About Old Mission San Juan Bautista · San Juan Bautista, California
Old Mission San Juan Bautista is the 15th of California's Spanish missions, founded on June 24, 1797 by Franciscan Father Fermín de Lasuén, and has functioned as an active Catholic parish in the Diocese of Monterey without interruption since its founding. Its wide three-nave church faces the only original Spanish plaza remaining in California, and the parish serves both English- and Spanish-speaking communities with a full schedule of daily and weekend Masses, the sacraments, faith formation, RCIA, weddings, and an on-site museum and gift shop. The mission is also the 'Mission of Music,' a nickname earned through the choirs founded by Padre Esteban Tapis in the early 1800s, and it is famously remembered as a filming location for Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958).
- Established
- 1797
- Patron
- Saint John the Baptist
- Rector
- Fr. Alberto Cabrera
- Diocese
- Diocese of Monterey in California
Why belong here
Old Mission San Juan Bautista welcomes both English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics with a full weekly schedule: three English Sunday Masses plus two Spanish Sunday Masses, daily Mass Wednesday through Friday in the historic Guadalupe Chapel, and Friday-evening confessions. The parish offers preparation for the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage (in the mission church or the smaller Guadalupe Chapel), and RCIA, and its Faith Formation program coordinates sacramental preparation and ministry training for all ages. Visitors and parishioners also benefit from the on-site museum, gift shop, and Casa Maria reception hall, plus docent-led tours and field-trip programs that make this 1797 mission a living center of prayer, music, history, and community service in San Benito County.
Mass times at Old Mission San Juan Bautista
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday: 5:00 PM (Guadalupe Chapel)
History of Old Mission San Juan Bautista
Founded on June 24, 1797 by Franciscan Father Fermín de Lasuén as the fifteenth of California's Spanish missions, San Juan Bautista was named 'La Misión del Glorios Precursor de Jesu Cristo, Nuestro Señor San Juan Bautista.' The cornerstone for the present church was laid in June 1803; with three naves it became the widest of the mission churches and was dedicated June 23, 1812. After secularization by the Mexican government in 1835, the mission was returned to the Catholic Church in 1859 under President James Buchanan, and in 1895 the mission buildings and 55 acres were given back to the Church by federal decree. The parish has maintained an unbroken succession of pastors since 1797.
- Founded June 24, 1797 by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén
- Cornerstone laid June 1803; church dedicated June 23, 1812
- Interior tiled floor and reredos completed 1817 by Thomas Doak
- Secularized by Mexico in 1835
- Returned to the Catholic Church in 1859
- Buildings and 55 acres returned by U.S. federal decree in 1895
- Side walls collapsed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and were restored in 1976
- Three-bell campanario fully restored in 2010; two of its bells salvaged in 2009 by Father Nick Senf
- Guadalupe Chapel and mission well restored during the bicentennial celebrations
'The Mission of Music' — Padre Esteban Tapis and the Choir of San Juan
Padre Pedro Estévan Tápis, a one-time Presidente of the California Missions and founder of Mission Santa Inés, retired to San Juan Bautista in 1815 and, together with Father Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta, taught the Native American choir a Spanish system of color- and texture-coded notation for polyphonic music. The choir's performances for mission visitors earned the mission the lasting nickname 'The Mission of Music.' Tápis is buried in the church sanctuary, and two of his handwritten choir books can be seen in the mission museum.
- Padre Pedro Estévan Tápis joined the mission in 1815
- Co-taught with Father Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta
- Used Spanish color/texture notation: solid black, solid red, black outline, red outline
- Choir of Native American boys performed for mission visitors
- Two of Tápis's handwritten choir books are preserved in the museum
Faith Formation & RCIA
The parish's Faith Formation program, coordinated by Rosa Garcia, prepares parishioners of all ages for the sacraments and accompanies adults through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The coordinator also serves as the parish liaison to the Diocese of Monterey for sacramental events and ministry training, and works with parish volunteers across sacramental preparation.
- Faith Formation program for children and families
- Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
- Volunteer training for sacramental-preparation events
- Coordination with the Diocese of Monterey School of Ministry
Sacramental Preparation
Old Mission San Juan Bautista offers preparation for the sacraments of Baptism and Marriage, and welcomes RCIA candidates year-round. Baptisms are scheduled after completion of a pre-baptism instruction class and submission of all required documentation, and both English and Spanish baptism inquiry forms and guidelines are available from the parish office.
- Baptism: pre-baptism instruction class, birth certificate, godparent eligibility, pastor's letter of good standing
- Group Baptism stipend: $100 for one child, $150 for two or more; private Baptism $300
- Christian Witness allowed alongside one qualified Catholic Godparent
- Marriage preparation: Engaged Encounter retreat weekend required
Weddings at the Mission
Couples may marry in either the Mission Church (seating up to 400) or the smaller Guadalupe Chapel (seating up to 60). Wedding ceremonies are celebrated on Saturdays at 12:00 Noon and 2:30 PM, with rehearsals on Friday evenings; weekday weddings are by special arrangement. Couples must contact the mission at least six months in advance, and weddings are not celebrated during Lent.
