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California's Franciscan History
Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California
Rolls Royces gliding along refined Rodeo Drive, film premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, and San Francisco’s cable cars are all iconic images of California. Only in the name San Francisco is there a suggestion of the important role that Franciscan friars played in the foundation of modern California.
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside, California (founded in 1798)
In the 18th century, Spanish explorers were moving northward from Mexico into what is today the state of California. They planned on establishing infrastructure in the vast area through a system of Franciscan missions. These missions were to evangelize the Roman Catholic faith to the aboriginal people of California and act as places of development. Franciscans are, after all, famous for actively engaging in their communities to improve their members' physical and spiritual standard of life
Franciscan Father Junípero Serra
A key figure in the foundation of nine of California’s 21 missions was the Blessed Junípero Serra, a Franciscan priest from Mallorca. As a 36 year old friar in 1749, he immigrated to Mexico. Twenty years later, he participated in the expedition of Franciscan mission establishment in California. He actually founded the very first mission on Presidio Hill in San Diego.
Franciscan missions in California founded in the 18th century stretched as far north as Sonoma
The 20 other missions that were founded by the Franciscans spread from today’s US-Mexico border all the way to Sonoma, 44 miles north of San Francisco. They were connected by the El Camino Real.
Today, the Franciscan presence in California is still very strong. The Conventual Franciscan friars alone staff eight parishes across the state. They serve their various communities in every possible way that they can.
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