Authentic Mission Era Features At Mission San Luis Rey Part II

Convento

A convento is the friars' living quarters usually attached to the church. At Mission San Luis Rey, this wing was fronted by 32 arches and held rooms intended for the missionaries and official visitors and guests. The dining room and kitchen were also in this front part of the Mission.

PRESENT - Today only 12 of the original arches remain and what was once the convento now houses the Museum and a Gift Shop. The arched corridors stop short of extending to the western edge of the property.

Colonnade

The beautiful arched columns of the colonnade were part of the Spanish Colonial era that incorporated several styles of architecture. During the Mission Period these graceful structures extended into the interior grounds of the quadrangle.

PRESENT - When the Mission was abandoned many of the materials were stripped to supply neighboring ranchos. The arches fell into ruin and today there is little trace of these once grand columns. The original carriage arch can be seen from the Retreat Center.

Dormitories

In 1830, all unmarried women lived in dormitories off the north wing of the Mission quadrangle. Many families preferred to live outside the Missions walls in their own homes, but the younger neophytes (newly converted Indians) also lived dormitory-style within the quadrangle at Mission San Luis Rey.

PRESENT - The dormitory wings were part of the Mission that awaited the extensive restoration efforts of the Franciscan friars. When San Luis Rey College was created in 1950 the wings were intended to be living quarters for Franciscan students preparing for Ordination. The College closed in 1968 and the newly-rebuilt structure was converted into the present Retreat Center, a place for contemplation and spiritual reflection.

Workshops

Mission life centered around prayer and work. As such, Mission San Luis Rey was an Important center of industry. The padres taught skills which would best benefit the needs of the mission community, Including: adobe brick making, blacksmithing, carpentry, leatherwork and tanning, shoemaking, soap making, weaving, spinning, and candle making.

The daily life of those who lived here was full of activity as the Mission supported and sustained an expanding population. The workshops and classrooms were located around the quadrangle.

PRESENT - Today workshops are maintained for the upkeep of the Missions property and the welfare of the friars who live here. Some of the trades of the past are still vital, such as carpentry, gardening, and water reclamation. Other trades have been developed for the modern Mission and the myriad of tasks required to oversee the departments and ministries within Mission San Luis Rey.

Barracks

Each mission was established with three cooperating entities: civil, religious, and military. Although not a fort, or presidio, the barracks housed the military arm of the mission system. Between five and eleven Spanish soldiers assigned to protect this mission resided In these barracks. The building had several apartments and a tower. The barracks were located in front of the Mission.

PRESENT - When the mission was abandoned, the barracks fell into ruins. Today a fence surrounds the area where the barracks once stood, guarding the remnants of the centuries old structure.

Over 200 years of history are preserved in Mission San Luis Rey, California's "King of the California Missions ". The Missions are an important part of our cultural heritage, and merits support from the entire community. This is your opportunity to invest to California Missions in preserving this legacy for the next generation.

Authentic Mission Era Features At Mission San Luis Rey Part I

Church

Construction of the present Mission church began in 1811 and was completed in 1815. The design is cruciform with the dimensions measuring 30' high, 165' long and 27' wide. The solitary bell tower, which is the cornerstone to the entire mission quadrangle, is 75' high. Adobe, lime plaster, wooden timbers, fired clay bricks, and roof tiles comprise the primary building materials. The architecture is Spanish Colonial combining Baroque and Classical styles with Moorish influences.
PRESENT - The church, a National Historic Landmark, is open daily to visitors via the museum, which oversees its restoration and the care of its collections. Although painted over through the years, the decorative designs, taken from textiles and patterns in books, are original. The church at San Luis Rey is recognized as the most unique and one of the most beautiful in the mission chain. It is the largest of the 21 California Missions and the only one adorned with a wooden dome and cupola. Unique also to San Luis Rey are the side altars and the Madonna Chapel which originally served as a mortuary chapel.

