Mission San Juan Capistrano -- San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Destination: The mission, founded in 1776 by St. Junipero Serra, is an historic chapel and landmark, as well as home to a museum and a Catholic parish. The Spanish-born saint founded seven missions, including San Juan Capistrano, in California between 1769 and 1782.

(CNS photo)

Masses are offered at the basilica, San Juan Capistrano Parish’s main house of worship in English (unless noted) on Saturdays at 7 a.m., 4:30 and 6 p.m. (Español); Sundays, 6:30 a.m. (first Sunday/Latin Missal 1962/Serra Chapel), 7:30 a.m., 8 a.m. (Latin Missal 1962/Serra Chapel), 9 a.m. (family liturgy), 11 a.m., 1 p.m. (Español) and 5 p.m.; Mondays through Fridays, 7 a.m. (Serra Chapel) and 8:30 a.m.; Wednesdays, 7 p.m. (Español). (See also www.missionparish.org)
Photos -- TOP: Visitors tour the ruins of the Great Stone Church in late July at Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Constructed between 1797 and 1806, the church was destroyed in an 1812 earthquake. Forty Indian neophytes attending Mass were killed in the collapse. The new parish church of Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano, completed in 1986, was designed after the Great Stone Church.

BOTTOM: A statue of St. Teresa of Avila, Spanish mystic and doctor of the Church, stands in the sanctuary of the Serra Chapel at Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.  (CNS file photos/Nancy Wiechec)

(CNS photo)

Why to go: The Serra Chapel dates back to the 1780s and the Eucharist is still celebrated there. It is California’s only chapel still standing where St. Junipero Serra celebrated Mass.
In the Jubilee Year of 2000, Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Mission Church of San Juan Capistrano a basilica. The USCCB designated Mission San Juan Capistrano a national shrine on March 19, 2003.
Admission: Tickets to the historic site are $10 for adults; $9 for senior citizens and $7 for children 4-11.
Hours: The mission is open daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. It is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas days (although Masses are offered). It is also closed at noon on Good Friday, Christmas Eve, and for the annual Romance of the Mission fundraiser (Sept. 14 this year).
Handicapped accessibility: Expect some uneven terrain and steps.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Summer crafts for kids starting at 11 a.m. daily continue through Aug. 17. Prices vary. The Mission Clubhouse, a kids’ play place, is open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Info: Address — Historic Mission San Juan Capistrano, 26801 Ortega Hwy., San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 n  Phone — 949/234-1300 n  Website —  www.missionsjc.com/
—  Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story.
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