Come join us in honoring the life and holiness of St. Junipero Serra by walking in his footsteps along El Camino Real (The Royal Road) from Mission Santa Barbara to Mission Basilica San Buenaventura for this first annual event August 12-13, 2023.

This 35 mile stretch of the California Mission Trail is considered one of the most beautiful and pleasant mission-to-mission treks. The route for the pilgrimage was selected to balance safety, beauty, and the opportunity for a public witness to our faith and the goodness of our beloved saint and "father of California."

This event is fully supported with your camping gear transported, a following support vehicle, meals supplied along the way, and hydration and snack breaks provided. This allows you to focus on the beauty of your surroundings, prayer, singing, camaraderie, and time with the friars and priests as you walk. We will be camping in Carpinteria at St. Joseph's Church with an evening meal, Eucharistic Adoration time, confession, and singing around the campfire.

Even if you are not planning to walk the entire 2 days, all are welcome to join us for any part of the trip. We especially recommend the departure from Mission Santa Barbara down State Street to the ocean at the foot of the pier, approximately 3 miles of gentle downhill walking. We also recommend joining us for the final walk and glorious procession from Surfers Point through downtown Ventura to the San Buenaventura Mission.

Only those officially registered will have access to the meals provided. For more pilgrimage details see FAQ.

Our chaplain is Fr. Nathan Cromly, CSJ of Eagle Eye Ministries. We will be joined by Franciscan Friars of the Renewal from their new friary in Oakland, San Junipero Serra Friary!

Click here to learn more or register

Prayer composed by Italian Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples
Prayed by Pope Francis
(as reported by CNS Rom correspondent, Junno Arocho Esteves, only very slightly adapted)

Forgive us for war, Lord,
Lord Jesus, son of God,
   have mercy on us sinners.
Lord Jesus, born under the bombs of Kyiv,
   have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, dead in the arms of a mother in Kharkiv,
   have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, present in the 20 year olds sent to the frontline,
   have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, who continues to see hands armed with weapons under the shadow of the cross,
   forgive us Lord.
Forgive us that, if not content with the nails with which we pierced your hand
we continue to drink from the blood of the dead torn apart by weapons.

Forgive us if these hands that you had created to protect,
have been turned into instruments of death.

Forgive us Lord,
if we continue to kill our brother.

Forgive us Lord,
if we continue, like Cain, to remove the stones from our camp to kill Abel.

Forgive us Lord,
if we continue to justify cruelty with our efforts,
if with our pain, we legitimize the cruelty of our actions.

Forgive us the war, Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, we implore you
to stop the hand of Cain;
enlighten our conscience;
let not our will be done.

Do not abandon us to our own doing.
Stop us, Lord.

Stop us, and when you have stopped the hand of Cain,
take care of him also;
he is our brother.

Oh Lord, stop the violence.
Stop us, Lord.
Amen

Pope Francis letter fto US Bisops on retreat, Janaury 1, 2019.

The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People is a comprehensive set of procedures originally established by the USCCB at the June 2002 meeting in Dallas for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The Charter also includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability, and prevention of future acts of abuse. It was revised in 2005, 2011, and 2018.

The Charter directs action in all the following matters:
 Creating a safe environment for children and young people;
 Healing and reconciliation of victims and survivors;
 Making prompt and effective response to allegations;
 Cooperating with civil authorities;
 Disciplining offenders;
 Providing for means of accountability for the future to ensure the problem continues to be effectively dealt with through the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and the National Review Board.

Click Here to read the Charter in English

Oprima  Aquí para leer la Carta en español

USA Impliments Ethics Reporting Process for non-compliant Bishops and Cardinals March 2019

Janaury 9, 2019: The PA grand-jury report: Not what it seems. Former Commonweal editor Peter Steinfels read the 1,300-page report closely, examining its contents and scrutinizing its findings. His conclusion: The stomach-churning abuse documented in the report is real and unconscionable, but the sweeping accusation that the church only sought to cover up the crimes of priests is contradicted by material found in the report itself. 

Pope Francis Issues  Mandate on Reporting Clergy Abuse in Vatican City, March 26 , 2019