California Mission Pilgrimage - 5

California Mission Pilgrimage(5)

Day Six: Easter Wednesday

 

Mission San Carlos Borromeo

          This Mission is often simply called Mission Carmel, and to be honest, I really didn’t want it to be my favorite, because it is everybody’s favorite.  But I have to admit, after having visited it, that it is my favorite (although each Mission is special and San Juan Capistrano is a close second).

          There are a few things that make Mission Carmel so special.  First of all, the church is absolutely beautiful.  Also, many of the Missions have wonderful sacred art and artifacts; some have more than Carmel, in fact, but what they have here is really amazing.

          The most incredible thing that Mission Carmel has, which no other Mission does, is the grave of Father Serra.  In the church, before the altar are three graves.  One is Father Serra’s.  Another is Father Fermin Lasuen’s, who founded the next nine Missions after Father Serra.  Since we had been learning about him on our trip, it was special to visit his grave, as well.  There are also many relics of Father Serra.  You can see a part of his coffin, for example.  Since Carmel was Father Serra’s headquarters, you can also visit his room there, which is where he died.  There are some nice relics at other Missions, but the vast amount directly related to Father Serra make Carmel a unique place.

 

 

 

The grave of Fr. Serra, before the altar

 

Father Serra's room, in which he died

The Blessed Sacrament chapel

 

 

San Juan Bautista

          From Carmel, we went to Mission San Juan Bautista.  Although it doesn’t have as much as Carmel, this is a great Mission to visit.  The church and courtyard are beautiful, as is the Mission’s location.  There is an original dirt section of El Camino Real at this Mission, and it is in a cute little town off highway 101, at the end of a street, making up one part of a square surrounded by other historic buildings that have been preserved and are open to visitors.

          After visiting the Mission, we ate lunch at the “Mission Café” just down the road.  One thing about San Juan Bautista is that I found it to be the last Mission located in a really beautiful location with a beautiful drive to get there (with the exception of our last Mission, San Francisco Solano).

 

 

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe chapel

Mission Santa Cruz

          After leaving San Juan Bautista, we headed to Santa Cruz.  Although there was a wonderful drive through the mountains, as we approached Santa Cruz, the traffic became horrendous, and the city itself was crowded and kind of dirty.  We arrived at Mission Santa Cruz shortly before 3:00, and it was a good thing we did, because the old Mission is a small chapel located next to the new church, and it closes at 3:00.  There is very little to see at Mission Santa Cruz, so our lack of time turned out to be no problem, but the chapel itself is nice, and of course it is holy ground.  It is free to visit, just make sure you don’t get there too late.

 

 

 

          We camped that night at New Brighton State Beach, which is a campground I would definitely like to visit again.  (The state hadn’t even gotten around to boarding up the bathrooms yet, which provided us with an unexpected luxury).  One major problem, though, was that the traffic the rest of the day and the next morning, around Santa Cruz, continued to be terrible.

California Mission Pilgrimage - 4

California Mission Pilgrimage(4)

Day Five: Easter Tuesday

 

Mission San Miguel

          We woke up Tuesday to a rainy morning.  The lack of showers and the fact that I had to break camp in the rain meant we wouldn’t be making morning Mass at San Miguel.  This Mission is right off the highway, so we had seen it before.  We arrived while Mass was still in progress and before the office opened, so we drove to nearby Paso Robles and escaped the rain by parking in an outside car wash facility, in order to organize the van and change into dry clothes.

          Feeling a little fresher, we went back to San Miguel.  Having been there before, we did not tour the whole grounds, but we went into the church to pray.  The parish community there is always so warm and friendly.  There are also things to see in the front of the property and surrounding it.  Given its location to the highway and the prayerful setting, Mission San Miguel is a nice place to stop on any trip up the 101 for a brief opportunity for both history and prayer.

 

 

 

This bell tower at the back of the property is the view from the freeway exit.

Mission San Antonio

          San Antonio is one of the Missions I had not seen before this trip.  It is a ways off the freeway, and once again, the drive to get there is gorgeous.  To reach the actual Mission, you have to drive through an army base, which was a treat for the kids.  Then you reach a large property nestled under the mountains where the Mission is located.  Despite its rather remote location, Mission San Antonio is an active parish, for about 35 families.  Priests come in from Mission San Miguel on Sundays. 

