Official pushes for an amendment to use state funds to repair religious sites such as Mission San Miguel, now on an endangered places list.

By STEVE CHAWKINS Times Stuff Writer

SAN MIGUEL, Calif. Since the San Simeon earthquake in 2003, the tottering old church at the mission in this tiny Central Coast town has been off-limits to just about everyone, including the congregation that used to worship in it. A chain-link fence seals off the entrance. Deep cracks scar the facade. Warning signs are everywhere.
Officials fear the 6-foot-thick walls of California's most dilapidated mission could come tumbling down with the next tremor.
PARADOX: Voters passed an initiative in 2002 aimed in part at preserving California's missions, but state officials ruled this year that public funds can't be used for places of worship.
Work to restore Mission San Miguel Arcangel might already be underway, except that the architectural heirloom is at the epicenter of the long-running conflict over the separation of church and state. Even though voters passed an initiative In 2002 aimed in part at preserving the missions, California officials this year ruled that the state's Constitution bars the use of public funds for places of worship.
On Wednesday, the same day the nations most prominent preservation group put San Miguel on its list of the State's most endangred historic structures, a frustrated state senator launched a drive here for a constitutional ammendment to allw the state to spend money on its crumbling landmarks.
Some critics say that the government shouldn't funnel money to churches, regardless of their historical value.... ( Los Angeles Times article. May 2006)"
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I found this piece from the LA Times to be rather ironic coming when it did for just last weekend I was up in San Luis Obispo speaking to the county genealogical society about the lives of the Mac Donald Bros. in San Miguel. When preparing my Power Point presentation it reminded me again how much this mission meant in the lives of our forefathers. My mom and her 13 siblings were baptized here as well as at least 10 of her cousins, L and M operated a hotel and saloon on the Mission grounds and all the Mac Donalds were regular parishoners.
So when I was reminded of the terrible damage done to this historic edifice and the confict as to how, or even whether, it would be fully restored to its original beauty I was saddened and decided I would contribute to the relief efforts. I hope you perhaps can do the same. All contributions should be sent to the following:

Friends of Mission San Miguel
P.O. Box 69
San Miguel CA 93451-0069
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The LA times came out with this op ed piece a week later

"Rescue Mission

WHILE OPPOSING FACTIONS carve their positions in stone, the cracked adobe walls of Mission San Miguel Arcangel gingerly stand their ground. One more large earthquake could topple them and their original 18th century frescoes, already fractured by the 2003 Paso Robles quake. It would take an estimated $15 million to save this pretty and historic mission, yet neither the Roman Catholic nor the state of California is willing to make even a significant down payment on repairs. The local diocese says it doesn't have the money. The state has millions in a special fund from Proposition 40, a bond measure for parks and cultural facilities that can be used to restore historic sites. But officials say that spending to repair the mission would violate the state Constitution's clause mandating the separation of church and state. Civil libertarians are ready to pounce if state money is spent on property owned by the church and used by an active congregation. In this case, their concerns are misplaced. California's missions are among those religious sites whose historic significance spans the divide between divine and secular, like the Old North Church in Boston, where two lanterns were famously hung during the Revolutionary War to give notice of the British troops' arrival by sea
The missions, and the Spanish who built them, transformed California from a land of Native Americans to a European colony. The state requires fourth-graders to learn about the missions in their California history curriculum; they build models of them and go on field trips. So why can't the state put money into making sure they're around for future generations to visit? The mission's fundraising group hopes to put together some public and private money with a small amount from the church. the federal government has contributed about $300,000
State Sen. Abel Muldonado (Repub. Santa Maria)wants to solve the impasse with a constitutional amendment that would qualify any religious building for funding if it's listed in state or national registers of historic places. But, that would go too far. The state shouldn't be in the business of paying for the upkeep of, for instance, Fullerton's Seventh-Day Adventist Church (No. 47 on the national register). And religious organizations shouldn't be able to qualify for tax dollars by buying, say, a vintage McDonald's.
Both sides should bring a reasonable attitude to this dilemma. There is state and national precedent for spending public money on religious sites of extraordinary historic value-including sacred Native American sites.
Because the diocese is financially unable to restore its treasure, and the Roman Catholic Church considers it a diocesan responsibility, there may be possible compromises in which San Miguel could be deeded, in full or in part, to the state, as has been done with a handful of other missions. The congregation then could rent the building at nominal cost for its religious services. Religious groups already can rent vacant public schools and community centers on weekends; why not a mission?" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scottish Painter

