O’Connor’s Church Goods

Have you ever thought about where the ashes on Ash Wednesday or the palms on Palm Sunday come from? Walk inside O’Connor’s Church Goods on El Cajon Boulevard for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the specialized business of retail religious articles and church furnishings that so many churches and people in the community are intricately connected to.

O’Connor’s Church Goods is a family-run business that goes back four generations to John Michael O’Connor, Sr. In 1936 he moved from Arizona to San Diego with a focus on improving his health. He was previously a grocer, but he was unsure about his future career path. John Sr. was raised in a strong Catholic family and he was a friend of the bishop in San Diego. The bishop told John that San Diego lacked a church goods business and suggested he start one. To get the business off the ground the bishop allowed him to use the basement of the cathedral until he found his own location. Soon enough, O’Connor’s Church Goods opened its first storefront Downtown on the corner of 4th Ave. and B St. The business was off to a very good start and it wasn’t long before John Michael O’Connor, Jr. began working with his father. John Jr. was instrumental in creating the first nationwide church goods group catalog business. This enabled them to establish key partners throughout the United States and offer a thorough selection of items in the catalog that are printed in the tens of thousands.

A bigger business translated to a need for a bigger space, so in 1964 O’Connor’s moved onto El Cajon Boulevard. Today, O’Connor’s Church Goods is run by John O’Connor IV, his mother Jackie O’Connor and Jackie’s brother Bob Brant. When Jackie’s husband Gary O’Connor passed away at a young age, Jackie stepped right in, knowing that it was her duty to carry on the family tradition.

One thing Jackie finds so unique and interesting about the business is that in order to achieve its extensive product line, they must work with over 750 vendors! On any day of the week, they are in touch with artisans in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, China and the Philippines to place orders that include stained glass, wood carving, metal wear or uniquely-fabricated dress wear. The range and variety of business along with the daily interactions with the people who come through the store, many of whom are more of a friend than a customer, is what makes working there so special. Of course, Jackie, Bob and John also share the benefit of working in a family-owned business. Jackie considers it very unifying; the successes are more, the stresses are shared and together it feels good to carry on what others in the family have dedicated their lives to.

In 1988, Jackie was a few years into running the business and she took another great leap by attending a meeting with the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association. She observed the nature of the people, their professionalism and their underlying interest in revitalizing the district. As a young girl, Jackie attended school at Blessed Sacrament on El Cajon Boulevard and 56th Street. She carries many special memories of El Cajon Boulevard, which include watching JFK cruise down the Boulevard in a motorcade, observing her school’s cathedral get uplifted and moved down the block to Goodbody’s Mortuary and of course the fun she had eating at Oscar’s drive-in. After decades of urban deterioration, The Boulevard needed Jackie’s attention. She was elected to the Board, and has served in one capacity or another for the last 20 years. In the early 1990s she was instrumental in forming the Business Improvement District Council, serving as its first president.

With all the rewarding work Jackie has been involved in, another milestone is just around the corner. Next year, O’Connor’s Church Goods will celebrate its 75th Anniversary. Commemorating a family tradition that has remained successful for this long is an outstanding accomplishment, and the Boulevard applauds O’Connor’s Church Goods for actively giving back to the community.