Mission San Antonio de Padua

Leaders:

Fr. Buenaventura Sitjar remained at San Antonio de Padua for 37 years and is largely responsible for it success. This tireless missionary created a 400-page native vocabulary, and used this to develop catechism in the Indian language

Mission San Antonio de Padua

Saint Junípero Serra at Mission San Antonio de Padua.
This was the first mission established in the land of the Salinan people at the site of Telhaya.

Mission San Antonio de Padua

^"10 In the spirit, he carried me to the top of a very high mountain, and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of Heaven from God.
¹¹ It had all the glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond.
¹² Its wall was of a great height and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an Angel."
From: The Revelation of John

Mission San Antonio de Padua

These Priests Entombed Here:
E.
Reverend Doroteo Ambris. Born in Mexico. Served this Mission from 1851-1882. Died here February 5, 1882.

Mission San Antonio de Padua

These Priests Entombed Here:
D.
Padre Vicente de Sarria, OFM
Born in Estevan, Spain 1767. Came to California in 1809. Died of want and hunger at Mission Soledad in 1835. Carried here by Indians for burial.

Mission San Antonio de Padua

These Priests Entombed Here:
C.
Padre Juan Bautista Sancho, OFM.
Born in Majorca December 1, 1772. Arrived in California in 1803. Served this Mission for 26 years where he died February 11, 1830.

Mission San Antonio de Padua

These Priests Entombed Here:
B.
Padre Francisco Pujol, OFM
Born in Villa de Alos, Spain, March 7, 1762. Came to California in 1795. Died here March 15, 1801

Mission San Antonio de Padua

These Priests Entombed Here:
A. 
Padre Buenaventura Sitjar, OFM. Born in Majorca December 9, 1739. Arrived in California March 12, 1771. Present at founding of Mission San Antonio de Padua July 14, 1771. Served here 36 years where he died September 3, 1808.

Mission San Antonio de Padua

In 1821 Mexico gained independence from Spain and ordered the missions to be secularized.  This resulted in the Salinan population fleeing the mission.

Mission San Antonio de Padua

1775- A local Native American tribe attacked the mission church with arrows during a baptism.  The neophyte who was being baptized was hurt but not killed.  The other neophytes took it as a sign of the power of Catholicism that he was not killed and their faith in the mission was maintained.
From: Mission San Antonio de Padua

Mission San Antonio De Padua

At its height, over 1300 Salinan Indians were living at Mission San Antonio De Padua. It still looks much the same as it did in the 1700’s.

Mission San Antonio de Padua

In 1834 Mission San Antonio de Padua was secularized, and abandoned shortly thereafter and the buildings fell into disrepair.

Mission San Antonio de Padua

Salinan Indians established vegetable gardens, grain fields and fruit orchards including grapes for wine.