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The Curator’s Corner:
Artwork in the Basilica in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows (Nuestra Señora de los Dolores)
Services are held regularly in the Mission Dolores Basilica. It is actually the second church built on this site. The Cornerstone for the Basilica was laid in 1913. This was after an earlier brick structure had been destroyed by the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The church was completed in 1918. The artwork in the basilica reflects the site's mission heritage. If you look towards the entrance of the church, you will see the beautiful stained glass high on the wall pictures Saint Francis of Assisi, patron of both the Mission and the City of San Francisco. The bright oranges are repeated in the upper windows and the side walls. The lower stained glass windows feature images of the twenty-one Alta California Missions. They also honor Father Junipero Serra, the president of the mission system, and Father Francisco Palou, the founder of Mission San Francisco de Asis.
In the Sanctuary of the Basilica, look up at the ceiling high above the main altar. Set against a sunburst pattern, you will see a small figure of Mater Dolorosa or Our Lady of Sorrows. Look closely, and you will see that her heart is pierced by seven swords or daggers. These signify the seven sorrows suffered by Jesus’s mother during her life. Also, take a closer look at the balconies on either side of the church. Six of Mary’s sorrows are depicted in the painted wood carvings on the front of these balconies. The seventh sorrow is depicted in a similar carving over the main door. The mission is called Dolores after a stream that once flowed about a block from where the Basilica and Mission now stand. The first Spanish colonizers came upon this stream on the feast day of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, Our Lady of Sorrows. They named the stream for the day of their arrival, and the name soon became associated with the nearby mission. In the mid-1800s, church officials gave the name Mission Dolores to the parish.
Next week, "The Curator's Corner" will discuss each of the seven sorrows suffered by our Blessed Mother.
To be continued…..
Mass Times
Saturday Vigil: 5:00pm -- Old Mission
Sunday:
8:00am & 10:00am (English)
12:00pm (Español)
Daily Mass:
Monday-Saturday: 8:00am -- Old Mission
Confession:
By appointment/por cita
Eucharist Adoration:
Friday: 3:00pm -- Old Mission
First Friday of the month: 4pm
Livestream Rosary:
7:00pm (Español)
8:00pm (English)
Livestreamed Videos
For your convenience, live and recorded videos are available at our:
Mission Dolores has always had a central place in the religious, civic, and cultural life of San Francisco. Misión San Francisco de Asís was founded June 29, 1776, under the direction of Father Junipero Serra and is both the oldest original intact Mission in California and the oldest building in San Francisco. Today, the Mission Dolores Parish comprises both the Basilica and the Old Mission.
True to its origins, the Basilica Parish of Mission Dolores reflects the remarkable diversity and vibrancy of modern San Francisco. Located at the crossroads of the City's Mission District, Castro District, the Lower Haight, Noe Valley, and Upper Market Street neighborhoods, Mission Dolores parishioners come from an enormous array of cultures, places, and backgrounds to worship together.
The Old Mission's religious, historic, and architectural significance makes it a unique and memorable destination for visitors to San Francisco. We welcome all to come visit the birthplace of San Francisco. For Old Mission visitor information, please click here.
We invite you to explore this website to learn more about the people, community, and history of Mission Dolores.
We are a welcoming Catholic community called by God to live out the message of Christ in love and service to all people.
Click on the photo below for the video of the 33rd Annual Basilica Choir Candlelight Christmas Concert from December 2024
