On August 17, 2018, Archbishop Jose Gomez addressed the faithful in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles regarding recent developments and awareness of the clergy abuse in Pennsylvania. Click here to read his letter.

 Archbishop Chaput’ writes:

“This week’s grand jury report on clergy sex abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses covers more than seven decades. Some people, credible people, have challenged its processes and disputed elements of its content. But the substance of the report is brutally graphic and profoundly disturbing as a chronicle of evil inflicted on hundreds of innocents. The only acceptable responses are grief and support for the victims, and comprehensive efforts to ensure that such things never recur. And anger. Anger is also a righteous and necessary response – but it needs to be an anger that bears good fruit; an anger guided by clear thinking, prudence, and a desire for real justice. That kind of anger all of us should feel this week and carry with us into the days ahead. "

Declaration of Greg Burke, Director of the Holy See Press Office

re: Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report

Regarding the report made public in Pennsylvania this week, there are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow. The Holy See treats with great seriousness the work of the Investigating Grand Jury of Pennsylvania and the lengthy Interim Report it has produced. The Holy See condemns unequivocally the sexual abuse of minors.

The abuses described in the report are criminal and morally reprehensible. Those acts were betrayals of trust that robbed survivors of their dignity and their faith. The Church must learn hard lessons from its past, and there should be accountability for both abusers and those who permitted abuse to occur.

Most of the discussion in the report concerns abuses before the early 2000s. By finding almost no cases after 2002, the Grand Jury’s conclusions are consistent with previous studies showing that Catholic Church reforms in the United States drastically reduced the incidence of clergy child abuse. The Holy See encourages continued reform and vigilance at all levels of the Catholic Church, to help ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable adults from harm. The Holy See also wants to underscore the need to comply with the civil law, including mandatory child abuse reporting requirements.

The Holy Father understands well how much these crimes can shake the faith and the spirt of believers and reiterates the call to make every effort to create a safe environment for minors and vulnerable adults in the Church and in all of society.

Victims should know that the Pope is on their side. Those who have suffered are his priority, and the Church wants to listen to them to root out this tragic horror that destroys the lives of the innocent.

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?

Historic Ventura Mural preliminary unveiling took place on May 6, 2018 and again on May 14, 2018. The final unveiling and construction completion with lighting and rail expected by mid-June,2018. Click here to learn about the unveiling.

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!

Amgen Tour video sponsored by the Ventura Visitor Center

Images all around Ventura as Amgen Tour of California rolled through by Ventura Visitor Center

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.  Read more:

http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2017/12/11/volunteer-program-providing-healthy-meals-families-displaced-thomas-fire/941511001/

http://www.vcstar.com/story/life/2017/12/22/cafe-society-world-central-kitchen-founder-jose-andres-visits-thomas-fire-relief-units-chefs-volunte/962020001/

https://www.eater.com/2017/12/14/16776036/jose-andres-world-central-kitchen-california-wildfires-david-chang

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.

A Vatican licensed marble-cast of Michelangelo’s masterpiece Pieta is added to the sacred art collection at Mission San Buenaventura.

Forty-one years ago, May 21, 1972, the Renaissance statue was damaged at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The incident, and what subsequently became one of the most delicate and controversial art restorations in history, stunned the world. Forty-six years later Mr. and Mrs. Brad Hanson of Arizona made an extraordinary financial gift to Mission San Buenaventura.  The Mission then acquired the Vatican licensed No. 73/100 marble-cast Pieta statue being placed around the world through ArteDivine S.A. and Richard and Esther Stewart, The Michelangelo Legacy.

Michelangelo was commissioned on August 27, 1498 and carved it out of a single block of Carrera marble he chose himself from a Tuscan quarry. The replica acquired by Mission San Buenaventura is composed of crushed Carrera marble from the same quarry Michelangelo chose. The crushed marble is mixed with resin and adhesives and then polished to resemble the original work of art. The Pieta at St. Peter’s Basilica is viewed by millions of people annually. Visitors to Mission San Buenaventura are able to view the sacred art in the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, formerly the Baptistry.

The statue is so lifelike that the viewer can almost feel the curls of the dead Christ’s hair and the softness of the Madonna’s lips. The veins in Christ’s muscular arms seem to be still holding blood. The folds in the Madonna’s veil seem made of muslin rather than marble. When art historian Giorgio Vasari saw the statue in 1550 he wrote in his book about the lives of artists. “It is a miracle that a rock, which before was without form, can take on such perfection that even nature sometimes struggles to create in the flesh”.

Art work designed by M.B. Hanrahan (faux curtains and prayer lettering) and Belgar "Cheif" Merlich with apprentice Sarah (stained glass window).

Mission San Buenaventura, founded in 1782 by St. Junipero Serra, continues to be an active Catholic parish and is open daily to the public for pilgrimage and tour.