          The beautiful location of this Mission gives it a quiet, peaceful feel.  There is also plenty to see on the property.  The Church, with the double façade is beautiful, as is the courtyard (though the church itself is currently under renovation).  People can actually make reservations to stay at this Mission.  It would definitely be a quiet if not somewhat scary (at night) place to make a personal retreat.

 

Mission San Antonio is currently undergoing renovation.

 

 

Driving through an army base to reach this Mission was a treat for our kids.

Nuestra Senora de la Soledad

          Our final Mission this day was the small Mission Soledad.  Like so many of the Missions in the middle, Soledad is in a beautiful location, and it is not far off the highway.  The chapel at this Mission is quite small and we were blessed to be able to pray with a group of Sisters when we were there.  There is a small gift shop and museum area, and there are a few ruins on the property.  One treat about Mission Soledad is that there is no charge to visit any of the parts of the Mission, and we also learned that if we returned with a fully stamped Mission passport, having visited all 21, we could receive a free pin at Mission Soledad.

          In fact, the woman at the gift shop told me an interesting story.  She said that there was a biker club that had made up its own version of the Mission passport.  Bikers would frequently visit them at the Mission and present their passports to be stamped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

          From Soledad, we took another stunningly beautiful drive to reach Carmel, the site of Mission San Carlos Borromeo.  We stopped by the Mission before going to our motel, just to see where it was, and it was good that we did, because we got to visit the Blessed Sacrament chapel, which was open and is often used for daily Mass, but which would be closed when we visited the following day.  Another neat thing we saw that night, in Monterey, was a stone cross set up to mark the place where Sebastian Vizcaino first set up a cross in Monterey in 1602, when he first discovered the bay there.

 

The marker where Vizcaino placed the first cross in Monterey

 

California Mission Pilgrimage 3

California Mission Pilgrimage(3)

Day Four: Easter Monday

 

Mission Santa Ines

          At this point, our pilgrimage took a delightful turn because of the sheer beauty of the scenery over the next few days.  We woke up early on Monday to head out toward Santa Ines.  We got very early starts each day (quite a feat with four kids) to ensure we could reach all three Missions that day, and also because the peace and quiet of the early morning made for wonderful starts to our day.

          This day, we also sought to make the morning Mass at the Mission.  My wife and I had vacationed near Mission Santa Ines when we were first married, so we were pretty familiar with it.  There is not a large museum on the grounds, but for my money, it is in the most beautiful location of all the Missions.  The parish community is very warm and there is a chapel with perpetual Adoration at the back of the Church that makes Mission Santa Ines a special place to pray.  The beauty of the place is also very conducive to prayer outside, on the Mission grounds.

The grounds at Santa Ines are very conducive to prayer

 

Mission La Purisima

          From Mission Santa Ines we took the beautiful drive to Mission La Purisima.  The drive is short, only about half an hour.  La Purisima is one of two Missions that is no longer an active church; it is a California state park.  This Mission is a nice place to visit because there is so much of it left to see.  Being a state park, it has been preserved without the renovations that other Missions might need to accommodate parish communities.  There is also still livestock on the property and an opportunity to walk on a dirt road section of El Camino Real, the original Spanish road that connected all the Missions.

          Visiting a chapel at a Mission that is no longer an active church has a very unique feel.  There is still art, an altar, and a retablo, but it is pretty bare.  Praying there is kind of a special thing.  I thought of the wonderful things that had happened there, and how many souls came to Mission La Purisima to meet Christ for the first time.  Praying in that chapel I felt as though I was bringing something back to that place that belongs there, but is so often forgotten.

          One word of caution is that the informational displays at the visitor center are somewhat biased.  They are written from a modernist secular point of view that sees Spanish involvement in California as pure colonialism, without honoring the heroic sacrifice so many men of God made to serve the spiritual and material needs of the native population.

          Mission La Purisima sometimes hosts “living history” days, in which people can experience some of the atmosphere of 18^th and 19^th century life at the Mission.  That might be something to look into if you’re interested.

