Angelus News | May 7, 2021 | Vol. 6 No. 9

“We have this really unparalleled
opportunity to not just restore the
mission itself, but to more fully understand
the material culture of the
mission, which was so crucial,” said
Hackell.
Meanwhile, the mission is working
on submitting remodeling plans to the
City of San Gabriel, which include
modern electrical and HVAC systems.
The timeline for the restoration is
still unfolding. Mission officials hope
to have the new roof and ceiling fully
installed by the time Archbishop
Gomez celebrates the inaugural Mass
for the jubilee, slated for Sept. 11,
and expect the mission to be “fully
functional” by the end of the jubilee a
year later.
For Father Parker Sandoval,
the San Gabriel fire and the
devastating consequences of the
COVID-19 pandemic on parishes are
signs that the church in Los Angeles is
being called to a “new beginning.” It
is why, in Father Sandoval’s words, the
timing of the mission’s 250th jubilee
this year is nothing short of “providential.”
“I think the state of San Gabriel
Mission right now is how the whole
Church feels,” said Father Sandoval,
vice chancellor for Ministerial
Services for the archdiocese. “This
has been a traumatic year. And I
think that image of the church under
reconstruction following a disaster is
an appropriate image of the whole
Church right now.”
The idea of a “Jubilee Year” originally
comes from the Book of Leviticus,
in which God commanded Israel to
observe every 50th year as a time of
mercy — when debts were forgiven,
people in bondage were set free, and
lands were returned to their original
owners.
Since the 14th century, the Church
has celebrated jubilees at regular
intervals. The pope can also proclaim
“extraordinary jubilees” to mark special
events or anniversaries or to fulfill
a special need (the last was in 2000,
Last year’s fire has exposed brick patterns and paint
in the walls of San Gabriel Mission. | PABLO KAY
celebrated as “The Great Jubilee,”
marking the beginning of the third
millennium since the birth of Jesus).
To each jubilee the Church attaches
certain indulgences, which are opportunities
for grace and mercy. They
may involve pilgrimages, prayers, or
charitable works.
Here in Los Angeles, the San
Gabriel jubilee year is being organized
around both senses of the word
“mission”: Special events, parish initiatives,
and pilgrimage opportunities
are being planned, with the intention
of educating Catholics about the
mission’s past while forming them to
evangelize in the future.
“The hope for this jubilee year is not
simply to celebrate the past, but to
raise up a new generation of missionaries
for our time and place,” said
Father Sandoval, who is overseeing
planning for the special year under
May 7, 2021 • ANGELUS • 15