Mission of Nombre de Dios Rustic Altar - St. Augustine, FL
N 29° 54.315 W 081° 18.899
17R E 469591 N 3308328
A "Rustic Altar" is located at the Mission of Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
Waymark Code: WM4WJW
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 10/06/2008
Views: 35
This rustic altar is located at the
Mission of Nombre de Dios, which
traces its origins to the founding of the City of St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, in 1565. On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed and proclaimed this site for Spain and the Church. It was here that Menendez knelt to kiss a wooden cross presented to him by Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, chaplain of his expedition. It was on these grounds that Fr. Lopez would celebrate the first parish Mass and begin the work at America’s first Mission. It was at this sacred spot that the Spanish settlers would begin the devotion to Our Lady of La Leche that continues into the present.
Located at the center of the tranquil grounds of the Mission of Nombre de Dios is the chapel which houses a replica of the statue of Our Lady of La Leche and provides visitors with a quiet place to pray.
From the Mission of Nombre de Dios website:
To the north of the Shrine chapel and to the east of the Shrine gift shop is an outdoor altar commemorating the first parish Mass celebrated here on the date of the founding of St. Augustine, September 8, 1565, by Fr. Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales.
A sign next to the altar area reads:
This rustic altar calls to mind the Mass of Thanksgiving offered here by Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, Diocesan priest and fleet chaplain, on September 8, 1565, the day the city of St. Augustine was founded. Gathered about the altar were Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, Adelantado of Florida and Captain General of the Indies Fleet, with his colonists, soldiers and the Timucuans who lived on these shores before the Lord Christ was born.
John Gilmary Shea, historian and Christian humanist, reflects on that scene: "Mass was said to hallow the land and draw down the blessing of heaven before the first step was taken to rear a human habitation. The altar was older than the hearth."
Following Mass, Pedro Menendez hosted a feast for his companions and their new native friends. Thus began the first permanent Christian settlement in what is now the United States of America.
The Rustic Altar is used for the celebration of Mass for parish pilgrimages, weddings, and other special occasions. Each year, on a Saturday close to the founding date of September 8, Mass is celebrated at this altar following a reenactment of the landing of Pedro Menendez and Father Lopez.