For many years the Holy Mass used to be offered here

Walking El Camino Real like pilgrims of old

 

Mission San Luis Obispo

          From La Purisima, we drove to Mission San Luis Obispo.  This Mission is located in a cute little town along Highway 101.  It is a nice (if somewhat dirty) downtown to explore, and we had lunch there.  This Mission has unique architecture because it is the only Mission laid out in the form of an “L.” 

          The kids particularly liked the fountain out front with the bear statues.  San Luis Obispo was once known as the “Valley of the Bears,” because of the grizzlies that once lived there and provided meat for many of the other Missions.

The church has a unique 'L-shaped' design

 

          We were able to leave San Luis Obispo relatively early and head toward our campground for the night at San Simeon State Beach.  This was a nice place to camp, but a bit farther from the Mission than I expected.  There are some things to see nearby, such as Hearst Castle, and a viewing area for elephant seals, who like to beach themselves just off the road.  One thing to watch out for, though, is that due to the drought, the bathrooms were all boarded up, and a line of port-a-potties were the only available facilities.

California Mission Pilgrimage - 2

California Mission Pilgrimage (2)

Day Two: Holy Saturday

 

Mission San Gabriel

          We hit the road for real on this day and began with Mission San Gabriel, in Los Angeles.  Surprisingly, the drive was not bad and we found the large, fortress-like Mission shortly before it opened.  The uncharacteristic peace and quiet in Los Angeles gave the day a prayerful start.  San Gabriel was the first Mission we visited with a significant amount of artifacts (remembering we missed San Juan Capistrano).  So the kids really enjoyed it.  In fact, San Gabriel’s unique design and the presence of the artifacts made it one of my sons’ favorite Missions. 

          Mission San Gabriel is a parish community run by the Claretians, and we got to see the newer parish church as well.

 

 

 

 

The Father Serra statue present at all the Missions

 

Mission San Fernando Rey

          After San Gabriel, it was a short drive to get to Mission San Fernando.  The beauty of the Mission grounds is very impressive, considering it is located in urban Los Angeles.  There was more greenery and water on the grounds than we found at San Gabriel.  Also an active parish today, the church is quite beautiful.  You can also visit the graves of Bob Hope and his wife, buried on the Mission grounds.  The old entertainment memorabilia surrounding Mr. Hope’s life and career is fun to see.  The Mission also boasts a nice collection of religious artifacts as well.

The graves of Bob Hope and his wife

 

Mission San Buenaventura

          Buenaventura, the ninth Mission, was the last founded by Father Serra himself.  This Mission is located downtown on a main street, and is still used as a parish church.  Past the gift shop is a modest museum, which contains one of the wooden bells.  Buenaventura was the only Mission to use wooden bells.  Beyond the museum is a beautiful courtyard, leading to the church.  We spent less time at this Mission than the previous two we visited this day, but it was still a very nice and spiritual part of our pilgrimage.

One of the wooden bells of Mission San Buenaventura

 

Mission Santa Barbara

          We continued up the coast to Santa Barbara.  One nice thing is that the drive gets very beautiful at this point.  We had intended on being finished with visiting Missions for the day, but we were planning on spending two nights with my brother, who lives in Santa Barbara.  He and my mom would both be there, so we would be able to spend Easter together.  Our plan was to go to Easter Mass at Mission Santa Barbara and then tour the grounds.  My wife and I thought it might be wise to make sure we knew how to get to the Mission, in order to be sure we wouldn’t be late for Mass.  It then occurred to us that, being Easter, the Mission grounds might be closed the next day.  Sure enough, when we arrived, we found that the grounds would be closed for Easter, but that we still had enough time that day to visit the Mission.

          Mission Santa Barbara sits atop a hill and it is a beautiful sight once it comes into view.  It is easy to see how it got its nickname, “The Queen of the Missions.”  The grounds are lovely.  We found many of the cemeteries to be very interesting, as the headstones were testaments to history, and not just general history, but real individuals who contributed to the local area, and with whom we could be connected through our prayer.  The cemetery at Mission Santa Barbara is of particular interest for fans of “The Island of the Blue Dolphins,” as the main character of the novel is buried there.

