page_title: Catholic missions
section_title: California
hierarchical_section_title: Catholic missions / History / California
caption_attribution_description: English: Mission San Juan Capistrano, April 2005. Photograph by Robert A. Estremo, copyright 2005.
context_page_description: Missionary work of the Catholic Church has often been undertaken outside the geographically defined parishes and dioceses by religious orders who have people and material resources to spare, and some of which specialized in missions. Eventually, parishes and dioceses would be organized worldwide, often after an intermediate phase as an apostolic prefecture or apostolic vicariate. Catholic mission has predominantly been carried out by the Latin Church in practice.
  In the Roman Curia, missionary work is organised by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
context_section_description: Between 1769 and 1823, Spanish members of the Franciscan Order established and operated 21 missions in California to convert the Native Americans. This was the first major effort by Europeans to colonize the Pacific Coast region and gave Spain a valuable toehold on this frontier. The settlers introduced European livestock, fruits, vegetables, and industry but Spanish occupation also brought negative consequences to the native populations. Today the missions are among the state's oldest structures and most-visited historic monuments; many of them also remain in operation as Catholic churches.
caption: Mission San Juan Capistrano in April 2005. At left is the façade of the first adobe church with its added espadaña; behind the campanario or "bell wall" is the "Sacred Garden," in what is reputed as the "Loveliest of the Franciscan Ruins."
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