This week in Christian history: George Mueller, San Francisco, Arminius

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, October 06, 2019

Spanish missionaries found San Francisco – October 9, 1776

Father Junípero Serra (1713-1784), a Spanish Catholic missionary responsible for founding several missions in California. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Spanish Catholic missionaries founded a mission that eventually became the city of San Francisco.

Also known as Mission Dolores, the mission was based in San Francisco bay and named after St. Francis of Assisi. Its first leader was Fr. Junípero Serra.

According to the California Missions Resource Center, San Francisco struggled through its early years with disease and few converts from the native population.

However, the original mission chapel remains in San Francisco, according to the Center, having endured “earthquakes, fires and other calamities.”

“It was restored in 1917 and received a complete restoration and retrofit in 1990 and 1994. The ceiling has a distinctive chevron design painted with natural pigments,” noted the Center.