History of the Parish
Plans for Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church began well before 1980
when, as part of the Diocese of San Diego, Bishop Leo Thomas Maher
purchased property for a Grand Terrace church.
Father Michael Keane began developing a Catholic community, starting
with an evening mass on Saturdays, held in the Church of Christ
(which formerly stood on Mount Vernon Avenue). Father Eugene Speno
became pastor of the new congregation and of the church in
Highgrove. His assignment was to bond the two communities and
eventually build a church on the property in Grand Terrace. Masses
were transferred from the Church of Christ to Guadalupe Church while
church building plans continued. Masses were later held in Terrace
Hills Junior High School for a period of two years.
In 1980, master plans were complete and the construction of the new
building was approved. The multipurpose church building was built to
temporarily serve as a church until funds were raised for a
permanent church and the original building would then become a
parish hall. Our first mass was held in July of 1981. As our parish
expanded the master plans were adjusted to meet the needs of the
growing parish. A new parish hall was designed and built, and
finally dedicated in February of 1997. To this day, the hall
provides class rooms for religious education, a fellowship hall,
kitchen, conference room and offices for parish administration.
Throughout the years, Christ the Redeemer has been blessed with
wonderful and caring pastors:
1981-1986 Father Anthony Di Leo helped establish
parish ministries; many are still in place today
1986-1991 Father Raymond Rabatsky fostered the
growth of the parish and enhanced community involvement
1991-1997 Father Donald Webber (now Monsignor
Webber) continued to nurture the growth of our parish community
1997-1998 Father Robert Tompkins provided renewed
leadership for the Knights of Columbus
1998-2000 Father John Hindman further united the
parishioners of Christ the Redeemer
In July of 2000, Pastoral Coordinator, Sister Deanna O’Neill, OSB,
was appointed by Bishop Gerald Barnes to provide overall pastoral
and organizational leadership for our parish. Under her guidance,
the Pastoral Council and other parish ministries began raising funds
to build the permanent parish church. The remodeled church was
inaugurated in October of 2009.
Subsequent to the retirement of Sister Deanna O’Neill in January
2010, Jose Luis M. Crespo was appointed by Bishop Barnes as Pastoral
Coordinator. Mr. Crespo recently completed his first 3-year term and
was reappointed for six year term.
The history of Christ the Redeemer would not be complete without
mentioning the Serra House, a Catholic seminary formation community,
established next door to Christ the Redeemer in 2005, and the
Benedictine Sisters. The Benedictine Sisters served the community
for several years, until 2011 when the Holy Spirit Monastery Order
returned to Ferdinand, Indiana.