It’s another photo mash-up today as I link up with Like Mother, Like Daughter with {pretty, happy, funny, real} and with Cari for Theme Thursday: Faith . (Check out {pretty} for that one. :-))
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On November 24, 2013, it will be the 300th anniversary of Junipero Serra’s birth. That’s why lately I have been thinking about the incredible faith of Fr. Serra. When he started his daunting task to found the missions in California, he was older and in poor health. He had a bad leg, and other ailments, yet he managed to walk hundreds of miles at a time and traveled over 24,000 miles in his lifetime. He established 9 of the 21 missions and worked tirelessly to fulfill his vocation and calling in life. I am sure there were moments when he was ready to give up or collapse but his motto was to never look back and always move forward. I need more of that kind of faith in my life!
The altar of the Carmel Mission. In the bottom left hand corner you can see his icon and where Fr. Serra is buried.
The Junipero Serra Prayer Garden outside the Mission.
An interesting fact from the Cornerstone Newsletter I just received in the mail today: “This Basilica is one of the only three mission churches built of stone. The others are build with adobe brick. When restoring the Basilica walls, small sections were not plastered over in order to provide ‘windows’ to display the Basilica’s previously hidden and wonderful stone work. Each wall tells a different story of over two centuries of construction and repair.” See, you learn something new every day. š
Close-up of the mosaic of the Holy Family in the garden.
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Today I was soooo happy that we had a few hours of blue skies and temps in the high 60’s because over the weekend the fog was getting oppressive.
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The boys pulled out their old Halloween costumes and were having a super hero weekend. (I like how Spidey is making sure Thor doesn’t run away. ;-))
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This weekend is the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, which means there are some amazing cars driving around the Peninsula. There was a charity fundraiser at the Mission and a Blessing of the Automobiles that “combined the passion of fine automobiles with the faith.” We didn’t attend but when we went to evening Mass for the feast of the Assumption I snapped these photos before Brian started yelling at me to get into the church. (Well, he doesn’t really yell. His look and head shake speaks volumes though. But he knows me well enough to know you can’t stop the mamarazzi in me. ;-))
Thanks to LMLD and Cari for hosting. š
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I am just in awe of that place, your pictures are breathtaking.
And I love your Superboys!
Thanks, Rebekah. I blush. š
I love the boys in their hero outfits. Very cute!
Thanks, Natalie! They crack me up. I wanna be Mrs. Incredible. š
Those photos of the mission are incredible. We drove up the 101 a couple weeks ago and I so wanted to stop and see one of the missions. And then we were in San Diego and I wanted to go visit THAT one. Alas, I’m mission-less so far this summer. I’m planning a trip to the San Gabriel Mission soon, though.
Hi Micaela. Yes, do try to stop at one! They are so beautiful and rich with history. One day I’d like to visit all of them. I’ve been to maybe 1/3 of them in my life time.
Wow! Your photos are wonderful! We visited the Mission in San Francisco – a similar layout and the grounds were beautiful. I would love to do a tour of all the missions in California someday. My husband was born and raised near Watsonville, California and his parents live in Foster City. His sisters live in Tracy.
Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog!
Hi Paula. Thanks for stopping by. Yes, the missions are lovely. There are still a number of them I want to visit. I do know where Watsonville is…not too far from here. It’s a small world! š
Gorgeous pictures! My one regret before leaving the West Coast was that I didn’t get to visit as many missions as I wanted to. And the superheroes are adorable.
Thanks, Anabelle. That just gives you an excuse to come back to Cali and visit them! š
That mission looks super cool. We learned about Fr Serra, but being an east coast gal, I’ve never been out to CA…so I’ve never actually seen any missions. Those pictures are awesome…what a great place to visit and pray!
Thanks, Amelia. Hopefully you’ll be able to visit the west coast! I’d like to get over and visit the east coast, particularly VA where my sister lives. Thanks for stopping by. š
I love the Holy family mosaic and the alter is beautiful. I LOVE how our Mother Church appeals to our senses and gives us the beauty we crave!
Well said, Stephanie! Thanks for stopping by. š