Spanish Missions - San Antonio, Texas

Destination: There are plenty of reasons to visit San Antonio,
Mass times vary at the missions. For details, check http://oldspanishmissions.org and click on Mass Schedule at the Missions.
The map (left) is available online at  http://oldspanishmissions.org. The missions are Mission San Jose (top) and Mission Concepcion (below).
Why to go: The history of the Catholic faith in the Americas is closely tied to the history of Spanish missions, including the five in San Antonio. In January,  the U.S. nominated the missions for World Heritage site status. Four of them are part of  the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, through a partnership with the Archdiocese of San Antonio. The Alamo, called “The Shrine of Texas Liberty,” is operated separately as a state historical site. According to the National Park Service, Mission Concepcion marked the 250th anniversary of its dedication in 2005 and is the only one of the five missions that has its original roof and walls intact, so its interior frescoes retain remnants of their original colors.
Texas. Even the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has selected it for meetings. But a key reason is to see the missions there — and we don’t mean the minor league baseball team (although they might be worth a visit, too). We mean the Spanish missions of San Antonio — San Jose, Concepcion, San Juan, Espada and San Antonio de Valero, which you probably know as the Alamo.
The park service recommends setting aside two to four hours for the free guided tours, movies, and demonstrations at the missions.
Hours: The four NPS shrines  are open 9 a.m.-5 pm. daily, except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Jan. 1.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Absolutely.
Info: Address: Old Spanish Missions, Inc., P.O. Box 7804, San Antonio, TX 78207-0804 Phone: 210/357-5601. Web: http://oldspanishmissions.org or http://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org