By Chuck Lyons, Special for the Pasadena Independent
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. – Courtesy image from San Gabriel Mission.
Dear Editor:
Memories of San Gabriel Mission
Some highlights in the past 12 years at San Gabriel Mission were our family and others created a few programs to get more people in the parish and from outside communities involved and found donations to help fund most of the programs, improved the gift shop in early 2000s and this year greatly increased the number of fiesta sponsors because of a lot of very supportive and loyal businesses led by Northgate Markets and San Gabriel Valley Newspapers Group, the cross on top of the old mission that was stolen was found and returned and now stands back atop the old mission church, the cross broken by the terrible wind storm a couple of years ago was replaced as the Jesus statue was somehow beautifully restored by TerriLee Holm, Tina Trefethen, and Tom Trefethen, restored the gardens with the help of many Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Convergint Technologies, added an Indian village built by the Gabrieleno Tongva Band of Mission Indians, planted an original orange tree orchard from the mother tree that started the citrus industry in California with great help from Toots Bier of UC Riverside Citrus Clonal Protection Program, added two historical wooden carts built by historical re-enactor Klaus Duebbert as he also restored the historic cannon using 100-year-old blacksmith tools, watched the progress of 800 hours of work led by Hendrik Keyser, RIP, to restore the beautiful mural on the winery wall, recently planted a new grape wine vineyard with vines from the mother vine at San Gabriel Mission that started the commercial wine industry in California and are being monitored by wine consultant Arthur Przebinda and mission’s vine specialist Jose Padron, brought back native plants to mission’s gardens with educational signage with great expertise from Cynthia Guthrie and Laima Harmon of Theodore Payne Foundation, saved the mission models that Claretians built in the 1930s when parishioners, docents, girl scouts from La Crescenta, Southern California Plasterers Apprenticeship and others got involved and used a substantial financial donation by a mission docent to pay for almost all of the restoration work of a new wood structure and roof, started a Gardeneers group that enhanced the gardens with many hours of volunteer work led by founding members Rev. Fr. Jack Hencier, CMF, RIP, Sister Bridgid Bray, Carlos Garcia, Connie Garcia, Theresa Gomez, Terry Householder, Mary Limon, Fran Lyons, Elizabeth Lyons, Matthew Lovio, Andrew Morales, and Marie Orozco, installed the first mission bell in more than 150 years so that people can ring a mission bell, worked with David Mills, RIP, as he built six beautiful museum-safe cabinets so even more artifacts were put on display with the valuable help of Docent John Fantz who donated hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to display as much as possible in the museum with great support from previous mission pastors Rev. Fr. Ralph Berg, CMF, and Rev. Fr. Val Ramon, CMF, and led by Museum Committee Chairperson John Macias, Phd., the mission docents that volunteer their time to learn about mission history and then donate countless hours giving tours to about 400 classes per school year, and really appreciate the many hundreds of hours of volunteer work by many good people having fun helping others.
Oh yeah, an emergency event that stood out were staff member Jose Padron and I saved the elementary school from a large fire when I noticed and Jose quickly put out a water heater fire. We thought the sisters were barbecuing on a day off from school in the summer and we were trained to check to be sure. Good thing we ran fast as it grew. Whew. Thank you San Gabriel Fire and Police departments who last year cooperated on mission’s first all-inclusive emergency drill with all areas on property participating. It obviously trained us and others to take fast action and in this case it might have saved considerable damage to the elementary school.
The 106 History Days we did were educational while being fun featuring Gabrieleno Indians, re-enactors of history, mission model building contest and exhibit, De Anza Expedition, native plants, history forum, history fair, meeting of local museums in San Gabriel Valley, art show, and one of the most popular history days that helped raise money to support a cause was the Donkey Rescue from Banning, along with many other topics.
The Annual Car Show and Fiesta are a lot of work yet the volunteers and participants make the two fundraising events really enjoyable. This was seventh year we had the Candles for Claretians to remember the Claretian Missionaries, Gabrieleno Indians and other people buried in the old mission cemetery. It is always very special with the candle lighting. The mission has been alive with many events and due to budget cuts we hope at least a couple may continue as the mission in recent years has been featured by local, regional, national and international news in a few languages showing the good work and participation of so many good people.
It’s tough to have to walk away, because of budget determined by a very few, from a special place that so many people have helped build to what it is today as it remembers and preserves the past history as the birthplace of the greater Los Angeles area.
Good memories are kept in your mind when they are made in your heart.
Chuck Lyons
Source Beacon Media News