OUR MOTHER OF CONFIDENCE
Catholic Diocese of San Diego
Master Plan,
Project Design and Project Development
San Diego, California
Originally built in 1978, Our Mother of Confidence Catholic Church has continued to serve a growing and changing population. Due to the nature of contemporary services and modern worship, an extensive addition, remodel and renovation was necessary to allow the parish to continue to serve the needs of its congregation.
The original church was designed with a central focus worship concept. The seats were orthogonally oriented to the altar. Modern worship has shifted to a sense of community, worshiping together. The new design shifts the axial procession 45 degrees to break down the strict confinement of the existing box-like structure, and the circle is introduced to accommodate communal worship. The challenges of keeping the parish operational during a complex construction project and the diversity of needs of the congregation required that a master plan first be developed. The concept was based upon the first churches described in the Old Testament, tent-like, axial structures, which provided the basis for an inspiring spatial design focusing on the reverent experience.
Jared served as project architect for Our Mother of Confidence while working with the M.W. Steele Group. A major challenge of this project was managing the internal community consensus process and addressing the wide variety of emotionally-charged opinions. Jared’s ability to work with groups and establish relationships contributed to the success of this project.
The collaboration between the Diocese of San Diego, the M.W. Steele Group, the steering committee and the congregation of Our Mother of Confidence resulted in a dynamic and vibrant worship space.
Our Mother of Confidence Catholic Church sanctuary renovations were completed in 2006.
