The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25

Junipero founded and superintended
eleven missions prior to his death in 1884.
When new mission was to be estab-
lished he would take a couple of priests,
an escort of soldiers and a train of mules,
packed with necessaries for journey and
the furniture for church. Then wander
ing over the mountains and peering into
all the pleasant valleys, until he found
place to suit, he would hang bells on the
trees and himself Justify pull the rope,
while he shouted:
Hear, hear! Oh, We gentiles! Come to
the holy church,"
Then, having set up the church tent,
blessed and dedicated it and appointed
pastor, he would go out hunting for
parishioners.
What wonderful sight the first mass at
Monterey must have been! 1t was on
June 3, 1770, that the dedication cere-
monies were performed. A great booth of
bright green branches sheltered the white
altar. Bells were hung on the trees and
the celebration commenced with loud and
vigorous chimes. Junipero, in alba and
stole, then advanced and invoked the
blessing of heaven upon the kneeling con-
gregation. The hymn. "Veni. Creator
Spiritus." was chanted and great cross
elevated and adored. Then the mass was
said. In the absence of the usual instru-
mental music the mass was accompanied
by repeated salvos of artillery and mus
kerry from ship and shore. The religious
obseryances were concluded with the
singing of the 'Te Deum," led by those on
shore and echoed by voices from the
white-sailed ships in Monterey Bay.
A remarkable exhibition of Father
Serras faith occurred at one of the
religious services he performed during the
latter part of his life. 1t appears that in
some manner or other the wine used in
taking the sacrament had become
poisoned and Junipero soon after drink
ing it was seriously affected. He would
have fallen to the floor had he not been
caught by an attendant.
Being at once removed to the sacrlsty,
one of his family came with an antidote.
But the father refused to touch it, and for
this refusal the only reason he had to give
was that as the bread and wine ne had
taken had been converted into the body and
blood of Christ, how after such divine
food could he be expecte to swallow any
| thing that could be considered a part of
his religion, in comparison Herewith he
had no thought or consideration for his
own comfort or even his life.
Some years previous to the death of
| Father Sierra Father Palou had been ap-
pointed his principal assistant. He was
| devoted to his superior. For many years
they had been bosom friends, having been
novices to the Franciscan order at the
i same time and in the same place. 1t was
during these early days that Father
Junipero first confded to Father Palou
! his desire to become missionary. From
| him Father Palou became imbued with the
same desire; but that was a time when
! missionaries were not wanted, and it
seemed doubtful whether they would re-
ceive call. 1t happened shortly after
that the College of San Fernando in Mex
| leo required recruits and enlisted thirty
three Spanish priests for labor in America.
! Of these when time for embarcation ap-
preached, five became frightened at the
prospect of crossing astormy ocean, and
upon their declining to proceed the places
of two were offered to and gladly ac-
copied by Junipero and Palou.
L
confded his last instructions. For two
years subsequent to the death of Junipero
Father Palou was president of the missions
of California. Much against his will he
was called upon to fill the less glorious but
more prominent position OF superior of
the College of San Fernando in Mexico.
The biography of Junipero Sierra by Palou
was the first book written in California.
Father Crespi was one of Father Juni-
| pero's devoted friends and chief aids.
Though Sierra founded the mission at Mon
| terey the first cross was raised there by
Crespi. He had accompanied Governor
Portala on his first expedition in search OF
Monterey. Though they camped on the
very spot they were looking for they did
not recognize it. The extravagant de-
scription given by Viscaino, whose chart
they were following, misled them. Before
leaving the camp, however, Father Crespi
set up cross Later on, when Monterey
was an established mission, the Indians
loved to sit under the dark Monterey pines
and tell ghostly stories of how the cross on
Father Crespis breast shone as he first
passed there, and how the great cross he
had planted there would grow at night,
| would lengthen its arms and seem to
beckon to them, while it would grow in
height till its point was lost among the
stars, which would melt together and form
a great blaze of splendor that outshone the
sun. When their superstitious dread of it
had worn off they had approached it and
planted arrows and feathers in the earth
around it and hung strings OF sardines and
their choicest offerings on its arms.
Portala's party. including Father Crespi,
continued their search for Monterey,
leaving it and going northward. To
this error we owe the greatest of Father
Crespi's achievements - the discovery of
the port of San Francisco.
Climbing the mountains adjacent San
Pedro, where they were resting, Father
Crespi saw a vast inland sheet of water,
whose connection with the ocean was
hidden from his view by the hills upon
which have been constructed the fortifica-
tons lying behind Fort Winfield Scott
and comma nding the Golden Gate.
Near that water u mission must be
founded, he said. Then he remembers
that when Galyez had suppeSted the tbrea