While
researching the San Buenaventura mission I learned the basics about the
mission. San Buenaventura is the ninth established mission in the 21 California
mission chain. The date Buena Ventura was founded just so happens to ironically
be Easter Sunday, March 31, 1782. This mission’s founder was the original
mission president Father Junipero Serra. The mission and the city were both
named for St. Bonaventure, Franciscan Mystic and Doctor of the Catholic Church.
While researching the San Buenaventura mission I also learned about how this
mission as previously noted was supposed to be the third mission in the chain
and how that position related to San Diego the next mission I am going to be
researching. According to plans the explorers made at Loreto before the first
expedition started for Alta California, they felt that a third mission would
need to be established half way between San Diego and Monterey. It was the
intention to put this station at San Buenaventura. Once in California, however,
certain circumstances including whether and earthquakes intervened and it was
1782 before the opportunity for actually founding this mission occurred. In
March of that year, a conference of some importance took place at Mission San
Gabriel. Those present at this conference were Father Serra, three of his
Franciscans, Governor Felipe de Neve, and the ex-sergeant, Jose Ortega, now a
lieutenant after Father Serra's unsuccessful campaign to have him appointed to
be the governor of California. There is a chain of command in how a
mission is established. There was a meeting between Fr. Serra and de Neve that
was very much of importance to the missionaries. The reason for this was the
governor had been in the territory almost five years now, and he is who the
president must speak to establish any further missions. For the first time
since his arrival he had agreed to discuss the establishment of a new mission.
Fr. Serra received word that six new Franciscan padres were being sent from the
College in Mexico City but there were other difficulties to be work out before
construction.
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While
researching the San Diego mission I learned about the missions main facts. San
Diego was the first ever established California mission in the 21 mission
Catholic Church Chain. This first ever mission, San Diego, was founded on July
16th 1769. The founder of this mission was the first of the California mission
Presidents, Father Junipero Serra. The mission was named in honor of Saint
Didacus of Alcala. Through out my research of this mission I also have learned
about the magnitude of respect the San Diego mission deserves from the
religious world. San Diego de Alcala, as it is professionally known, is the
first of the great California Missions. It marks the birthplace of Christianity
in the far West. It was literally California's first church. This remarkable
and significant historical shrine gives those who get the opportunity to visit
it an understanding and appreciation for the beginning of Christianity in this
corner of the world. This area was also revolutionary to the church because it
was so remote from the Mother Country of Spain and yet so similar, in the way
it was used to spread God’s message to the natives of California and all those
who passed through. I learned about the first few cities and missions founded
by the Spanish and the historical relation this mission has with San Miguel.
For thousands of years, the American Indians lived in this area that is now
known as California. Since all of the maps before the 18th century depicted
California as an island, the Spanish explorers saw no reason to make
settlements. However in 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, an explorer commissioned
by the monarch of Spain, arrived in San Diego bay and named it San Miguel after
the saint whose feast day was closest to the landing according to the Spanish
tradition. In 1602 Sebastian Viscaino, leading another Spanish expedition,
entered the harbor and renamed it San Diego after Saint Didacus of Alcala,
Spain whose feast day was closest to the landing. San Diego was also the name
of the flagship for this expedition, because of its order in the missions
founded.