Lavanderia

To the South of the Mission is the Lavanderia, or open-air laundry. This shallow valley beyond the Mission plaza proved ideal as both a bathing site and a place to wash clothes. Additionally, the structure provided a means of channeling the water into the Missions gardens and fields for irrigation. Water from the San Luis Rey River was diverted to the site. Flowing down from both sides of the tiled stairway, water spouted from the mouths of carved gargoyles. An extensive water conservation system by even modern standards, the Lavanderia was surrounded by an adobe wall and entered through an arched and pillared gateway. A turnstile kept wildlife out.
PRESENT - In 1955 the first organized archaeological work was begun by seminary students under the direction of the staff at San Luis Rey College and visiting historians and archaeologists. The site was registered at the archaeological survey office at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and given the permanent trinomial designation SDi241. Highway construction projects and housing developments have since leveled hills and the valley has undergone many changes including the diversion of the San Luis Rey River. Visitors can still explore the Lavanderia by going down the main staircase to the tile and stone pools, and the magnificent gargoyles. The original brick and lime kiln used in Mission construction can be seen to the east.

Cemetery

The cemetery has been in continuous use since the founding of the Mission in 1798. The Indian Memorial was erected In 1830 by Father Antonio Peyri to honor the many Luisenos who helped build and maintain the mission; including those who lived in outlying areas such as Pala, the asistencia or sub-station, to Mission San Luis Rey. Also buried here are many of the area's leading Catholic pioneers and priests.
PRESENT - The cemetery continues to be the oldest burial ground in North San Diego County still in operation. The Franciscan Crypts house the remains of many of the Friars who have served this mission, while recent expansion makes it possible for area residents of all faiths to be buried here. The skull and crossbones above the cemetery entrance is commonly found at Franciscan cemeteries. In the 1950s, Walt Disney Studio replaced the cemetery gates for the filming of several television episodes of "Zorro" at San Luis Rey.

Quadrangle

The Mission quadrangle is a four-sided patio approximately 500' square surrounded by buildings and arcades. In this courtyard the first pepper trees in Alta California were planted by Fr. Antonio Peyri using seeds brought to San Luis Rey in 1830 by a sailor from Peru. The buildings included workshops, living quarters, a kitchen, infirmary, winery and storage areas.

PRESENT - One of the first pepper trees still stands in this quadrangle and can be seen through the original carriage arch. The patio of the quadrangle looks different today due to the building of a smaller, inner quadrangle and convento after 1892 when the Franciscans returned to San Luis Rey. Called the O'Keefe building and Sacred Garden, the smaller quadrangle is the center of the current friary. The larger area, now a Retreat Center, was built for a seminary college in 1950 on the foundations of the original quadrangle.

Over 200 years of history are preserved in Mission San Luis Rey, California's "King of the California Missions ". The Missions are an important part of our cultural heritage, and merits support from the entire community. This is your opportunity to invest to California Missions in preserving this legacy for the next generation.

Save the Mission San Luis Rey

San Luis Rey de Francia, "King of Missions," was the eighteenth of the Franciscan establishments in California; and the second founded in what is now the County of San Diego-second therefore on El Camino Real. Many things can be owned - cars, jewelry, clothes, books and baubles. There are exceedingly few things for which you have the opportunity to be a steward rather than an owner.

Stewards do not buy the legacy they shepherd, nor can they sell it. Theirs is a responsibility of conservation, preservation and transmission - but only if they decide to step forward and accept that duty, seeing it for the exceptional opportunity it is.

Today, everyone has that rare opportunity of stewardship. Oceanside's Old Mission San Luis Rey must undergo a state-mandated seismic upgrade or this North County icon, valuable enough to be designated a national landmark, will be lost. By supporting this preservation effort, you are accepting the invitation to safeguard Mission San Luis Rey, an extremely rare local and California legacy.

Mission San Luis Rey is a remarkable and durable cultural icon, and its conservation and perpetuation are worthy of everyone's attention. As with all California missions, this mission became a cornerstone of California heritage. The story of the missions' creation is taught in area schools, with more than 10,000 local fourth-grade children visiting Mission San Luis Rey, learning about the legacy they will someday inherit. This is an irreplaceable experience for our children.

