Mr. Schiff: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Senate Amendments to the California Missions Preservation Act. I am a co-sponsor of this bill, and I am pleased that we are sending it to the White House before we adjourn.
Because of this legislation, important historical sites in California will be better preserved for future generations of Americans to enjoy and learn about our state's rich heritage.
I am proud to represent in my district the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. This is the fourth of twenty-one missions established in California during the Spanish colonial era.
Orginally founded in 1771 in present-day Montebello, it was moved in 1776 to what is now San Gabriel. Built by the Franciscans and Native American Gabrielenos, the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel would become what famed Spanish missionary Junipero Serra would call ``The Pride of the Missions.''
The government eventually changed from Spanish to Mexican, then from Mexican to American. In the early 20th Century, control of the Mission would eventually go to the Claretian Missionaries with the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose providing education at the parish school. Yet the Mission would always be an integral part of the community, a jewel of the southland, a wondrous remnant from the first of many who built the greater Los Angeles area into a world-class destination.
Today, the Mission is set amount a large, diverse and gracious community. Local residents still seek spiritual guidance there, and cactus garden. The Mission thrives as a source of pride among residents of the San Gabriel Valley, and I pleased that Congress is recognizing the importance of protecting this and other Missions.