First MassNovember 4, 1769
| Location | Shore of San Francisco Bay |
|---|---|
| State/Territory | California |
| County | San Mateo |
| Modern Diocese | Archdiocese of San Francisco |
| Historical Diocese | Diocese of Guadalajara(?) |
| Date | November 4, 1769 |
| Priest | Fray Juan Crespí, Fray Francisco Gómez, OFM |
| Religious Order | Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) |
| Rite | Roman (Latin) Rite |
| Expedition | Portola Expedition — see the full route, The Portolá Expedition (1769–1770) → |
| Confidence | confirmed |
| Submitted by | @_catholicwest |
Photos
Documentation
- Crespi Journal (Bolton, ed., "Fray Juan Crespí: Missionary Explorer on the Pacific Coast, 1769-1774")
Notes
Saturday, November 4, 1769 entry: one of the most historically significant in the whole diary. Crespi writes: "We celebrated this day in honor of San Carlos... by performing the holy sacrifice of Mass in this little valley, on the beach of the harbor, without the least doubt, of my Father San Francisco." This is days after the Portola exploring party became the first Europeans to sight San Francisco Bay overland. Crespi records solar-latitude readings bracketing this entry: 37 degrees 49 minutes N on Nov 1 and 37 degrees 31 minutes N on Nov 14. No footnote pins an exact modern town for this specific date; the party was moving along the peninsula side of the bay around this time, therefore geocoding this to general San Mateo County. Historically significant regardless of the exact spot: this is the first recorded Mass in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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