The History of Father Junipero Serra Two Additional Missions

Jun 4, 2015

This is part of a series on Junipero Serra. To read the full series, click here.

FRAY Pedro Font's description of the future San Francisco, written on March 28, 1776, is something of a classic: 

Indeed, although in my travels I saw very good sites and beautiful country, I saw none which pleased me so much as this. And I think that if it could be well settled like Europe there would not be anything more beautiful in all the world, for it has the best advantages for founding in it a most beautiful city, with all the conveniences desired by land as well as by sea. 

Juan Bautista de Anza's exploring party planted a cross on the white steep rock overhanging the Golden Gate where he proposed to establish the presidio. From there, the company rode over hills and through valleys and brush in a southeasterly direction, where they came upon two lakes and a delightful creek. 

This area they called Arroyo de los Dolores, because it was the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Font considered that place "the best for establishing on it one of the two missions" projected for the San Francisco area. The future San Francisco Mission, or Dolores as it came to be known popularly, had indeed a pretty setting. The padres chose their sites with very practical ideas in mind, but they never overlooked the element of beauty. 

The presidio was founded on July 28th. Four days later, work was inaugurated on the mission itself and it is that date which is generally accepted by historians as the official foundation for San Francisco Mission. There is no mention of formal ceremonies: a cross raising, a blessing or other ceremonies, but the founding of a mission did not always follow the same pattern. 

Formal ceremonies for the taking possession of the presidio occurred on September 17, the Feast of the Stigmata of Saint Francis. The cross was hoisted, blessed and venerated and Fray Francisco Palou celebrated Holy Mass. Then the officers took formal possession in the name of the king. 

All entered the presidio chapel singing the Te Deum. During the ceremonies, bells were rung, muskets fired and salvos of artillery thundered from the fort. This was the founding of San Francisco. Saint Francis had found and occupied his harbor. 

On October 3, Palou had blessed the chapel for the new mission. For that gala occasion, the wooden building was adorned with flags and bunting from the ship San Carlos. Six days later, the mission was formally inaugurated. After Mass, a statue of Saint Francis was solemnly carried in procession and placed on the altar. Fire-crackers and rockets added to the festivities. Mission bells pealed forth across the lake. 

Palou was now established as a missionary as far north as Spain's power had reached, over a hundred miles further into pagan country than Fray Junípero Serra had yet penetrated. Surely the Presidente was there in spirit. 

Fernando de Rivera reached San Francisco on November 26th. He carefully inspected the sites of the presidio and mission and was pleased with both. He then determined to go ahead with the establishment of Santa Clara in order to fulfill the directives of the viceroy. 

An expedition set out for the Rio de Gualadupe, about forty miles southeast, at the northern end of the Santa Clara Valley. They arrived at their destination, a place known as "the Laurel," on January 7th. Five days later Fray Tomas de la Peña raised and blessed the cross at California's eighth mission. 

With the founding of Santa Clara, the establishments ordered by the viceroy for the bay area - a presidio and two missions - were accomplished facts. A famous son and daughter of the thirteenth century Italian town of Assisi, Francesco and Chiara, now became well known on the Pacific coast of North America.