it stretches from the Pacific coast to the Salton Sea and the Mexican border. Mission San Diego de Alcala — founded in 1769 by Bl. Junipero Serra as the first of California's 21 missions — stands within the diocese, and the city's name itself honors the diocese's patron, St. Didacus of Alcala. The cathedral church is St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown San Diego.