Established: June 11, 1797

By: Father Fermin Lasen

Order: 14 of the 21 missions

Named for: Saint Joseph

Location: 15 miles NE of San Jose

Named: In honor of St. Joseph

Interesting Fact: There was a 23 carat gold leaf trim.

Mission San Jose was the 14th wonderful mission. Fray Fermin Lasuen founded it in 1797. First, the church was constructed. It is 126 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 24 feet high. It is made of adobe bricks and redwood. The whole mission was named after St. Joseph. Mission San Jose is actually in Fremont!

One of the reasons that Mission San Jose is special is that it has 10 places in it! It has living quarters, a laundry room, a workshop, a church, a cemetery, ect. Mission San Jose is 7 words! Some people can't even pronounce it! It is Mission del Gloriosisimo Patriarca Senor San Jose. Most people can not memorize it. Even some people that know a lot about Mission del Gloriosisimo Patriarca Senor San Jose can't. I love the bells. There are four of them. They look rusty and old now, but back then they were shiny and beautiful. Today, the church is also very beautiful. That is because in the 1980's, it was reconstructed.

The mission was in use for 35 years. They built a museum there to show off the great things that they used. They built it in 1950. The padres hated to go, but they had to. Some of the Ohlone tribe were buried under 1 tombstone-- 4,000 of them! It was in 1833 that Father Duran left. So sad!!