Editorial Review of
Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala
San Diego de Alcala, the first of California Missions, marks the birthplace of Christianity in the far West. Its historical greatness is being California''s first church. This remarkable and significant historical shrine provides an understanding and appreciation of the beginning of Catholicism in this corner of the world, so remote from the Mother Country of Spain and yet so similar. Today the Mission, which was founded in 1769, serves as an active parish church and cultural center for people of all faiths who are welcome to visit and relive the grandeur and excitement of more than two centuries of California history and tradition.