Notre Dame Des Victoires

Beautiful church, convenient to Union Square, and fairly generous with the sacraments, e.g., daily Mass and frequent confession. But the liturgical practices and theology are «straight from ’78» throwbacks to sillier times in the Church. During Mass, the pastor frequently ad libs and changes the words to the prayers and disregards the rules for how Mass should be celebrated, e.g., by delivering his homily from the nave instead of the lectern and wandering among the congregation during the sign of peace. Moreover, his homilies consist mainly of dubious personal opinions rather than Church doctrines. For the record, the Church does not teach that people described in the Gospel as being possessed «may have had leprosy.» Nor has the Church «always taught that the death penalty is wrong in all cases.» NDV is fine in small doses, but anything more than that is likely to cause much furrowing of your eyebrows.

What a beautiful church. Close to union square. It is very intimate I think thats whats makes this church so beautiful.

So far I’ve enjoyed this church greatly. Further hopefully I can be more into the community if possible. I really do enjoy the mass on Sundays as well on the weekdays. it makes me feel like I am in Europe for the moments I am here. If you need comfortable friendly church with a great peaceful atmosphere don’t think twice, and I felt welcomed and hopefully in the future I get to have more of an experience that I missed these past ten years (2002) was the last time I confessed and really attended mass and the year I did my first communion. But I’m glad I’m back to my faith.

Nice parish.
Good mass.
Relevant homily.

Beautiful church and wonderful location.
Its my parish and I’m lucky to live so close to this magnificent house of worship.
Growing up in Brooklyn, Notre Dame reminds me of the churches I grew up with as a kid.
This is what a church should look like… unfortunately the new churches all look like Nordstroms Dept Store.
This church is always open and a great place to meditate, pray and decompress.

On ninety degree SF afternoon, I found respite from the heat inside of this beautiful church. Walking west on Bush the architecture of the building caught my eye
and drew me inside
. The details of the interior and stained glass
got me to sit down and take it all in. I entered for a little comfort and ended up having a perfect place for some quiet reflection.

Our family always tries to attend Mass when we travel. Usually we stay at the Omni Hotel and attend Old St. Mary’s when we are in SF. This time we tried the 5:15 mass at Notre Damedes Victoies and loved it. The priest was genuine and the people welcoming. The young man that led the music had a beautiful voice. It seemed like a very lovely parish. I know we will be back again soon!

When hubby and I first got married, we were going to mass here for a while. I love the details in this church, though I find it kind of small. But it really feels like a church, unlike the big boxy types with boring decors and white walls. Well yeah, right, mass shouldn’t be about the statues and the pictures or any of that idolatry stuff. but trust me, I don’t go to mass to pray to those things-​n-​objects. I just love that this church has awesome architectural details. Mass was never uninteresting, and the acoustics here were great. On some Sundays, there would be public baptisms and adult confirmations. We’ve also heard French mass once or twice, and I no longer understand even the most basic French, so I just glided along.
Hubby went to school at NDV for a couple of years when he was a kid, and someday, we wish for our kids to go here. They can wear cute sailor uniforms! And yesireeee… we checked if any of the priests here were on the molestor list, and so far, none are. We have met Fr. Rene a couple of times, and he’s a pretty intelligent guy who is also a really good speaker. Once, he chose hubby and I to bring up the communion stuff to the front because he noticed we were there super early and remembered where we sat (I’m a terrible Catholic — what the heck do you call those things, anyway?)
One other thing I love about this church is they serve coffee and simple breakfast goodies after morning mass. It was a great way to meet other church attendants, although, we never actually socialized with anyone. I might have seen a bum or two drop by, but no one turned him away and why should they… Jesus wouldn’t have!
Since it’s right between Chinatown and Union Square, don’t even try driving here unless you want to pay for garage parking. It’s nice to take the bus out here and do some walking after mass. I did it for a few months while I was pregnant… whew…

I love this church and the people in it!
Besides the beautiful architecture and interior ~ red marble columns anyone?, the history ~ it’s over 150 years old, the tradition ~ one of 3 French National churches in the USA, it is the community that makes it great. Very much like an extended family.
I went through the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) here to take care of a little unfinished business since I was baptised Catholic but never Confirmed. Plus my child was attending the NDV school and getting ahead of me in his religious training. So wanting to lead by example, I decided to drink the Kool-​Aid, and it was the best thing I ever did.
I like the 5:15 Mass on Saturday or the 12:15 on Sundays. It is when I most often find «Les Choristes» the professional vocal quartet lead by Steven Olbash, the Notre Dame des Victoires Music Director. And the music is AMAZING. Always making a spiritual experience an emotional one as well and quite the hidden San Francisco jem.
The cast of characters that round out this institution are as diverse as the Parishioners. Fr. Rene is an intellectual that has a gift of making the Gospel real and who remembers to mention on the Sunday of the Pride Parade that «God loves everyone». Fr. Dennis is the epitome of warmth and kindness with an infectious smile. Br. Joe is always good for a joke, and Fr. Siffert, mon Père, has been around for a long time and is really the heart and soul of the place.
So if you looking to find a church to call home or just need a place to go on Christmas /​Easter (with no guilt ;-), Notre Dame des Victoires is absolutely worth a visit.

I have been to this church once. I grew up Catholic and have yet to go to service at this church.
That said, I admire this church more than any I have ever been to.
I went to a wedding here and was in shock — in the best way humanly possible — to see that this Catholic Church did a JOINT wedding ceremony with a Jewish family and their chosen Rabbi for the service.
Growing up it would have been unthinkable to have this kind of joint ceremony, especially IN a Catholic Church. I was so moved by the seamless transition between both religious quotes, rituals and reciting.
I will forever hope that all religions can see this ceremony for what it really is — a sign of the times and tolerance for every ones differences.

It’s wonderful to have such a beautiful church like this in our fair city. Honestly the design and the architecture remind me of many of the churches in Quebec city and montreal. Thumbs Up.

French… English… Ah! English with a [heavy] French accent! I’m assuming that was Father Etienne.
Once that was figured out, I heard a nice homily about how love can’t be proven.
I could only stay for the Taize service for a little bit, but it was very calming.
I liked being there.
I do agree with Robyn C about the candle situation.

I really like our neighborhood church — I agree with Josie that I think the 5.30 mass is my favorite with the guitar music, although the noon mass is very nice too with a choir up in the balcony behind you — Father Rene is an excellent homilist.
The 10.30am is in French. (FYI — Father Etienne has a heavy French accent so if he is giving the homily for the English masses, you might think you came to the French service, but you didn’t).
They offer a Taize service on Tuesday evenings at 6pm.
Not so crowded as Old St. Mary’s or St. Patrick’s on Ash Wednesday.
Plus, the school has the cutest little uniforms! My little sea monkey is SO going to school there!
(minus one star for the coin-​operated electric candles).

If you’re looking for a nice, friendly Catholic church in the city — look no further. There are so many different services so no matter your style of mass, Notre Dame will offer a choice you’ll love.
I personally prefer the smaller, intimate vibe at the Sunday 5:30 service. The music is inspiring with a solo guitar player whose voice would rival James Taylor. Occasionally he is joined by a clarinet sax player. It is definitely a religious experience.
And the homilies are generally excellent. The priests take the time to explain context and etymology and then advise how the lessons being taught may be applied to daily struggles. And yet the homily never drones on too long. In fact most services are about 45 minutes.
And don’t be surprised if the priest stops by before mass to introduce himself and ask where you’re from.
After visiting once, you’ll wonder how you ever walked by this massive yet cozy church without noticing it.