The Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside celebrated its 225th anniversary Tuesday.
It was the 18th mission to be established in California and became known as the “King of the Missions” because of its size. But the history of the mission is complex, and the administration tells us it is still on a healing journey.
Mission San Luis Rey was established on June 13, 1798. It is the largest of the 21 California missions, and the original property once stretched close to 1 million acres.
Today, it sits on 56 acres that retell the history of its establishment.
"Our museum is set up in such a way that it tells the history of the mission," said Gwyn Grimes, the executive director of Mission San Luis Rey. "The first room touches on the Luiseño history. The Luiseño being the original people of this land and this being the land of the Luiseño people. And it talks through the history of the early years of the mission — the early founders of the mission."
While the museum offers an overall history, Grimes says the grounds have more to offer.
"We are a very active mission today. We have over 50,000 people who visit the mission every year, and we have 10,000 fourth graders who come here as part of California history," she said.
Church service is still held in the original church, as well as the modernized parish.
Blooming rose gardens in the middle of the mission are a short stroll away from a café.
And the cemetery is a mix of old and new — the cemetery is still in use today, where burial plots rest near headstones dating from the 1800s.
While Mission San Luis Rey continues its legacy, the past can’t be erased.
"The history of all the California missions is a complicated history," Grimes said. "But one of the things that is very important to us as a Franciscan mission, and as people who follow St. Francis, is relationships. Our relationship with the Luiseño people, the native people of this land, is very important to us."
She says there’s no denying some of the mission's painful history, but the relationship between the church and the Luiseño people, is one built on healing.
"We obviously can't change (history), but we want to grow our relationship, and make sure people know that the Luiseño people are still here — the Friars are still here, and we still have a relationship of mutual respect and admiration for each other," Grimes said.
Throughout the day, church bells can be heard ringing, and once in a while, you’ll also hear the chanting of the people native to the land where the mission stands, because the grounds are also a meeting place for the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians.
"I’d like to think that the Mission San Luis Rey were a little kinder to some of the people that were already here in the village," said Mel Vernon, the captain of the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians.
"I think San Luis Rey and this area, thankfully, wasn’t as impacted as the gold fields were up in Northern California and some of the genocide that actually happened there. I'm not saying bad things didn't happen here," Vernon said.
But he thinks his ancestors wouldn’t want them to suffer over old wounds.
"For yourself and your health, it’s best to have a positive outlook. Because we don't have to look very far in the past to find there are traumas that happen to everybody in life, that aren't even Indian, but everybody," he said.
Grimes and Vernon agreed that healing is a process.
And as a new page is turned for the mission’s history, both groups are undergoing new initiatives.
The San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians is planning their 24th pow wow on the mission grounds.
It’s been four years since their last pow wow due to COVID-19, but Vernon says they plan to have it in 2024.
Parking for the pow wow will look different because the space has been leased by the mission to a new senior-living community.
"The mission, like every other organization, has to survive," Vernon said. "The Franciscans are doing what they have to do, they’ve been getting older as everyone else has. So they have to have people coming in and they have to do different strategies to survive, as we all do."
The Hacienda Mission San Luis Rey is a community leasing the land from the mission for the next 100 years.
It will offer 213 units made up of independent living, assisted living and memory care for seniors.
"They’re a great partner with us and really want to be part of our community in Oceanside, and part of our mission community," Grimes said.
The project is expected to be completed by September.
But together, the mission and the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians celebrate the 225-year-old history that has led to a new start.
The celebration includes a three day fiesta commemorating the anniversary running Friday through Sunday.
There will be carnival rides and games, live music, food, a beer garden and activities for the family.
