Don't forget that a statue of the Immaculata was given to St Junipero Serra, by Spain, to bring to the New World. Father Serra arrived in San Diego by foot in 1769 and the statue arrived on the first cargo ship in 1770. The Immaculata was named Patroness of San Diego and the first Catholic Church in California, the Adobe Chapel in Old Town, which was built before the first California mission, was named the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the statue was placed on the altar there. A newer church was built a block away and was dedicated to the Immaculata, also named Immaculate Conception, where mass has been celebrated continuously ever since. However, the statue of the Immaculata was returned to the Franciscans and has been at Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside since then. For the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Diego in 2019, the City of San Diego borrowed the statue and placed her back on the altar at the Adobe Chapel for 6 months. I had the pleasure of being a docent for the exhibit, including on December 8, 2019, her feast day. The statue is estimated to be over 500 years old, as it was already old when Spain gave it to St Junipero Serra to take to the New World. The intention was clearly to have the New World under the patronage and protection of the Immaculata. December 8 was traditionally a huge feast day - fiesta in San Diego in honor of the Immaculata.
Thank you! We honestly did not know that part. There's always more. We will keep that in mind for a future episode, perhaps including it in an episode with La Conquistadora, the oldest statue of Our Lady in the Americas, which resides in the Cathedral of Saint Francis in Santa Fe.
@americancatholichistory7536 That would be great. Please note that although the Immaculate Conception Church website says the Adobe Chapel was built in the 1800s, they are referring to the old Adobe that still stands in Old Town San Diego but there was even an earlier Adobe Chapel a block or two away that crumbled. It was the original church where St Junipero Serra said mass and where the Immaculata was on the altar. Save Our Heritage Organisation ("SOHO") is the local historical society who came up with the great idea to borrow her for the 250th anniversary based on an historic photograph they found of the Feast day of the Immaculate Conception. They even published a beautiful photographic pamphlet we gave out to people who stopped in to see her and they made a large standing cut-out of the statue to advertise the exhibit in Old Town. It was quite remarkable considering SOHO is a secular organization. If you need more information about the history, please contact SOHO (and also the museum at Mission San Luis Rey.)
Don't forget that a statue of the Immaculata was given to St Junipero Serra, by Spain, to bring to the New World. Father Serra arrived in San Diego by foot in 1769 and the statue arrived on the first cargo ship in 1770. The Immaculata was named Patroness of San Diego and the first Catholic Church in California, the Adobe Chapel in Old Town, which was built before the first California mission, was named the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the statue was placed on the altar there. A newer church was built a block away and was dedicated to the Immaculata, also named Immaculate Conception, where mass has been celebrated continuously ever since. However, the statue of the Immaculata was returned to the Franciscans and has been at Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside since then. For the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Diego in 2019, the City of San Diego borrowed the statue and placed her back on the altar at the Adobe Chapel for 6 months. I had the pleasure of being a docent for the exhibit, including on December 8, 2019, her feast day. The statue is estimated to be over 500 years old, as it was already old when Spain gave it to St Junipero Serra to take to the New World. The intention was clearly to have the New World under the patronage and protection of the Immaculata. December 8 was traditionally a huge feast day - fiesta in San Diego in honor of the Immaculata.
Thank you! We honestly did not know that part. There's always more. We will keep that in mind for a future episode, perhaps including it in an episode with La Conquistadora, the oldest statue of Our Lady in the Americas, which resides in the Cathedral of Saint Francis in Santa Fe.
@americancatholichistory7536 That would be great. Please note that although the Immaculate Conception Church website says the Adobe Chapel was built in the 1800s, they are referring to the old Adobe that still stands in Old Town San Diego but there was even an earlier Adobe Chapel a block or two away that crumbled. It was the original church where St Junipero Serra said mass and where the Immaculata was on the altar. Save Our Heritage Organisation ("SOHO") is the local historical society who came up with the great idea to borrow her for the 250th anniversary based on an historic photograph they found of the Feast day of the Immaculate Conception. They even published a beautiful photographic pamphlet we gave out to people who stopped in to see her and they made a large standing cut-out of the statue to advertise the exhibit in Old Town. It was quite remarkable considering SOHO is a secular organization. If you need more information about the history, please contact SOHO (and also the museum at Mission San Luis Rey.)