On Sunday, Dec. 15, about 200 attendees witnessed the blessing of the newly opened St. Joseph Chapel of Healing at Mission San Jose. The chapel occupies the main hall of the building housing the Mission museum and gift shop, which was closed early September for renovations. Mission San Jose Catholic Church’s pastor Fr. Anthony Le gave a warm speech, led the attendees in prayer, and expounded on his vision for the new chapel and its potential as the Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph to become a beacon for spiritual pilgrims across the Bay Area and beyond.
The building housing the chapel, museum and gift shop is the oldest intact structure in Alameda County. Erected in 1809, it housed the Franciscan friars who established the Mission in 1797. The area occupied by the chapel was formerly designated as a screening room for an instructional video introducing museum visitors to the Mission’s history. A wall supporting the screen separated the viewing space from a storage area, but now the wall has been removed, and the storage space has become the chapel’s sanctuary where the altar and apse house both old and new furnishings, including the Mission’s treasured reliquaries. Many of the items were retained on the Mission property when the old wooden church was removed to San Mateo in the early 1980s.
Several of the artworks on the chapel’s freshly painted wall were commissioned especially for the site. The freshly refurbished interior features several rows of wooden pews whose polished surfaces gleam beneath a white-washed ceiling supported by rough-hewn beams.
The renovations substantiate Fr. Anthony’s view of the site as a beacon to draw and welcome those on pilgrimage to engage in prayer and celebrate mass. The spiritual purpose of the chapel is complemented by the instructional purpose of the adjacent museum. Carefully curated exhibits lead visitors on a journey from Old Testament times, the life of St. Joseph, the Holy Family’s flight and the Nativity of Jesus, to the Franciscan period and the contributions of Ohlone to the economic and spiritual life of the Mission from the Franciscan period to today.
The Ohlone exhibit has special significance for Andrew Galvan, Ohlone descendant and Native American consultant to the Mission. When Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen founded the mission in 1797, the location was an Ohlone village called Oroysom. Galvan and his family are long-time members of the community served by the Mission, but his strong sense of history meant that he didn’t always feel that the story of the Ohlone stood out against the backdrop of Spanish “missionization” and Mexican domination of the lands surrounding the mission after 1833. “When I was brought in [to curate the Ohlone exhibit in 2008],” says Galvan, “it felt like a door that had been closed to me had opened.”
Over the last year Galvan has worked in partnership with Fr. Anthony designing the current restoration. The result is an experience for museum goers and pilgrims alike that not only focuses on St. Joseph, but also pays homage to the rich history of the local native people. “I’m happy with the direction of the museum,” says Galvan.
The current restoration is the latest of several significant developments on the site. The original 1809 adobe church was destroyed by the Great Hayward Quake of 1868. A wooden structure built to replace it stood until the early 1980s when a religious group bought the building and moved it to San Mateo. That move made way for the current mission north of the museum. That iconic structure replicated the original adobe and was completed in 1985. It was renovated in 1997 as part of the bicentennial celebration of the Mission’s founding. The next major change came in 2008 when Galvan redesigned the Ohlone room of the museum. Sixteen years have now passed; as Galvan notes, the present changes come “as a breath of fresh air” in keeping with recent changes to the administration and Father Anthony’s infusion of new life into the Mission’s purpose of spreading the Gospel.
Father Anthony acknowledges the “ups and downs” of history, but believes the fundamental call of the Church remains the same: “to welcome all people, regardless of background or circumstance, and accompany them on their journey of faith…The Pilgrim Center is designed to be a beacon of hospitality, embracing travelers from all walks of life.”
The Saint Joseph Chapel,” continues Fr. Anthony, is “a sanctuary of healing and spiritual growth, a sacred space where the faithful can find solace, comfort, and spiritual nourishment and healing. This chapel is a testament to the power of Saint Joseph’s prayer… Our goal is not merely to restore physical structures, but to revitalize the spirit of our faith and share the story of our encounter with God.”
Old Mission San Jose
43300 Mission Blvd., Fremont
510.657.1797
www.saintjosephmsj.org/mission/
