Historic Families and ancient traditions came together Saturday morning at the Old Mission Cemetery in San Juan Capistrano.
More than 300 people attended a ceremony that included a mass of remembrance and a blessing of a new altar on a plot of land held sacred by local Catholics and Native Americans.
A mass of remembrance is a traditional Catholic ceremony where participants gather to pay respects to the departed.
“It’s a time when we stop and remember the people that [we] journeyed within our lives,” said Father Jim Nieblas Jr, who helped lead the ceremonies. “Sometimes we don’t get a chance to say, really ‘Thank you.’ ”
October 30, 2011 – Click on the following link to read the full article from the Capistrano Patch: https://patch.com/california/sanjuancapistrano/hundreds-attend-blessing-of-new-altar-at-old-mission-cemetery