St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church — Attraction in Los Angeles

If your native language is Spanish, you will be at home here. However, if your native language is English, they really don’t cater very well to the English-speaking population. I am undergoing RCIA here and I have mixed feelings in choosing St. Vincent for my journey. My experience has been beautiful, upsetting, confusing, and unsatisfactory. It's been disappointing and stressful. I am sincerely seeking to learn more about the Catholic faith. I was attending the noon mass when we were told to go to the 7pm Friday mass for RCIA information. We were not told that it was going to be in Spanish. I was bewildered and looked around to those I was sitting with to validate if I was in the correct place. They blankly looked at me because they didn't understand a word that I was saying which I found to be distressing. It was disorienting to find the information provided in Spanish. In their defense, they didn’t know I was out there. I was lost through 98% of the information being put out by a very lovely woman Silvia Macias. I’ve sense grown to love this woman. She has a heart of gold. She is compassionate and kind. She has shown me the utmost kindness and I have nothing but respect for her. Unfortunately, I found myself in front of the wrong person receiving the wrong information due to the communication barrier. I called the church distraught, stressed and upset with my confusion. I receive the correct information by Silvia on the phone only to show up to the next meeting to receive further instructions that I found to be confusing. I almost found myself in the wrong place once again. It can be difficult to pick out the English between the Spanish. I am not saying it is bad that they have so many services afforded to the Spanish speaking population. It’s AWESOME! I’m saying that from the experience of someone who speaks very little Spanish and who is taking this seriously to be distressing. I blame the leadership for the poor lines of communication for non-Spanish speaking individuals who are seriously seeking a relationship with the Catholic Church. It’s not a priority here from my perspective. I feel thet there should be a separated distribution of information to the English speaking populous after the English-speaking mass. Not at a non-English mass. This church is not set up to cater to the English speaking populous. I deserve to learn from those who are capable of putting out the information in a way that I can understand it. I legitimately want to know what is going on. I want to know EVERYTHING! I don't want to be excluded and clueless. The communication and organization here is not good. This leaves the wood be catechumens to be disoriented and confused. We didn’t know where we are supposed to meet when it’s a new location as it is not provided until the very last second. They then hold you accountable for their mistake and have kicked individuals from the program that didn’t make it to the location due to their communication flaws. They double book the room that we meet in after mass. My instructor I will say is devoted and passionate. He too is left out of the loop and provided information last minute. We have paid hundreds of dollars for this poorly organized and communicated experience. I have been made to go to Spanish speaking mass in place of our regularly scheduled class with maybe 10% of the mass in English. I had to want this with how difficult I found the process of receiving the information to attend the RCIA program. I had to be assertive in my acquiring the information that I needed so that I could attend the program. I can only assume that this is what it must feel like to be a Spanish speaking individual in an English-speaking society. For this reason, I am grateful to have had the experience of a language barrier. I can relate more so now than I could before and have more empathy due to this process. However, I found this process daunting. I have been confirmed in the church. I am still in the RCIA program I complete my RCIA...

This church is the absolute worst! If you want to enroll your young ones go else where. They ask for donation on top of donation and then sell you back those donations which you gave to them in the first place. Each mass there are about 3 different times they ask for money. The leaders for the communion and confirmation programs are stuck up and expect you to lick their feet for everything. Their mentality is pretty much that whatever they tell you to do is above everything else, your child has a presentation at school? They don't care your child better show up. They are very conservative about religion, very orthodox. Im not talking 19th and 20th century orthodox im talking B.C. plus their attitude is the worst part of all this, they have this attitude of power and look down upon whoever comes and talks to them about something. They burden you with petty tasks and many donations are mandatory. Overall the worst church we've ever been...

You have a beautiful, morning sunday service! but some people who,come to Visit here, have no idea, that the people who are here are probably praying they are talking! This Is before mass! I mean Carrying, on a conversation! that is private, and the people here, who are trying to pray, can hear it! Especially when we're praying! And it's very hard to pray, here!when you're trying to pray, and talk to God. And also deal with some people who come are rather rude, to me when I am trying to pray, here! 🙏 Some lady was being judgmental,and saying that I looked angry. What business is that To her?whatever that I am doing? I am trying pray, and you are wondering what I am doing ? this is not a place, for Gossiping about your neighbor is it?! This woman really does not get it! that this is a church of God, she has no clue or understanding about this is no place for gossip! But I will pray for...