All California missions remain significant reminders of triumphs and tragedies in our historical past, thus continuing their mission of teaching eternally.

Preservation of this cultural touchstone is an invitation for stewardship to every person in Southern California. Historic preservation is a complicated yet fascinating process. How do you do a seismic retrofit on a structure such as Mission San Luis Rey? Extremely carefully.

Because of its national landmark designation, and being part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Save America's Treasures" program, work on the mission's structure can only be undertaken by one of four contractors possessing approved, specialized knowledge and proficiency in dealing with historic architecture. This cost of care is an investment in preserving our past and maintaining it as part of our future. Our goals are:

• Preserving the unique, historical Mission artwork and paintings,
• Revitalizing the beautiful gardens and landscaping,
• Renovating the historic archways,
• Obtaining city water for safety and convenience,
• Seismically retrofit the National Historic Landmark buildings,

·         Upgrading and expanding the 4th-grade mission experience.

Now it is our turn. Mission San Luis Rey has gloriously stood for more than 200 years. A dedicated group of your friends and neighbors have said "yes" to be stewards, and we are appealing to the community to join us in this vital effort to preserve our cultural heritage.

This seismic retrofit costs $3.1 million. The missions capital campaign enabling the work to be accomplished is in its final stages; the goal is within reach. But there is an urgent deadline. Crucial funding from America's Treasures grant program could be withdrawn if construction isn't completed by October 2012. Community response in the next 60 days will determine whether or not this is possible.

Success or failure will be decided by how many choose to come forward immediately and accept the invitation to make a generous contribution.

Understanding Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a special day that has existed for thousands of years with religious connotations in Latin America, where it continues to be followed faithfully and is now celebrated in America.

The holiday holds a special place in the hearts of Mexicans, when family and friends gather to pray for and remember loved ones who have died, oftentimes with elaborate homemade altars. It is a more spiritual than solemn day, which begins on the eve of November 1 on All Saints’ Day and is celebrated on November 2.

The special day bears little resemblance to the other holiday it follows, Halloween, since it is not associated with evil spirits or scary situations and has nothing in common with the new entertainment landscape filled with vampires, werewolves and zombies.

Dia de los Muertos is not, as is often said, the Latino Halloween. The day of celebration falls close to Halloween so a link is often made, but for marketers hoping to grasp insights into Dia de los Muertos, there is a delicate balance for the Spanish-language dominant Latino.

U.S. Hispanics enjoy Halloween, but they celebrate both holidays separately and in their own way, from generation to generation. Dia de los Muertos is a respectful yet colorful day filled with happiness and remembrance.

Some marketers have already tapped into the growing market by offering some of the items that are often needed to make an altar complete on Dia de los Muertos: Families set up altars at home brimming with fresh flowers, oftentimes sweet-smelling yellow marigolds, or cempasúchil, as the flowers are known in Mexico; pan de muertos (bread for the dead) is often sold in Hispanic-friendly neighborhoods and is set out as a symbolic gesture for the person being remembered; a cup of water is left out for the person who has passed away to “drink” after a long journey, along with favorite foods; candles are placed nearby to light the way and to provide warmth; and decorative sugar skulls can be bought or made at home.
These rituals are in fact unique and can seem a bit unorthodox to non-Hispanics unaccustomed to discussing death so openly. Dia de los Muertos is often misunderstood because it may seem almost too festive. If it is, that’s because for many Latinos honoring the dead means being happy to have had that person in their life.

A growing number of pint-size ceramic skulls and skeletons found in storefront windows in predominately Hispanic neighborhoods pay tribute to the holiday, but these figurines are often dressed in elegant attire and carry a musical instrument or are placed in jaunty positions. The calaveras (skulls) and skeletons commonly used to mark the day are more figurative, not spooky like the ones used during Halloween. To mark the occasion, skull-bearing T-shirts, cards, calendars and coffee mugs are beginning to be found in traditionally less Hispanic neighborhoods which shows that the holiday has trickled into our “mainstream” culture.

