Welcome to the Old Mission San Buenaventura!...the Mission by the Sea! 

We are open 361 days of the year!

At Mission San Buenaventura 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 (9:00 AM on Monday 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

Amgen Cycle Tour 2018 in Beautiful Downtown Ventura!

The Thomas Fire, December 2017 is the largest in the state of California history. Mission San Buenaventura welcomed and hosted World Central Kitchen, founded by Chef Jose Andres.  Coordinated by L.A. Kitchen, Chef Jason Collis and Chef Tim Kilcoyne with hundreds of volunteers served 36,000 meals and prepared 90,000 dishes for Thomas Fire evacuees, First Responders and young children in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. 

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.

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES
Miercoles de Ceniza

March 6, 2019

7:30 AM: English Mass with distribution of Ashes

9:00 am: English Mass with distribution of Ashes with Holy Cross School students

12:00 pm: English Liturgy of the Word with distribution of Ashes

5:30 pm: English Mass with distribution of Ashes

6:30 pm: Spanish Mass with distribution of Ashes In O’Brien Hall

7:30 pm: Spanish Liturgy of the Word with distribution of Ashes in O’Brien hall

Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence. Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In addition, all Catholics 14 years old and older must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.

Fasting means partaking of only one full meal. Some food (not equaling another full meal) is permitted at breakfast and around midday or in the evening—depending on when a person chooses to eat the main or full meal.

Abstinence is the omission of meat. The obligation to do penance is a serious one; the obligation to observe, as a whole or "substantially," the days of penance is also serious and unites the Church as a whole in a common act of penance.

The University Series at a Glance

The University Series is a multi-parish, adult-education program that challenges parishioners to make a major commitment of time to attend a large number of classes during the season of Lent. All classes are non-accredited and are presented for the purpose of spiritual and personal growth.
The University Series offers more than 150 sessions connecting faith with real life in areas such as contemporary moral issues, marriage & family, evangelization, church history, scripture, prayer and other priorities set by the Archdiocesan Synod. The University Series uses the vocabulary of education to convey the sense of learning, as well as the personal effort needed for growth.

Faculty members are experts in their field and enjoy teaching. They include noted theologians, clergy, psychologists, professors, doctors, scientists, lawyers, and other local and national recognized professionals. Each year, over 100 faculty members present sessions.
The University Series charges a small tuition as a means of communicating the value of what is taught and to encourage attendance. Tuition allows each participant to bring a guest for free.
The University Series is a collaborative effort among the parishes within The Santa Barbara and San Pedro Regions within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles:

Santa Barbara Region
Holy Cross (Moorpark), Our Lady of the Assumption, and San Buenaventura Mission (Ventura), Padre Serra, and St. Mary Magdalen (Camarillo), St. Julie Billiart (Newbury Park), St. Jude the Apostle, and St. Maximilian Kolbe (Westlake Village), St. Paschal Baylon (Thousand Oaks), St. Peter Claver, and St. Rose of Lima (Simi Valley)

San Pedro Region
Beatitudes of Our Lord (La Mirada), St. Bruno Church, and St. Mary of the Assumption Church (Whittier), St. Dominic Savio Church, and St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower)
More than 13,000 people from throughout the archdiocese, as well as people from elsewhere in California, and even visitors from other states, attended last year’s program for spiritual and personal growth. More than 700 people preregistered for classes, including 200 people who purchased the “season” passes.

The program is financially self-sustaining. Annual parish commitment fees cover the up-front costs of producing and printing the catalogs and calendar signs. Tuition fees cover the cost of faculty stipends and administrative labor. The University Series maintains a cash reserve for contingencies and returns any surplus funds to the parishes for equipment purchases to improve and promote the program, as promised from the beginning of the University Series.

The University Series strives for excellence because we believe our Catholic faith deserves our very best efforts, and because we believe that information is received in the manner in which it is given.

CLASSES AT MISSION SAN BUENAVENTURA

All classes are held in O’Brien Hall above the Mission Church

Six Sundays in The Holy Land
Fr. Steve Thoma
Thursday, March 7, 2019 7-9 PM

Fires, Floods, Shootings, and Earthquakes: What is God Saying to Us?
Fr. John Love
Monday, March 11, 2019 7-9 PM

Reform and Renewal: How the Church Deals with Controversy and Strife?
Fr. Leon Hutton
Thursday, March 14, 2019 7-9 PM

What do Catholics Expect of Priests Today?
Dr. Mark Fischer
Monday, March 18, 2019 7-9 PM

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Padre Luis Estrada (espanol)
Thursday, March 21, 2019 7-9 PM

Vivir la Misa
Rosario Gonzalez (espanol)
Monday, March 25, 2019 7-9 PM

History of the Eucharist?
Dcn. Jim Carper
Thursday, April 4, 2019 7-9 PM