Ways to donate Mission San Luis Rey de Francia

Many of you have history at California Missions, specially in Mission san Luis Rey. You may have grown up in the parish, have family in our cemetery, may have been married there, or baptized there or attended school there...or you may just take great pride in this magnificent architectural masterpiece...and many others have great respect for the contribution of the hundreds of Native Americans, the Luiseno whose labor made this old adobe structure possible.

Wills And Trusts
Gifts to Old Mission San Luis Rey Historic Foundation, may be excluded from estate taxation. The full value of the amount assigned will be available to support Old Mission San Luis Rey Historic Foundation, programs. Making a contribution through your will or trust results in no alteration of your current lifestyle.

Life Insurance
Make Old Mission San Luis Rey Historic Foundation, the owner and beneficiary of your old policy or a new one. If annual premiums are due, make gifts to Old Mission San Luis Rey Historic Foundation, in the amount of the premium and qualify for an income tax deduction.

Charitable Trusts
Income to You - Making a gift to a Charitable Remainder Trust or a Pooled Income Fund returns income to you in addition to income and estate tax benefits and bypasses capital gains taxation. The income you receive can be for your lifetime or for a period of years. In some instances, you may choose the amount of income you will receive.

Income to Charity - Transferring assets to family members is subject to gift and estate taxes, perhaps as much as 55%. Through a Charitable Lead Trust you can reduce, even eliminate those taxes. In this vehicle you select an annual amount to be distributed to Missions Foundation, Inc. You also choose the number of years for the distributions. After the selected term, the assets in the trust pass to your family at substantially reduced taxes.

Retained Life Estate
A significant part of most Californians’ estate is their home. You can surrender ownership of your home to Old Mission San Luis Rey Historic Foundation, while you continue to enjoy all the benefits of staying in your present surroundings for your lifetime, and receive tax benefits.

Stocks
Giving appreciated stock returns several benefits to a donor. The gift amount is the value of the stock on the date it is given, not the purchase amount. Additionally, no tax is due on the capital gains.

Real Estate
Similar to gifts of appreciated stock, the gift value of contributions of real estate is the fair market value of the property at the time of the gift—not the original purchase price. And no taxes will be due on the appreciated value of the property.

Qualified Retirement Assets
Transferring remaining assets in qualified retirement plans to any family member other than one’s spouse results in taxes that may exceed 80 percent. Naming Old Mission San Luis Rey Historic Foundation, as the successor beneficiary of your spouse allows you both to have use of the assets during your lifetimes and transfers the full value of any remaining assets to support the purpose of Old Mission San Luis Rey Historic Foundation, Inc.

Check or Credit Card
An immediate donation can help restore, enhance, maintain and preserve the physical structures of the Mission.

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

Preserving California Missions Legacy

The Mission holds an important position in the history and economy of California. Culturally, Old Mission San Luis Rey has been an influence on its community from its founding in 1798.

You may already know that there are 21 Missions today in the state of California. If you live in California, there is a good chance that you are within an hour's drive of one or more of the missions. Starting in San Diego, and dotting the coast all the way past San Francisco, the missions are a standing reminder of an earlier time, a time long past, when the Spanish were colonizing Alta California. They teach us of the introduction of Europeans to the California Native Americans, and the struggles that both groups would endure.

After Mexico won its independence from Spain, it found that it could no longer afford to keep the missions running as Spain had done. In 1834, Mexico decided to end the mission system and sell all of the lands. They offered the lands to the Indians who did not want the lands or could not come up with the purchase price. The lands were divided into smaller Ranchos and sold to Mexican citizens who were helpful during the war for independence. After nearly 30 years, the missions were returned to the Catholic Church. Although some of the missions had already been returned to the church, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act declaring that all of the 21 missions in the California mission chain would become the property of the Catholic Church and have remained so since that time.

The economy at Mission was similar to the other missions in that they planted crops of wheat and corn. They also planted vineyards, and raised cattle and sheep.
The buildings were arranged around a 500 by 500 foot quadrangle. That is nearly the size of 2 football fields long. In 1826 a visitor from France described this mission as looking like "Palace". There were many visitors to this mission.
Most of today's Missions are active churches, indeed, some have held mass non-stop since their founding. Others are part of the California State Park system. All are modern day treasures, testimonies to the determination and faith of the people who built them, and a path backwards in time to our beginnings. They have influenced many aspects of our history, and continue to be an important part of our state today. Our intention with this website is to bring the present day mission to those who plan on visiting the missions, or those who may not be able to visit all the missions.

Contrary to what many people think, 19 of the 21 California missions are not funded by any governmental agency. Most rely solely on charitable donations to keep their wooden doors open. It is obvious that time continues to take its toll on these precious landmarks. Tiles crack. Paintings fade and sag. Earthquakes rumble. Thieves strike. Termites and beetles burrow. Floodwaters rise. Adobe walls crumble. That is why Mission needs support. 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.

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 Missions in preserving this legacy for the next generation.

King Of The California Missions

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was founded on June 13, 1798, by Father Fermin Lasuen, Father-President of the Mission Chain after Father Junipero Serra's death. It was the 18th mission in the 21 mission chain in Alta California. It was named for Saint Luis IX, King of France in the 1200's. It was known as "King of the Missions". The Spanish plan was to colonize this area with native inhabitants by drawing on their willingness to help, along with their considerable skills and creative talents. All this was done with the intent of ultimately turning over the missions to these indigenous people.

From time to time since the late 1800s, groups and individuals who recognized the historical, sociological, and artistic importance of these settlements spearheaded efforts to restore and reconstruct them. Contrary to what many people think, 19 of the 21 California missions are not funded by any governmental agency. Most rely solely on charitable donations to keep their wooden doors open.

The mission buildings were occupied between 1846 and 1865 by various U.S. military troops, including the Battalion of Mormon Volunteers. In 1850, California became the 34th state of the union and the remaining mission lands were incorporated into the United States.

No services were held at the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia for 46 years. It wasn't until 1892 when two Mexican padres were given permission to restore the mission as a monastery. Father Joseph O'Keefe was assigned to the mission as an interpreter for the monks. It was he who began to restore the old mission in 1895. The quadrangle and church were completed in 1905.

The Mission Museum is in the section restored and reconstructed over 100 years ago by the Franciscan Friars from Zacatecas. The arched portico is 200 years old. The Church, which is part of the Museum, has been standing since 1813.

Today Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is a working mission. It is cared for by the people who belong to the parish. It is still being restored today. There is a museum and visitors center at the mission. Immediate and Long-Term Funding Needs:
• Seismic retrofit of mission church and museum urgently needed,
• Upgrade water and fire prevention systems,
• Conservation of mission paintings and artifacts,
• Repair water damage to mortuary chapel,
• Upgrade archive and collection storage.

The Mission San Luis Rey Cemetery is the oldest community burial ground in North San Diego County, dating back to 1798. The cemetery has undergone recent expansion and may be utilized by members of all faiths and parishes.

Today’s Mission is used by business, charitable, religious and community organizations for meetings, spiritual retreats and conferences. City, County and State officials use it on a regular basis for meeting with their constituents and other social events. The center accommodates up to 100 overnight guests.

The Chamber of Commerce, the Navy and Marine personnel from Camp Pendleton, The Luiseno Band of Mission Indians, all make use of the Mission buildings and grounds for their cultural events. North County Earth Day is celebrated annually as Pepper Tree Day in the courtyard around the Missions pepper tree – the oldest pepper tree in California. The annual Heritage Ball is a gala event with an elegantly catered dinner and dancing. The Heritage Ball is held late in the summer.

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.