Latin American culture is so vast and so multifaceted that honoring the dead should not come as a surprise. It is a different way of approaching life, even after a loved one has died.

Dia de losMuertos at Mission San Luis Rey has once again concluded a fantastic community event. This year many more attendees dressed the part in their wonderful traditional Dia de losMuertos costumes and makeup. Children came dressed for their practice run for trick or treating that evening.  Day Of Dead 

Oceanside Mission Hoping to Earthquake-proof Historic Church

Without some serious retrofitting, one of California’s most iconic historical landmarks is at risk of crumbling to its foundation if shaken hard by a serious temblor. 

Administrators for the 200-year-old Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia have for years been working on a plan to stabilize the ornate, historic church building in time to meet a state-required 2015 deadline for earthquake retrofitting. But raising the $3.1 million needed for the work has been no easy task during the Great Recession. 

“Sometimes people say, ‘Ah, the church has been here 213 years, why do you need to do this now?’” said Executive Director and Franciscan friar David Gaa. “Well, part of the answer is because it’s mandated by the law, and the other part is in a major earthquake, a major earthquake, it would be dangerous for the people inside. We have a lot of fourth-graders who come here all the time.”

The mission was founded in 1798; construction of the existing church was finished in 1815.

The mission has for years enchanted visitors with its long church walls rich with paintings, a museum depicting the history of the area and the life of friars and the cemetery, where Franciscan brothers are laid to rest near lawns pocked with tombstones crafted in centuries past.

In 2008 the mission received a $640,000 grant from a National Forest Service program called Save America’s Treasures. The work was supposed to be done more quickly, but the state allowed an extension because of the hard economic times.

“If there weren’t problems economically, it would be a different picture,” Gaa said.

The grant funds hinged on landing matching contributions, which the mission has received. To date 75 percent of the needed money has been committed for the church, but the grant and the matching funds come with strings attached: the work must be completed by next October. 

“There’s a good chance that if we don’t start and finish the work next year we’ll lose that” grant, Gaa said. “The question of will they give us an extension … they might. But I don’t want to get down to the wire and find out they’re not.” 

The retrofitting involves removing the church’s large wood and tile roof and inserting rebar into the adobe walls.

The mission, which is run as a nonprofit, hopes to complete its fundraising campaign near the end of the year, then in January consider construction bids. Administrators hope to start the work in February in time to finish by October 2012 and reopen soon after. 

A capital campaign committee has been in charge of raising money for the work, holding fundraisers and collecting contributions from individuals and organizations who have been heavily involved in the mission and the Old Mission San Luis Rey Historical Foundation, Inc. In the final stretch of fundraising, the committee will look to the community to help meet the remaining $775,000 needed for the work.
“It’s really about the people that believe in the mission,” said Jeanne Schmelzer, a fundraising campaign leader for the retrofitting project. 

Gigi Gleason, chairwoman of the committee, is hopeful the campaign will raise enough money.
“We all feel very optimistic that we will not only reach our goal but exceed it,” she said. “The thought … of having to close the doors (of the mission) is to me unthinkable.”

Old Mission San Luis Rey Cemetery is Oceanside cemetery, founded in 1798. The Mission is committed to taking care of the San Diego cemetery as part of this National Historic Landmark. Contact us for San Diego FuneralServices our experienced and caring staff is available to help you. San DiegoRetreats Center at Old Mission San Luis Rey offers a place for solitude, healing, and revitalization with a wide variety of Spiritual Retreats and educational programs.

How To Help Historical Mission San Luis Rey

Over 200 years of history are preserved in Mission San Luis Rey, California's "King of the Missions". Naming Mission San Luis Rey as the charitable beneficiary in planned giving allows members of the Mission Legacy Guild to contribute significant support for the future of the Mission. 

Fund Development's purpose is to increase support for the Mission's operation and programs. This includes creating beneficial partnerships with our local business community, organizations, donors and other stakeholders.

