Founded: Sept. 8, 1771
Location: 428 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel
San Gabriel Region: Deanery 10

El Mision del Santo Principe el Arcangel San Gabriel de los Temblores, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese, "the Pride of the Missions" --- that's San Gabriel. A rich tapestry of events have heralded the foundation of this fourth of the 21 Spanish missions and have continued in proclaiming all its noteworthy contributions.

The initial missionary endeavor can be credited to the "Black Robed" Jesuits who in 1572 instituted a chain of 18 missions in Mexico, establishing a viable civilization that reached Baja California by 1697. Their attempt foreshadowed the future colonization of Alta California, though political and economic conflicts with the existing government forced their expulsion in 1767 --- and the "Gray Robed" Franciscans were put in charge.

On July 16, 1769, Fray Junipero Serra erected a crude brushwood shelter that became the first church in the Spanish colony in San Diego. That was soon followed by outposts at Monterey (San Carlos Borromeo) and Jolon (San Antonio), but the intrepid missionary realized these were a vast distance from San Diego. To bridge the 400-mile gap, he chose Padres Pedro Benito Cambon and Angel Fernandez de la Somera to establish a new foundation on a site near the Rio de los Temblores (River of Earthquakes), 100 miles north of San Diego.

Ten soldiers escorted the Friars on their journey with pack mules carrying goods and provisions. On reaching the site, however, they were confronted by angry Tongva Indians who railed against their approach. Fearing a bloody conflict, one of the Friars unrolled a painting of Our Lady of Sorrows. As if transfixed by its sight, the Indians threw down their bows and arrows and approached the painting with token gifts. The soldiers made a shelter of willow boughs and brush to surround the painting and fashioned a large cross from saplings from the river bank where the Friars celebrated Mass on Sunday, September 8, 1771, feast day of the Nativity of Our Lady.

They named the Mission for Arcangel Gabriel, the heavenly messenger sent to Mary at the Annunciation. His title means "God is mighty," and his name is mentioned four times in the Bible (feast day: September 29).

But the "Pride of the Missions" was soon troubled by constant floods, so in 1775 the padres moved the establishment to its present site for improved agricultural facilities. According to historical records, the Franciscans "brought to Alta California a new set of economic activities. They created a new California. And even though the mission structure disappeared with secularization, the land it had transformed continued to bear its marks."

San Gabriel Mission is among the most typical of the historic adobes, whose primary function was spiritual as it introduced the Indians to European civilization. The mission was a massive industrial school that included spinning, weaving, carpentry, blacksmiths, tannery, winepress, orchards, fields and irrigation systems that place it among "the most flourishing of the missions" (today's weekend "Mission History Days" recreate those activities for vistors).

In 1776 Fathers Sanchez and Antonio Cruzado were put in charge and for 30 years they contributed to the mission's growth and importance. The church construction began in 1779 using the design submitted by Father Cruzado. Both priests died in 1805 before the building was completed. The next Franciscan in charge was Father Jose Zalvidea who stayed for 20 years and whose genius made the mission one of the wealthiest in the system.

The most significant date in mission history for Angelenos is September 14, 1781, when two priests, several Indians, 44 people (or about 11 families) --- all part of the parochial confines of San Gabriel mission --- traveled nine miles west. These were the Pobladores who established El Pueblo de Nuestra la Reina del Los Angeles --- the city of Los Angeles.

The Franciscans administered the mission until 1833, but then the Mexican government passed the Decree of Secularization that resulted in great harm to all 21 mission sites and the Indians. By 1843, only 72 head of cattle had been reared at San Gabriel, compared with 16,500 that the Gabrieleno-Tongva Indians had produced under the direction of the padres. The mission had also been stripped of all its valuables.

In 1863, 13 years after California had achieved U.S. statehood, President Abraham Lincoln restored the missions to the Catholic Church. The Franciscans had withdrawn in 1852, the year priests from the newly established Monterey-Los Angeles diocese were appointed to manage the mission parish.

In 1908 Bishop Thomas Conaty asked the Claretian Missionaries to administer the missions of San Fernando and San Gabriel. Father Felix Zumarraga was the first of the 32 Claretian pastors who have since labored, ministered, restored, rebuilt and rejuvenated San Gabriel in the ensuing 101 years. (The Claretians were founded by St. Anthony Mary Claret on July 16, 1849 in Spain as the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, the Communists murdered 272 Claretian priests, brothers and seminarians, all known now as martyrs.)

San Gabriel Mission has also endured a series of earthquakes, notably the 1812 quake that destroyed the original tower. Several restorations from subsequent quakes have been required, most recently Whittier in 1987.

A parish elementary school staffed by Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose opened in 1912, followed by a girls high school in 1949. In 1958 the new Chapel of the Annunciation was dedicated to accommodate the overflow from the original stone-built mission which took 15 years to construct. The old mission cemetery, Campo Santo, adjoins the chapel and is the oldest burial ground in L.A. County where some 6,000 Indians and prominent pioneers are buried.

Also buried in the plot near the old mission are about 100 Claretian priests, among them Father Aloysius Ellacuria who died in 1981 at age 76 and was especially known for his healing ministry and spiritual direction. Every year since his death, the faithful gather in April for Mass in his honor, a tribute to both his gift of healing and the Claretian charism.

Another unique historical fact concerns the original Mother of Sorrows painting from 1770 when the first Claretians brought it to San Diego and then to the founding of the mission. In 1977 someone pried it loose from the frame and stole the treasure. Fourteen years later the FBI discovered various mission artifacts in Philadelphia, including the original canvas, and the painting was returned.

San Gabriel Mission, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese, continues the inspired tradition of its treasured past while maintaining a unique place in the community, both historically and culturally. As its mission statement declares: "We seek to follow the example of our patron, Archangel Gabriel, who brought good news to the entire world and reminds us of our mission to be messengers of hope."