Welcome to Mission San Buenaventura!...open 361 days of the year!

At the Mission, we often sing the hymn "In This Place" composed by Trevor Thompson that reminds us of the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ among us. One verse goes like this:

We are gathered at table as one in the Lord.
We are gathered as people who are living the Word.
Our hearts and our spirits are nurtured by grace.
It is Jesus who fills us. He is here in this place.

You are cordially invited to join us for our liturgies. We celebrate Mass daily at 7:30 AM (8:15 AM on Tuesday during the school year). We have six Masses every weekend. Since the Lord's Day begins at sunset, we celebrate the Saturday Vigil at 5:30pm in English and 7:30pm in Spanish in the Old Mission Church. We celebrate three Sunday Masses in English at 7:30am, 9am and 12:15pm. We have a hugely attended Mass in Spanish at 10:30am in O'Brien Hall, the three story building behind the Mission church.

Join us, won't you?

Click here to take a tour of the Mission with Fr. Tom and Joe Estevez as seen on "All Things Catholic" NETNY.TV Brooklyn, New York Television

To help sustain the legacy of our historic Mission: please remember Mission San Buenaventura in your Will or Trust planning.

"Siempre Adelante: United in the love of God as a Mission Family."  Shalom, Fr. Tom Elewaut, Pastor.

You may have noticed that our baptismal font (most likely hammered from copper by the Chumash over 200 years past) is now near the altar in the sanctuary. Baptism is the first sacrament of initiation into the Christian Community wherein we die to sin and we rise with Christ to a new life, a life that is modeled on Jesus. What Jesus did was to show us a life of service to one another.

Our faith is expressed in caring for one another. Our baptismal call then is to share our time and talent with the community at large. Pope Francis reminds us that, “In a rapidly changing society, the Church for a much more active engagement on the part of the laity…to foster a sense of collaboration and shared responsibility in the [present and] future of our parishes…discerning and employing wisely the manifold gifts which the Spirit pours out upon the Church. In a particular way, it means valuing the immense contribution which women and men have made and continue to make in the life of our communities. (September 26, 2015)

The Christian understands this is not volunteering if we have extra time or it is done only occasionally. Rather, the Christian understands it is our duty in following our Lord and Savior. We invite you to look carefully at this ministry booklet. Pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you as to what gifts you bring to God’s holy people. Stewardship in this manner is a way of life for Christians to share our time, talent and treasure. Jesus tells us in the scriptures that if we seek to be great in His kingdom we must serve one another. Together we joyfully live our baptismal call.

With this in mind I invite all parishioners to discern how they may best serve our Mission parish. On September 23-24 we will hold a Ministry Fair after all Masses. Representatives from the various ministries and prayer groups will be available to answer any questions you may have and sign you up or recommit yourself to assist or join the ministry. All parish ministries and organizations will be happy to welcome you. Regarding the ministries of the Mass we are in need of readers, Extraordinary Minsite3rs of Holy Communion (and to the homebound), ushers, greeters, choirs, musicians and Altar Servers for each Mass. Participating in these ministries is an excellent meant to witness and live your baptismal calling. We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.

Flow River Flow is a popular hymn by Bob Hurd…may the flowing graced waters of baptism flow from your baptism calling to participation and service to our parish. Flow river flow, flow over me. O living water, poured out for free; O living water, flow over me.

Congratulations to longtime parishioner Dr. Gary Pontrelli who will be honored as Catholic Doctor of the Year for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  The annual White Mass: Blessing Healers /Celebrating Health will be held at the Cathedral of the Angeles on Sunday, October 8, 2017 at 3:30 P.M.  All parishioners are welcome to attend. 

The healing presence of a physician in the hospital is often limited to the way they practice the art of medicine. Besides the clinical approach, at the most one will observe the bed manners and good communication skills of a medical doctor. For Dr. Gary Pontrelli M.D. this reality was renovated radically, soon after his retirement as a physician.

In 2016 Gary joined the Ignatians West, a Catholic lay organization, based on the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. This organization has the full support of the Jesuits West Province and aims to build a better and more just world. The services they support, take place within the schools, hospitals, social services agencies, homeless shelters, with the aged, the immigrants and the dying. Spiritual Care services at St. John’s Hospitals have collaborated for several years with many benefits for our patients, with this organization.

Dr. Pontrelli’s assignment at St. John’s Medical Center was the proper place especially since it allowed him to return to a facility where he worked earlier in his occupation and where many of his own family members have received medical attention over the years. However Gary did not choose to return to the lab as tempting as that may be for a Pathologist. He returned to patient care as a spiritual presence taking many roles from that of a Eucharistic Minister of the sick to an advocating voice for the importance of Advance Healthcare Planning in the healthcare of today and to a presence on the Ethics Committee.

Along with chaplains Gary combines his medical expertise, Spanish proficiency and Catholic spirituality to propagate the healing ministry of Jesus. It is for this reason that Dr. Gary Pontrelli was selected as the Catholic Physician of the year by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and will be honored during the “White Mass” on October 8th at 3:30 PM at the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels in LA.

In recognition of the dedicated work of Catholic Health Care Professionals, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Mission Doctors Association invites all Catholic physicians and medical personnel to the celebration of a White Mass at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. 

Mission San Buenaventura parishioners are welcome to attend and congratulate Dr. Gary Pontrelli.  Mission parishioners who will attend the Mass are encouraged to contact the parish office so that several pews may be reserved to be seated close to Gary and his family.