Our goals are:

• Preserving the unique, historical Mission artwork and paintings,
• Revitalizing the beautiful gardens and landscaping,
• Renovating the historic archways,
• Obtaining city water for safety and convenience,
• Seismically retrofit the National Historic Landmark buildings,
• Upgrading and expanding the 4th-grade mission experience.

Old Mission San Luis Rey is an active Mission providing cultural, educational, historical and spiritual programs to the community and visitors from around the world. We must consistently seek funding for these ongoing projects through the support of private foundations, corporations, individuals and fund-raising events. As you can imagine, operating and maintaining a historic site is costly. Old Mission San Luis Rey is a registered National Historic Landmark, yet it does not receive public funding for general operations and is not supported by Catholic Diocesan funds. Renovations to the buildings and property for modern safety standards (seismic retrofitting) and the preservation of the old structures require considerable funding... much more than the revenue that can be generated from our Museum tours or the Retreat Center and Cemetery. The Mission depends on volunteer support and the generosity of private donors, corporate partnerships, major fund-raising events, and grants to continue as a significant historic and cultural landmark.

Mission Legacy Guild

The term "planned giving" refers to charitable gifts that require some planning before they are made. Planned gifts are popular because they can provide valuable tax benefits and/or income for life. Whether a donor uses cash or other assets, such as real estate, artwork, or partnership interests, the benefits of funding a planned gift can make this type of charitable giving very attractive to both the donor and charity. 

Many of our supporters make charitable gifts by naming Mission San Luis Rey as a beneficiary in their will. The federal government encourages these gifts and bequests, by allowing an unlimited tax-deductible charitable donation. Here are five possible ways you can make a Mission Legacy Guild Bequest:

1. Fixed-Dollar Bequest. You designate a specific amount to Mission San Luis Rey. This option is often best in cases of smaller bequests.

2. Leaving a Percentage. Some people choose to leave Mission San Luis Rey a set percentage of the estate.

3. Residual Bequest. Your estate will pay all debts, taxes, expenses, and specific bequests. The remaining amount--the residual--will be transferred to Mission San Luis Rey.

4. Bequest of Property. A donor may choose to leave Mission San Luis Rey a particular piece of real property or tangible personal property, such as jewelry, automobiles, art or other assets. Great care should be taken accurately to describe the intended property and the other interest bequeathed, if it is not the entire ownership interest.

5. Designation as Beneficiary of Your Life Insurance or Retirement

 

Some people choose to create their Mission Legacy gift by designating Mission San Luis Rey as beneficiary of their life insurance or retirement accounts. Through your commitment of support, you reach beyond time and help carry on the spiritual, cultural, historical, and educational presence of Mission San Luis Rey for generations and generations to come. Although a National Historic Landmark, Mission San Luis Rey receives no public funding for general operations. It is entirely dependent upon donations, fundraisers and grants. By joining the Friends of the Mission, your donation allows the Mission to carry on an educational, historical, cultural and spiritual presence within the community. 

Varying levels of member benefits include free admission to Mission San Luis Rey, guest passes to share your experience with friends, tickets to our annual gala and valuable discounts. Benefits are commensurate with the level of membership. Thank you for helping preserve Mission San Luis Rey for future generations.  

Old Mission San Luis Rey Cemetery is Oceanside cemetery, founded in 1798. The Mission is committed to taking care of the San Diegocemetery as part of this National Historic Landmark. Contact us for San Diego FuneralServices our experienced and caring staff is available to help you. San DiegoRetreats Center at Old Mission San Luis Rey offers a place for solitude, healing, and revitalization with a wide variety of Spiritual Retreats and educational programs.

The Catholic Virginian

Troubadour, madman, beggar and finally saint are names once hurled at one of the best known and most beloved saints in the Church's calendar. 

On October 4 we commemorate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, a man who lost his life in order to find it. Perhaps no other saint reflected the life of the Savior of the world more closely than the litde Poverello of Assisi.

