News Release

For Immediate Release February 7, 2004

Contact: Susan McGourty

Mission San Miguel

Ph: (805) 467-2131

Fx: (805) 467-2141

Mission San Miguel Hosts Missions Collaboration Meeting

Mission San Miguel, San Miguel, CA. . –Mission San Miguel hosted the 2^nd meeting of the Missions Collaborative Committee of the Diocese of Monterey, on February 6, 2004. Represented at the meeting were the 7 historical Missions of the Diocese of Monterey: Santa Cruz, San Juan Bautista, Carmel, Soledad, San Antonio, San Miguel, San Luis Obispo, as well as the Presidio of Monterey. This committee was formed in the Fall of 2003, to help promote the preservation of these early California landmarks and to increase public awareness of the importance of their historic past. Since the earthquake of December 22, 2003, the committee’s efforts have taken on even more urgency.

The keynote speaker was Fr. Bob Bobarto, OFM cap, a board member of the California Missions Foundation(www.missionsofcalifornia.org ) , and former pastor of Mission Santa Ines. Fr Bob spoke about the historical preservation program at Santa Ines and current activities of the California Mission Foundation.

When asked by one of the members of the committee, “Why does the public-at-large benefit from the efforts of the California Mission Foundation to preserve what are ostensibly religious buildings?” Fr. Bob explained; these are some of the few physical buildings left from early California history. The Missions preserve elements of the early history of California, they formed the “economic, cultural and political nuclei” of many of California’s modern cities. They are physical artifacts of early California history and help to explain how we came to be who we are and what we are today ---and for posterity, we need to keep some part of that history and culture alive in physical form. Although the Missions are open to the public as museums ---they are privately owned and maintained, and “old dirt buildings are expensive [to maintain]!”

Fr. Ray Tintle, OFM, Pastor of Mission San Miguel, and Br. Bill Short, OFM, Guardian of Mission San Miguel also gave a short presentation on the current status of Mission San Miguel, the most heavily damaged Mission in the recent earthquake. Parts of the Mission, including the museum have re-opened to the public. Preservation efforts for the Old Mission Church are already underway, including the building of a new Assembly Hall to house the now displaced Parish, as well as the establishment of a trust fund for the “Preservation and Retrofit of Old Mission San Miguel.”

For more information on how you can help, visit www.dioceseofmonterey.org For more information on Mission San Miguel, which was badly damaged in the earthquake, visit the web site www.missionsanmiguel.org