- Saturday ceremonies at 12:00 PM and 2:30 PM
- Rehearsals Friday at 5:00 PM (for 12:00 PM wedding) or 6:00 PM (for 2:30 PM wedding)
- Church stipend: $1,000; Guadalupe Chapel: $500
- Music must be live; the Mission Music Director coordinates all music
- Wedding Day Coordinators: Daniela Desiderio (Spanish / Bilingual), Liz Avila (Spanish)
- Contact: Daniela Desiderio, Wedding Coordinator & Administrative Assistant
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Pastor Fr. Alberto Cabrera and supported by Deacon Jewel Gentry, who also serves the Diocese of Monterey as Director of Diaconate Formation and the School of Ministry. A small team of lay staff and volunteers coordinate the parish's faith formation, finances, weddings, gift shop, museum tours, and Casa Maria events.
- Fr. Alberto Cabrera — Pastor
- Deacon Jewel Gentry — Deacon
- Rosa Garcia — Coordinator of Faith Formation & RCIA
- Magda Perino — Finance Manager
- Daniela Desiderio — Wedding Coordinator & Administrative Assistant
- Benito Garcia — Mission Ambassador
- Edward DeGroot — Music Director, Organist
- Rosa Garcia — Gift Shop and Museum Manager
Casa Maria Reception Hall
Casa Maria is adjacent to Mission San Juan Bautista and was built in the late 1920s as a parish hall by a benefactor from Chicago who hired a Los Angeles architect. After decades as a leased Italian restaurant (Cadematori's, from 1955), it was returned to the mission in 1997 and fully restored in 2001. Today it serves as a Mediterranean-style reception facility with a Ball Room, Valley View Room, Fountain Room, commercial kitchen (heating only), and outdoor patios that can accommodate groups of up to 200, and is available for all sacramental receptions and other parish-approved events.
- Built late 1920s as a parish hall
- Operated as Cadematori's Italian restaurant from 1955
- Returned to the mission in 1997; restored in 2001
- Accommodates up to 200 guests using indoor and outdoor space
- Ball Room with elevated full stage, Valley View Room, Fountain Room
- Contact: Magda Perino — 831-623-2127
Museum, Gift Shop & Tours
The mission maintains a museum featuring Padre Tápis's handwritten choir books, mission artifacts, art, and historical items, and operates a gift shop offering religious articles, statues, icons, baptism / first-communion / confirmation items, wedding gifts, nativities, prayer cards, devotional items, holy water, and oils. Self-guided and docent-led tours are offered, and the mission welcomes school field-trip groups and prospective docent volunteers.
- Museum includes Padre Tápis's handwritten choir books
- Gift Shop open Wednesday–Sunday 9 AM–4 PM
- Gift Shop phone: 831-623-4528
- Docent / tour volunteer program
- School field-trip programs
- Professional Photography Contract required for wedding photography on mission grounds
Cemetery, Plaza & Historic Setting
The mission cemetery, located on the north side of the church, holds the remains of over 4,000 Christian Native Americans and Europeans, including Ascencion Solorzano, the last pure-blooded Native American of the mission, whose grave is marked by a red cross and a memorial plaque on the wall above. The mission faces the only original Spanish Plaza remaining in California, surrounded by historic buildings such as the Jose Castro House and the Plaza Hotel. The San Andreas Fault runs along the base of the hill below the cemetery, and vestiges of the original El Camino Real can still be seen north of the cemetery along a fault scarp.
- Cemetery contains 4,000+ burials of Christian Native Americans and Europeans
- Grave of Ascencion Solorzano, last pure-blooded Native American of the mission, marked by a red cross
- Only original Spanish Plaza remaining in California
- San Andreas Fault runs along the base of the hill below the cemetery
- Vestiges of the original El Camino Real visible north of the cemetery
Visiting & Getting Involved
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed to daily Mass, weekend Masses (English and Spanish), Friday confessions in the Guadalupe Chapel, and the mission's museum and gift shop. The mission actively invites new docent volunteers for its tour and field-trip programs and welcomes benefactors to its Preservation Fund to help maintain the historic church, cemetery, and Casa Maria.
- Parish Office: Monday–Friday 9 AM–4 PM (closed 12 noon–1 PM); Sunday 9 AM–1 PM
- Phone: 831-623-2127; Fax: 831-623-2433
- Preservation Fund / Benefactors program
- Docent volunteer opportunities
- Faith Formation volunteer opportunities