Today statues of him decorate landscapes, animals are blessed on his feast day, and his descendants can be found serving the poor and the marginalized in every corner of the world. He is a saint for all seasons and for all people. I recall a Baptist neighbor once asking me if I would turn the statue of St. Francis that was in our backyard in the direction of their home in hopes that he would turn their lawn from brown to green. This was almost 30 years ago, long before St. Francis was associated with ecology and caring for the earth.

However, for a man whose understanding of God was so large and so inclusive, it should come as no surprise that he would continue to expand the vision of the world in death much the way he did in life. Like St. Francis, all are called to sainthood, perhaps not in so heroic a way as he, but we are called. And ... we have much to learn from the saint who took the teachings of Jesus literally and embraced the Gospel without compromise.

Francis grew into sainthood. Like us, he struggled with doubts and uncertainty. He was conflicted by what his head told him and by what his heart knew to be true. Even when Jesus spoke directly to Francis from the cross at St. Damiano, the youthful Francis misinterpreted the message, taking literally Jesus' instruction to rebuild his Church because it had fallen into ruin. Yet, as each conflict gave way to grace, this humble man of God discovered the deeper significance of God's invitation. The fact is: holiness happens in stages. Conversion must be ongoing because it involves returning to God with ever greater willingness to abandon thoughts and actions which are contrary to the Gospel.

If you've read the life of St. Francis of Assisi then you know his life is a prime example. Writing about St. Francis, Father Gwenole Jeusset, OFM identified three interior barriers that had to be broken down as part of the saint's conversion process. The first was the physical barrier that separated the sick from the healthy, and was shattered when Francis encountered the leper. The story is familiar. Francis meets a leper outside the city gates. His first impulse is to run from the leper, but no sooner had he fled than something caused him to return. Francis not only returned, but upon seeing him, embraced the leper and in that moment, his heart was changed. He saw Christ in the man who only moments ago had been physically repugnant. The second barrier he shattered was a form of moral leprosy. It seems there were a group of thieves living not too far from where the friars had pitched their huts. Since they were a continual threat, St. Francis instructed the friars to visit them and to treat them like any brothers who were suffering and hungry. He told them to spread as lavish a feast as they could prepare and serve the thieves with humility and good humor. He cautioned his friars to provide moral guidance. Only during a subsequent visit when they had won their friendship and trust.

The last barrier in the saint's conversion process, according to Father Jeusset was a spiritual barrier, which Francis when he visited the Egypt during the Crusades. Although Francis set out with the intention of converting him, after meeting and spending time with the Sultan, his heart was moved from a mentality of conquest to the mentality of encounter. Francis saw Christ in the Sultan and was touched by his deep love for God and his devotion to prayer.

Like the encounters with the leper and the thieves, Francis' encounter with the Muslim sultan became an encounter with Christ and whenever encounter Christ we changed. In the presence of fraternal love barriers crumble and walls that divide one against another are shattered.

As Francis' love for God became perfect, he responded to every encounter as an encounter with Christ and so his conversion was complete. Shortly after wards,  St.Francis received the  stigmata. He received not only the I wounds of Christ but nails actually penetrated his skin and so St. Francis became the personification of Christ in every way. According to Father Jeusset, the saint of Assisi did not convert the Muslims because he looked at their hearts and saw Christ. He embraced the Sultan much the same way that he embraced the leper and the thieves and after spending two weeks with him, they parted as friends who had a deep and profound respect for one another. One can only imagine what St. Francis would have to say about the kind of suspicion and hateful rhetoric that is taking place around the building of a mosque and community center in New York.

Today, let us call upon the humble man of Assisi to show us the way to peace so that we may encounter the other in a spirit of fraternal charity, recognizing every encounter as encounter - with Christ.

About Mission San Luis Rey

The Franciscan Retreat Center at Old Mission San Luis Rey offers a place for solitude, healing, and revitalization with a wide variety of  Spiritual retreats and educational programs.  The  Retreat centers is also for individuals who would like spiritual renewal. The Mission is committed to taking care of the   California cemetery http://www.sanluisrey.org/Cemeteryas part of this National Historic Landmark.