Archbishop’s Column – July 24, 2015

Missions have life that keep them from being museums, ruins

It took nearly a decade of dedication by many individuals and organizations in order to gain global recognition of the missions of San Antonio, affirming that they are indeed valued treasures that belong to the whole world. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of them and most especially to the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization for placing this bright and shining spotlight on the missions, so that everyone can see what we have known in San Antonio for a long time, that they are a cherished signs of faith, culture, and history.

O’Neil Ford, architect for the preservation of the missions, once said; “…It is probably safe to say that millions of persons from all over the world have come to San Antonio to wonder at them, to study their history and their great significance. Now we know that they are the jewels of our river valley and the greatest documentation of our 18th Century beginning.”1 The missions’ exteriors were originally painted with Christian symbols in vivid colors that have long since faded, but the faith born in these sanctuaries has not dimmed and continues to shine brightly to this day.

Many distinguished historians and authors have written about San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo, and our beloved missions. The glory of the Alamo has been well documented in many ways; identifying it as the symbol of Texas freedom. The sometimes hidden treasure of Mission San Jose, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Juan Capistrano, and Mission San Francisco de la Espada can be found in the normal and unpretentious appearance of their parish bulletins. In them you will find the life of these global treasures that keeps them from being museums or mission ruins. They reflect the spiritual life they have given birth to throughout the centuries; containing Mass and other prayer intentions, choir practices and parish meetings. There are invitations to attend religious education classes and Bible studies, ACTS retreats, and parish festivals. All this pointing to the heritage of faith that continues to witness to the best resource that the missions have to offer….their people.

Surely our missions of San Antonio are filled with colonial art and historic sights for tourists, students, and others to capture on in their cameras and the souvenirs they purchase at the gift shop.
However, the value of the missions can’t be simply seen through a camera, it is an experience of the heart, that you feel when you see a woman navigate her wheel chair through the narrow sanctuary doors, so that she can stop and pray, bringing light to shadows of the small church. You’ll find their enduring value when a family awaits the start of a Sunday Mass.
The sacraments that bring life to our souls, also continue to bring light and life to the missions, witnessing to God’s loving presence and the life of his grace.

Pope Francis calls us to missionary lives of encountering Christ. He challenges us to keep our faith alive, “Be an active presence in the community, as living cells, as living stones.” The Old Spanish Missions are truly living stones, built on generations of faith and continuing to grow in the spirit of encounter through the faithful who continue to be signs of Christ’s living presence in them. May the affirmation of the missions as World Heritage sights lead us to fulfill Jesus’ missionary calling to all his disciples, in every generation, to “Preach the Gospel to all nations…”

(Endnotes)
1 The Missions of San Antonio, by Mary Ann Noonan Guerra