Mission San Jose, long known as the queen of San Antonio's missions, has reopened following an extensive 10-month restoration. Several hundred people turned out on Aug. 19 for the official opening and mass conducted by San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller.
The $2.2 million renovation included new wiring, the installation of air conditioning, and a new retablo, made of Mexican red cedar with a Latino-inspired crucifix in the center. The mission's interior walls were also painted to recapture its original 18th-century colors.
Father David Garcia, who led a $5.5 million campaign to restore all four of San Antonio's historic missions, said the project is designed to preserve the history of the missions' founding and fortify their legacy.
“There was an intention way back in the 1700s for this to be a place of worship that I think we can and should follow,” he told the San Antonio Express-News. “They did not want it to turn into a pile of rubble and stone. To history, we owe it. And we do it as an act of faith because the missions are living, not only old buildings.”
The public is invited to visit the mission, which is operated by the National Park Service.