250th Anniversary of the Anza Expedition Mass of 1776

On March 27, 1776, Lieutenant Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza camped at Mountain Lake with 240 settlers, soldiers, indigenous interpreters, and the Franciscan padres Francisco Garcés, Tomás Eixarch, and Pedro Font. The next morning, Anza’s priests would have offered what is probably the first Catholic Mass in what would become San Francisco. Three months later, on June 29, 1776, Father Junipero Serra would offer the first recorded Mass at what became Misión San Francisco de Asis, after which our city is named.

On March 28, 2026, priests will again offer a sung Mass in the same form in which the original padres celebrated it, followed by a barbecue in Mountain Lake Park. All are welcome at Mountain Lake Park, 12th Avenue entrance.

Please join us!