Chapter 4

1st Stop: Mission San Luis Rey de Francia (#18 of 21)

 

Welcome August!  Only a few days until I officially endeavor into another year, and in a sense, another chapter to unfold.  Continuing on with my '28 things in my 28th year', these next posts will be dedicated to those.  *Side Note* I know that technically this is my 29th year, so perhaps NEXT year I'll be right and do 30 years in my 30th year, but, let's not get ahead of ourselves... I still have a good TWO years to be a 'twenty-something', right?  So I'm not going to rush my 30's.





The Mission Today, 2011

 

Anyway, #6 on the list (Visit all of the California Missions) may have been a bit of a LARGE bite, so this goal will now be nicknamed (as Mom calls it) Mission... Impossible?  In the last two days, Mom (and Dad) and I have managed to see 3 of the 21, which is not a bad average; however, considering the other 18 are all headed up the coastal region of California and ending in San Francisco, this goal may have been a bit lofty.  Even a volunteer told me yesterday, "Yeah, good luck with that."  With my gusto and inner fire somewhat squelched, I hold tight to one of my life mantras - that NOTHING worth having is ever EASY, and realizing this goal, as difficult as it might be, is worth having.  With that in mind, the adventure has begun.

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, Oceanside, CA

On August 2, Mom and I first visited Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside, CA.  (http://www.sanluisrey.org/)  Known as the 'King of the Missions', mostly for its size and influence, San Luis Reye was the 18th of the California Missions named for St. Louis the King of France.  Established on June 13, 1798 by the successor of Fr. Junipero Serra, Padre Fermin Francisco de Lasuen,  it was established not only to convert the local Luiseno Indians, but also to colonize the land for Spain.  A unique point to note about the church is that it is only 1 of 2 Missions whose church is in the shape of a cross. 



San Luis Rey de Francia, California Mission #18



Like most of the missions, it suffered disrepair after a period of years when the Mission was secularized, inhabited by the military, and eventually given back to the Catholic Church and the Indian people by President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.  San Luis Rey was abandoned until 1892 and took 10 years to fully restore, under the direction of Father Joseph Jeremias O'Keefe.  (Key information received from Mission San Luis Rey brochures and materials.)

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was beautiful and breathtaking, rich in California history and elegant in design.





The Alter in San Luis Rey's Sanctuary.

  



Down the Aisle in the Mission Sanctuary.

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, California Mission #18

What the Mission was thought to look like in 1798.