Mission Santa Barbara has beautiful grounds

 

Day Three: Easter

          Mass on Easter was quite a treat.  First, it is beautiful to see people lined up by the hundreds to get into church.  The Mission church contains beautiful art and the traditional choir beautifully lifts minds and hearts to God.  It was a wonderful opportunity to worship Him and celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord.

California Mission Pilgrimage 1

California Mission Pilgrimage

          I have been teaching fourth grade in California for twelve years.  That means California history, the high point of which, for us, is Father Junipero Serra and the California Missions.  For years my wife and I had been talking about making a family pilgrimage to see all 21 Missions.  This year, everything finally seemed to fit.  And, with the upcoming canonization of Father Serra, the timing seemed perfect.  We began on Good Friday and finished on Divine Mercy Sunday.  I wanted to write a chronicle of our trip, and my wife suggested I post it on the blog for the benefit of others who might be interested.  So that is what I am doing.

          We planned to see three Missions a day on most days, which meant early starts in the morning.  Each day, during our periods of driving, we listened to one spiritual CD (from Lighthouse Catholic Media, for example).  If the kids wanted more to listen to, we chose Catholic music, to help keep the prayerful tone of the pilgrimage.  After the third Mission each day, they could request secular music, or we could watch television at our stop for the evening, or whatever.  At each Mission, we prayed indulgenced prayers, which included an Our Father, Apostle’s Creed, and asking Blessed Junipero Serra, and the patron of the Mission to pray for us.  One of our sons also made sure we did not forget to pray for the souls of all those buried at or associated with each Mission when we were there, as well.  During the trip we also read the book “Father Serra, Brave Adventurer,” an excellent recount of his life for children.

          Okay, I think that basically covers the format of our trip, so I will begin where we did, on Good Friday.  We live in Orange County, just north of Mission San Juan Capistrano, so we began our pilgrimage with the three Missions south of us, spent Good Friday night at home, and hit the road for real on Holy Saturday.

Day One: Good Friday

 

Mission San Luis Rey

          Our first stop was Mission San Luis Rey, in Oceanside.  The “King of the Missions” is large and impressive.  Besides being special for starting our pilgrimage, we learned some things that we would appreciate for the rest of the trip.  First, you can purchase a “Mission Passport,” and each Mission will give you a stamp to acknowledge your visit.  A couple of Missions even give little gifts to visitors with completed passports (San Luis Rey promised us a bumper sticker when we were finished).  We also learned that our children were going to be hard to pry away from the fountains that can be found at every Mission.  Besides the beautiful church, Mission San Luis Rey also boasts the oldest pepper tree in California, which is worth seeing if you’re there.  San Luis Rey is used by a Franciscan community and often hosts retreats.

 

 

Crucifix shrouded for Good Friday

 

Oldest pepper tree in California

 

Mission San Diego

          Mission San Diego is special because it is the first Mission founded by Fr. Serra.  There is also a memorial to the first martyr of California, Father Pedro Jayme, who was killed by California Indians.  Although the relationship between the priests and natives was generally friendly, and the Franciscans were great protectors of the Indian population (Father Serra’s body was available for viewing for three days after his death to allow all the Indians who loved him so dearly to be able to pay their last respects), there was at times friction between the natives and the Spaniards in general.

          Mission San Diego was also special to us because we attended Good Friday services there.  We almost missed them, however, because we were waiting in the old Mission church, which is used by the parish community.  However, the services were held in the St. Francis chapel, at the back of the property.  Be sure to check where to go if you plan to attend Mass at Mission San Diego.

 

 

 

Marker on the spot of Fr. Jayme's martyrdom

 

Mission San Juan Capistrano

          We had been to Mission San Juan Capistrano many times.  As a fourth grade teacher, I have gone every year for a field trip and could probably host a tour there.  That was good because, due to it being Good Friday, the Mission was closed by the time we got there.  The new Mission basilica was in the middle of Good Friday services, so we said a few prayers outside the church and vowed to come back when we returned home in a week.