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The Curator’s Corner:
Burials in the floor of the Old Mission (part 2):
Find the circular staircase that leads up to the choir loft. There, on the floor, you will see a white marble grave marker. This marks the burial site of Jose de Jesus Noe and some of his children. The Noes owned Rancho San Miguel, which extended over a considerable area of Noe and Eureka Valleys (as they are identified today). Rancho San Miguel was a huge rancho of more than forty-five hundred acres near the mission during the Mexican era. The Noe name is still seen on San Francisco maps today. It was Jose de Jesus Noe who donated the large statue of St. Michael that is the centerpiece of the mission's Baroque wooden reredos.
Burial within the mission was an honor reserved for those who were held in the highest esteem, especially so in the case of William Alexander Leidesdorff. He was born March 26, 1810, and died May 18, 1848. Leidesdorff was a businessman and America's first African-American Millionaire. He was born in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, and emigrated as a free Black. He arrived in San Francisco in 1841 as the captain of his own trading ship and decided to stay. Leidersdorff soon became one of the young city’s most prosperous merchants. He built San Francisco's first hotel, established a thriving general store, bought 35,000 acres of prime ranch land, and erected a huge warehouse which he leased to the U.S. government. As a successful businessman, Leidersdorff also established San Francisco’s first (free) public school. He also acquired a land grant in the Sierra foothills as a refuge (today's city of Folsom) for escaped slaves, who had fled to California from the United States.
On the wall next to the Leidersdorff grave, you’ll see a small niche. Walk over and look inside. This is a holy water font. The decorative plate in the bottom of the font was placed there during the mission’s original construction. It was brought from the Philippines aboard a Spanish galleon. By the late 1700’s trade galleons sailed regularly between Manila, San Francisco, and Lima, Peru.
To be continued…..
Mass Times
Saturday Vigil: 5:00pm -- Old Mission
Sunday:
8:00am & 10:00am (English)
12:00pm (Español)
Daily Mass:
Monday-Saturday: 8:00am -- Old Mission
Confession:
By appointment/por cita
Eucharist Adoration:
Friday: 3:00pm -- Old Mission
First Friday of the month: 4pm
Livestream Rosary:
7:00pm (Español)
8:00pm (English)
Livestreamed Videos
For your convenience, live and recorded videos are available at our:
Mission Dolores has always had a central place in the religious, civic, and cultural life of San Francisco. Misión San Francisco de Asís was founded June 29, 1776, under the direction of Father Junipero Serra and is both the oldest original intact Mission in California and the oldest building in San Francisco. Today, the Mission Dolores Parish comprises both the Basilica and the Old Mission.
True to its origins, the Basilica Parish of Mission Dolores reflects the remarkable diversity and vibrancy of modern San Francisco. Located at the crossroads of the City's Mission District, Castro District, the Lower Haight, Noe Valley, and Upper Market Street neighborhoods, Mission Dolores parishioners come from an enormous array of cultures, places, and backgrounds to worship together.
The Old Mission's religious, historic, and architectural significance makes it a unique and memorable destination for visitors to San Francisco. We welcome all to come visit the birthplace of San Francisco. For Old Mission visitor information, please click here.
We invite you to explore this website to learn more about the people, community, and history of Mission Dolores.
We are a welcoming Catholic community called by God to live out the message of Christ in love and service to all people.
Click on the photo below for the video of the 33rd Annual Basilica Choir Candlelight Christmas Concert from December 2024
