Mystery Worshipper: Amanda B. Reckondwyth
Church:
Mission San Luis Rey
Location: Oceanside, California, USA
Date of visit: Sunday, 14 July 2019, 7:00am
The building
Mission San Luis Rey was one of twenty-one missions established in the Alta California region of Nueva España (México) by St Junípero Serra, who founded the first twelve, and his successor Fermín Lasuén, who founded the remaining nine, including San Luis Rey. Begun in 1798 and completed by 1815, San Luis Rey was called King of the Missions due to its size and the success of its works. México gained independence from Spain in 1821, and in 1833 all of the California missions were secularized. Most mission lands and buildings were either sold off or plundered. San Luis Rey was used as an army barracks during the Mexican-American War (1846-48); the legendary frontiersman Kit Carson was stationed there. After the war, México ceded California to the United States, and in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln returned all the missions to ecclesiastical control, one of his last official acts before his assassination. But San Luis Rey remained abandoned and derelict, although there is some evidence of an occasional mass, baptism, and even bullfights being held there. Restoration began in 1893 under the direction of Father Joseph O’Keefe, an Irish-born Franciscan who spoke Spanish with a brogue. Today the restored mission is well preserved and cared for. The old adobe buildings are painted a gleaming white and include a large cruciform church with domed bell tower, and a three-sided cloister enclosing a patio off which open what were dormitories, an infirmary, kitchen, storage rooms and workshops. Down several steps are the ruins of the lavandería, an open-air laundry that doubled as the bath house. A cemetery to the right of the church still, erm, receives new tenants. The interior of the old church is very long, very narrow, and very Spanish. A baptistery opens off to the left of the rear. There is a dome at the crossing. In the right and left transept are side altars festooned with statues, as is the reredos behind the high altar. The walls bear various works of art as well as the Stations of the Cross, all painted in the Renaissance style.
The church
At its height, Mission San Luis Rey encompassed close to 30 square miles and ministered to almost 3000 baptized Native Americans who lived at the mission and grew oranges, grapes, wheat and hemp, and tended herds of cattle, sheep and hogs. The Peruvian pepper tree, Schinus molle, first cultivated here for medicinal use (the sap has mild laxative, diuretic and antiseptic properties), now grows throughout California and is the source of pink peppercorns often found mixed in with commercial black peppercorns. What is thought to be the original tree on the mission grounds is still alive and producing fruit. The parish is managed by priests of the Order of Friars Minor (better known as the Franciscan Fathers), Province of St Barbara. They have a mental health ministry, grief support, and an outreach to military families. The old buildings now serve primarily as a museum and retreat center; retreats are offered by the day, evening or weekend, and the museum is open seven days a week except holidays. One weekday mass and two Sunday masses (one in English and one in Spanish) are celebrated in the old mission church; all other services are held in the Serra Center, a modern multi-purpose building located next to the mission grounds. Miss Amanda dragged herself out of bed at the crack of dawn to attend the early Sunday mass in the old church – anything for the Ship!
The neighborhood
Oceanside, on California’s Pacific coast about 60 miles north of San Diego, is home to the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base, and both the military and the tourist trade loom large in the city’s economy. The mission is about five miles east of downtown Oceanside, on the aptly named Mission Avenue, also known as California Route 76. It is easily reached via the No. 309 bus for those who don’t drive. Unsure of how frequently buses ran at that time of the morning, I opted to arrive by Uber although I took the bus back into town afterwards.
The cast
A Franciscan priest, in full eucharistic vestiture over his habit, was the celebrant. He was assisted by a visiting priest from the African missions, in alb and green stole, who read the gospel and preached. Also assisting were a crucifer and two acolytes, all in albs, and a lector in street clothes (at least she was wearing a liturgically correct green blouse).
What was the name of the service?
Mass in English.How full was the building?
I counted room for 350 and it was completely full.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
A lady at the door was removing votive candles from a box. She said ‘Good morning.’ I spied a pile of bulletins on a table, but she told me that they were last week’s and that this week’s bulletin would be available after mass.
Was your pew comfortable?
Not really – plain wooden pew. They looked like the originals, sanded and revarnished.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
Quiet for the most part – some quiet visiting among regular attendees of this mass. The leader of song and pianist practiced a bit.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
‘Good morning. Welcome as we gather for worship on this 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time.’
What books did the congregation use during the service?
Breaking Bread with Readings 2019. Also in the pews was the Spanish Flor y Canto but that was not used at this mass.
What musical instruments were played?
Grand piano, in perfect tune and nicely played, accompanied a soprano leader of song who sang most competently.
Did anything distract you?
Taking in all of the appointments of this historic old church was distraction enough. In the entrance procession I noticed that the candle of one of the acolytes had gone out, and it was still out when the two acolytes stood either side of the priest for the gospel reading. (Sweetie, there was ample time to light it, wasn’t there?) It was lit, however, for the recessional. There’s one thing I’ll save for ‘the other place’ below but it really wasn’t hellish.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
Typical Roman Catholic mass celebrated with dignity. No bells or incense. The visiting priest read the gospel and preached but did not concelebrate – he left the altar right after his sermon. The music was a cut below the best of the St Louis Jesuit tradition but a cut above the Singing Nun stuff – let’s call it Singing Mother Superior. I wasn’t familiar with any of the songs or the mass setting. The congregation apparently felt the same about the songs, although they did better with the mass setting. We received communion under both species.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
11 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
8 — The mission priest spoke with a heavy African accent that required concentration to understand, but he spoke slowly and clearly. He was applauded at the end (ugh!).
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
He used the gospel reading (the parable of the Good Samaritan) to segue into a talk about work in the African missions. God calls all of us to be generous and compassionate, to keep his commandments in word and in action. What we do to others, we do to God. We must keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to the needs of others, and in doing so we will more easily see how broken we really are. The needs of the Church in Africa are great; please be generous in your support. God bless you. [Applause]
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
Being in this historic old church was heavenly enough.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
As I said, not really hellish, but …. the celebrant was losing his voice – he sounded hoarse and drank water from a glass at several points during the mass. I thought he might be coming down with a cold.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
Nothing. Everyone cleared out pretty fast – some as soon as the recessional had passed their pews, but others as soon as the concluding song had died out. On the way out, I noticed a sign on the back wall that read, ‘Maximum occupancy 350.’ I was glad to see that my count had been correct.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
There was none. I was glad to see that breakfast was still being served when I got back to my hotel.
How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
0 – It was a lovely experience, but I don’t live in Oceanside and the Mission is a tourist attraction. I’ve ‘done’ it now, and there’s really no need to ‘do’ it again.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Yes.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?
Having ‘done’ the Mission at last.