"Our arrival was greeted by the joyful sound of the bells suspended from the branches of the
Oak tree. Kneeling down with all the men toward the altar, I intoned the hymn
Veni, Creator Spiritus, at the conclusion of which I blessed the salt and the water. Then we all made our way to a gigantic
Cross which was all in readiness and lying on the ground. With everyone lending a hand we set it in an upright position. I sang the prayers for its blessing. We set it in the ground and then, with all the tenderness of our hearts, we venerated it. I sprinkled with
Holy Water all the fields around.
And thus, after raising aloft the standard of the
King of Heaven, we unfurled the flag of our Catholic Monarch likewise. As we raised each one of them, we shouted at the top of our voices: "Long Live the Faith! Long Live the King!" All the time the bells were ringing and our rifles were being fired and from the boat came the thunder of the big guns."
-Letter to Juan Andres, from Monterey, 1770
From:
Saint Junipero Serra's Camino
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