–Archdiocese Announces Fund for Donations Toward Restoration of Historic Mission Church–

Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated Mass at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel one day after a fire destroyed the roof and damaged the interior of the Mission’s historic church. Archbishop Gomez was joined by the Mission’s pastor Father John Molyneux in celebrating the Mass livestreamed on https://www.facebook.com/SanGabrielMissionChurch/videos/297953798284066/.

“This destruction comes as we are getting ready to celebrate the 250th anniversary of this great mission. But this fire changes nothing. Mission San Gabriel will always be the spiritual heart of the Church in Los Angeles, the place from which the Gospel still goes forth,” said Archbishop Gomez during the homily (full text of homily is below and online).

“You trace your roots all the way back to the beginnings of the Christian faith in California, before the founding of the United States. In fact, you are one of the few Catholic communities in this continent that can claim to be founded by a saint.

“Last night I was praying to your founder, St. Junípero Serra, and reflecting on his words and witness.

“And I thought, what would St. Junípero tell us this morning? And I remembered his beautiful little prayer: ‘Let us bear every hardship for the love of You and the salvation of souls. In our trials, may we know that we are loved as Your own children,’” continued the Archbishop.

Archbishop José H. Gomez visited the site of the fire yesterday and offered prayers for the San Gabriel Mission community of faith. Archbishop Gomez wrote a letter to the community of faith to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles about the tragedy yesterday available in English and Spanish. In the letter, Archbishop Gomez announced the establishment of a fund to support the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in restoring the historic church at https://lacatholics.org/restoration/.

“St. Junípero and the first Franciscan missionaries answered the Lord’s call and sacrificed everything to bring his Word to this land,” said Archbishop Gomez. “Now it is our turn to make sure his Word is proclaimed to the next generation. We can’t harden our hearts or become distracted by the anxieties and temptations of the world.”

The church was slated to reopen to the public on July 18, 2020, as it had suspended Masses due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March during which time the church had undergone renovations to the interior. The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel had planned for a number of renovations and improvements leading up to its 250th anniversary in September 2021.  

For additional information please visit: https://angelusnews.com/local/la-catholics/san-gabriel-mission-church-heavily-damaged-in-overnight-fire/.

****NOTE TO EDITORS: Spanish translation of the homily is available upon request****

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Homily– 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) [i]

Most Reverend José H. Gomez

Archbishop of Los Angeles

Mission San Gabriel Arcángel

San Gabriel, California

July 12, 2020

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

Yesterday’s fire was heartbreaking. Let’s thank God that nobody got hurt. I thank God this morning, too, for this opportunity to pray with you and to mourn with you.

The Lord is all mercy and love and tenderness toward us, and we know that he will wipe away every tear from our eyes, that he will turn our mourning into joy. We know this. We believe in his promises.

But right now, in this moment, we are sad for what we have lost. 

In this long season of sickness and death since the coming of the coronavirus, this is one more trial, one more test. We ask the Lord to grant us comfort and consolation. We ask him to strengthen and increase our faith.[ii]

This destruction comes as we are getting ready to celebrate the 250th anniversary of this great mission. But this fire changes nothing. Mission San Gabriel will always be the spiritual heart of the Church in Los Angeles, the place from which the Gospel still goes forth.

You trace your roots all the way back to the beginnings of the Christian faith in California, before the founding of the United States. In fact, you are one of the few Catholic communities in this continent that can claim to be founded by a saint.

Last night I was praying to your founder, St. Junípero Serra, and reflecting on his words and witness. He knew sufferings every day in his service to the Gospel, as you all know very well.

The first mission he founded, Mission San Diego de Alcalá, was burned to the ground in 1775, and a good friend and fellow missionary was killed there.

And I thought, what would St. Junípero tell us this morning? And I remembered his beautiful little prayer: “Let us bear every hardship for the love of You and the salvation of souls. In our trials, may we know that we are loved as Your own children.”[iii]

Let’s make that our prayer this morning, my brothers and sisters.

St. Paul tells us the same thing in today’s second reading, he gives us that beautiful testimony:

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.

This is our hope, my brothers and sisters. He made us for glory — not for pain, not for sorrow! St. Paul reminds us that Jesus comes to liberate us from “slavery to corruption.” He comes so that we can share in the “glorious freedom of the children of God.”

This is our destiny. We are children of God and God will never abandon any of his children. Our hope is never in vain because our hope is always in the Lord.

The prophet Isaiah tells us today:

My word … goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

God’s Word was made flesh and Jesus Christ is still walking with us today.

Christ is not some figure from the distant past. He is alive! He is risen from the dead! And we can know his power in our lives. He speaks to us in here and now, just as he spoke to his apostles by the seashore, as we hear in the Gospel today.

So my dear brothers and sisters, we can’t give in to this sadness. We need to make this a moment for purification and renewal of our mission — renewal of the Mission of San Gabriel and renewal of the mission that is each one of our lives.

And we do this, by renewing and intensifying our love for Jesus and our devotion to his Word.

We are all familiar with the parable that he tells us today. It is the parable of the “sower.” Jesus is talking about his own mission — he is the “sower” who goes out to sow the seeds of his Word.

His Word is truth, his Word is life, and he wants to “plant” his Word in the “soil” of every human heart. He wants to plant his Word of love in your heart and in mine and in every person.[iv]

So, we ask for the grace today to open our hearts to the Word that he wants to speak to us, especially the Word that he wants to speak to us in this devastating fire.

He is calling us to greater love, to never settle for anything less than holiness, nothing less than the glory that is our destiny.

More than that, my dear brothers and sisters, our Lord’s Word today is calling us to mission.

St. Junípero and the first Franciscan missionaries answered the Lord’s call and sacrificed everything to bring his Word to this land.

Now it is our turn to make sure his Word is proclaimed to the next generation. We can’t harden our hearts or become distracted by the anxieties and temptations of the world.

The truth is that Jesus needs us right now — more than ever — to help accomplish his purposes in the world.

We need to see ourselves — every one of us — as people on a mission. As disciples who share in the Master’s mission. The Word we have received, this beautiful treasure — we are called to share.

So, let us go out as St. Junípero did — and proclaim God’s love, his mercy, his tenderness. Let us go out and proclaim the sanctity and dignity of every human life, and God’s beautiful vision for our lives and our society.

St. Junípero would tell us today: “Siempre Adelante!” Always Forward, and don’t look back.

Let’s ask his intercession, right now. And let’s turn, as he did, every day, to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

May she help us to open our hearts to welcome Jesus — to allow his Word to dwell more richly within us, and to produce beautiful fruits in our lives.[v]