Top photo caption: The California Misión San Francisco de Asís, also known as Mission Dolores, is pictured next to the mission’s larger basilica in San Francisco. The mission was founded in 1776 by St. Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan. Pope Leo XIV sent a message to San Francisco dated Oct. 1, 2026, as the city and archdiocese mark the 250th anniversary of the mission. OSV News photo/Catholic San Francisco
By Gina Christian, OSV News
OSV News – Pope Leo XIV has congratulated the city of San Francisco as it marks the 250th anniversary of the Franciscan mission at the heart of the city’s founding.
In a message dated Oct. 1, the Pope sent “greetings of good wishes” to San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, civic leaders and city residents as they commemorate the founding of Misión San Francisco de Asís on Oct. 9, 1776.
Pope Leo’s message was delivered by Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the U.S. and shared by the Archdiocese of San Francisco Oct. 9.
The mission is one of 21 missions established by Franciscan missionaries and Native Californians in the territory known as Alta California and ruled by Spain.
Nine of the chain of missions, which traced the California coast, were founded under the direction of St. Junipero Serra. Several of the sites, among them San Francisco, later became some of California’s major cities.
Mission San Francisco de Asís – also known as Mission Dolores for the nearby Arroyo de los Dolores (“Creek of Sorrows”) – is the sixth of the 21 missions, and “the oldest intact adobe mission chapel” of the entire network, according to the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
The first Mass was celebrated in the original chapel on June 29, 1776, by Franciscan Father Francisco Palóu, said the archdiocese, which noted that St. Junipero Serra formally dedicated the mission on Oct. 9 of that same year.
The structure is also “the oldest intact building” in San Francisco, with its cemetery the only burial ground that remains within the city’s bounds, the mission also noted on its webpage.
Among those laid to rest in the cemetery are “numerous Ohlone, Miwok, and other First Californians as well as notable California pioneers,” the mission said on its website.
In his message for the mission’s 250th anniversary, Pope Leo expressed his “gratitude for the abundant graces that the Almighty has bestowed over the last two hundred and fifty years.”
He also prayed “that this occasion may be an opportunity for the local community to continue to grow in unity and harmony, seeking always to care for the needs of the poorest and least among us.”
On June 27, Archbishop Cordileone celebrated Mass in the Basilica Mission Dolores, located adjacent to the original mission chapel, for the anniversary.
He described the occasion as “a time of great joy and thanksgiving to God for this quarter of millennia of a life of faith here in San Francisco.”
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.
NOTES: Pope Leo’s message to San Francisco can be viewed here: https://sfarch.org/Pope-leo-xiv-sends-message-to-san-francisco/
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