California Missions Celebrate Summer, Winter Solstice

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dolores49
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Dolores49

Guest
My husband and I were thrilled when we visited the mission San Juan Bautista two summers ago. However, we were distressed to learn from an employee there that the mission celebrates Summer and Winter Solstice. We were informed that statue on the grounds of St. John the Baptist is lit up by the sun during Summer Solstice and it attracts a big crowd. Is anyone else disturbed by this? Sun worship is a pagan practice. A family member of mine, a baptized Catholic, practiced it.

In addition, atheists are very excited by the research of a Catholic archeologist, Ruben G. Mendoza of Monterey, because worshiping the sun proves to the atheists that Christianity is fake, i.e., Jesus’s birthday is during or around Winter Solstice and St. John the Baptist is during or around Summer Solstice. Source: Freethought Nation. freethoughtnation.com/archaeologist-american-churches-astronomically-aligned/

----“It’s a complex blend of solar geometry and Franciscan cosmology, says Mendoza, in which churches, windows and altars were laid out in relation to the sun’s position on a particular day of the year.” *

----“The pastor at Mission San Juan Bautista first pointed out an illumination to Mendoza on Dec. 21, 1997, the morning of the winter solstice.” *

Links to Articles
  1. Winter Solstice Means Illumination at California Mission. articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/22/local/la-me-illuminations-20111222
  2. *Illuminating Research-CSU Monterey archeologist studies rare light effects at missions. montereyherald.com/20110331/illuminating-research-csu-monterey-bay-archaeologist-studies-rare-light-effects-at-missions
  3. Town of San Juan Bautista’s Event Calendar: “Winter Solstice at the Mission.” sanjuanbautistaca.com/calendar/december.html
  4. Sunrise sheds new light on the missions. sfgate.com/news/article/Sunrise-sheds-new-light-on-the-missions-3292319.php
Islamic Star Decorates Carmel Mission and Summer Solstice: Travel Magazine

Finally, as AAA members we received the Jan-Feb 2015 issue of Via magazine. I came upon the last page which has a photo of the front entrance to Carmel Mission. But do they highlight the Catholic mass? No they highlight the Islamic star and the fact that “in celebration of the summer solstice, visitors crowd inside…an ethereal beam of light blazes along the length of the ornately decorated interior and bathes a hand-carved statue (unidentified) in a golden glow.”
 
Dolores49 said:
My husband and I were thrilled when we visited the mission San Juan Bautista two summers ago. However, we were distressed to learn from an employee there that the mission celebrates Summer and Winter Solstice. We were informed that statue on the grounds of St. John the Baptist is lit up by the sun during Summer Solstice and it attracts a big crowd. Is anyone else disturbed by this? Sun worship is a pagan practice. A family member of mine, a baptized Catholic, practiced it.
Click to expand...
The celebration of the cycle of the seasons is a very human thing, practiced by human beings of all spiritual practices for thousands of years. While worship of the sun is certainly pagan, awareness of the seasons and taking advantage of that awareness to increase the symbolism is a part of the Catholic tradition.

John the Baptist said of Jesus, “He must increase, I must decrease.” The feast of the Nativity of the Lord is December 25, 4 days after the shortest day of the year. The period of light increases after this feast. The feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist is June 24, just after the longest day of the year. The length of each day decreases after this feast.

If the California Missions celebrate these events, it would seem especially appropriate to tie them to the liturgical calendar and tradition of the Church, rather than celebrate them on their own.
 
The linked articles make it pretty clear that what’s being observed are both the phenomena of God’s creation and the unique church architecture – not exactly sun worship at Stonehenge.
 
The Church has long taken an interest in the position of the sun and the seasons, since these data are intrinsically involved in the calculation of the date of Easter from year to year.

tee
Armchair Catholic Calendar Nerd 🤓
 
They are not worshiping the sun or sky any more than King David did.

*When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars which thou hast established;
what is man that thou art mindful of him,
and the son of man that thou dost care for him?
(Psalm 8:3-4)

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
(Psalm 19:1)*

The constellations, sun, moon, seasons and skies were seen by the Jews as a beautiful part of God’s creation and a sign of God’s glory. Few people realize that the night sky was painted on the veil of the Temple which was presented to the Roman emperor as a gift after the destruction of Jerusalem.

I’d like to see a picture of the supposed Islamic star.

-Tim-
 
agnes_therese said:
What’s Islamic about it?
Click to expand...
I don’t know, but the OP said an Islamic star decorates the Carmel Mission:
I came upon the last page which has a photo of the front entrance to Carmel Mission. But do they highlight the Catholic mass? No they highlight the Islamic star…
Click to expand...
Since the picture I linked to is a star window on the front entrance of the mission, I wondered if that was the “Islamic” star she was referring to.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top