California Historical Landmarks in Marin County
California Historical Landmark 220
Mission San Rafael Arcángel
5th Avenue and A Street
San Rafael
Founded 1817
 "California Historical Landmark #220: Mission San Rafael Arcangel")
Church and Mission of San Rafael Archangel
 "California Historical Landmark #220: Mission San Rafael Arcangel")
Reconstructed Mission
 "California Historical Landmark #220: Mission San Rafael Arcangel")
All Photos 11 June 2005
(Click Photos to Zoom)
"On the 14th day of December 1817 Fra Ramon Abello Narciso Duran Luis Gil and I planted and blessed with solemn ceremonies the Holy Cross at the time of Vespers, and on this day Holy Mass was sung with music; Te Deum and the Word of God was announced in both languages. In the afternoon there were 26 baptisms of children; we have about 200 for instructions."
Report of Vicente de Sarria, Prefecto, to Mariano Payeras, Presidente.
A bear flag plaque is located about two miles from here where the San Pedro Road Offramp of Southbound 101 meets Merrydale Road.
 "California Historical Landmark #220: Mission San Rafael Arcangel")
Junìpero Serra y Ferrer founded nine of the twenty-one Spanish missions in California
including Mission San Francisco de Asìs. Although his statue is here, he did not found
Mission San Rafael Arcángel.
11 June 2005
(Click Photo to Zoom)
Photograph courtesy Marin Independent Journal
On Monday, October 12, 2020, which was Columbus Day, vandals painted the statue of Junìpero Serra and pulled it down. Five people were arrested on charges of felony vandalism.
On Saturday, October 17, the Archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, performed an exorcism in Latin. “Latin tends to be more effective against the devil because he doesn't like the language of the church,” Archbishop Cordileone said.
“Be gone, Satan, inventor and master of all fallacy, enemy of the salvation of men. Place yourself before Jesus Christ, you accursed dragon whose proud head should be crushed."The exhortations were accompanied by the sprinkling of holy water on the base of the statue and surrounding plants.
After the exorcism, the bystanders recited the Lord's Prayer and entered the church where Archbishop Cordileone performed an anti-abortion Mass. The celebrants then marched to the Planned Parenthood clinic in downtown San Rafael and said the rosary.
I was surprised to learn that Archbishop Cordileone thinks that the Devil hates Latin. Long before the Roman Church appropriated Latin, it was the language of Tiberius, Nero and Caligula. Of gladiatorial games, orgies and Christian persecution. I suspect that the devil tricked the Roman Church because it amuses him to hear them speak his Diabolical tongue.