There was a Scottish tradesman, a painter called Jock, who was very interested in making a pound where he could, so he often would thin down paint to make it go a wee bit further.
As it happened, he got away with this for some time, but eventually the Presbyterian Church decided to do a big restoration job on the roof of one their biggest churches. Jock put in a bid, and because his price was so competitive, he got the job.
And so he set to, with a right good will, erecting the trestles and setting up the planks, and buying the paint and, yes, we're sorry to say, thinning it down with the turpentine.
Well, Jock was up on the scaffolding, painting away, the job nearly done, when suddenly there was a horrendous clap of thunder, and the sky opened and the rain poured down, washing the paint from all over the church and knocking Jock fair off the scaffold to land on the lawn, among the gravestones, surrounded by telltale puddles of the thinned and useless paint.
Jock was no fool. He knew this was a judgment from the Almighty, so he got on his knees and cried: "Oh, God! Forgive me! What should I do?" And from the thunder, a mighty voice spoke: "Repaint! Repaint and thin no more!"
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YOUR LEGACY ON CD

In 1977 I wrote a book entitled, "From the Bras d'Or to the Estrella" which told the history of our family as I knew it then. It told about the Gillises who came from Scotland to PEI, and then East Bay, Nova Scotia. It also related the tale of the Mc Donalds as they came directly from Scotland to East Bay. Finally, it covered the blending of these two familys and how they came west to California. Some of you purchased this book.
Recently, I updated the book, had it scanned and entered it onto a CD along with several dozen photos.
I am offering this CD for my cost which is $3.00. Just send me an email with your address and I will send you a copy.
If you want, and you have a CD burner, you can make copies for others in your family. I think this is a great way to share our family legacy with your kids and/or grandchildren.

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Blowing My Own Smoke

A couple months ago I submitted a story to a genealogical magazine "Everton's Genealogical Helper" which runs a section entitled, "Ancestoral Stories for the Soul" and I was pleased to learn that my story was accepted and that I had won a year's subscription as well as a monetary prize. You may recall this tale.

A SEED FROM THE SNOW WARS

By
Bill Norin
In 1995 an issue of Celtic Heritage magazine contained the following letter to the editor:
“I’m looking for relatives of Dougal J. Mc Donald from somewhere in Cape Breton. He died along with 61 other men on March 10, 1910, in an avalanche while cleaning up after another avalanche in Revelstoke, British Columbia. He was employed as a bridge forman at the time of his death. He was 32 years old. His body was sent by CN Rail to Sydney, Nova Scotia where his family took possession of his remains. His wife/fiancée was from Yorkton, Saskatchewan and she seemed to vanish after Dougal’s death. But there are descendents of this family tree who are most anxious to contact their Cape Breton relatives.
Anyone with information about the family of Dougal J. Mc Donald may contact me.
Rev. H. Jim Mac Donald.OMI
I thought I should respond because I am a relative of Dougal, yet I was perplexed and let me tell you why.
Several years previously while on a genealogy treck to Cape Breton I visited the small cemetery at the rear of St Mary’s Parish in East Bay, Cape Breton. Many of my ancestors had been parishoners in that church and were buried there. While I was viewing the grave markers I came across a marker for Dougal J. Mc Donald whom I knew was a relative. What I didn’t know, but found out that day, was that he had died in the aforementioned avalanche, for it was so stated on his tombstone.
A few years later we had the occasion to visit Rodger’s Pass, the highest part of the Canadian Rockies, and while there read more about the 1910 avalanche. Among other interesting pieces of information, we learned that when they reached Dougal’s remains they saw where he had almost clawed his way to the surface before succumbing. He was a very strong man.
As mentioned earlier, I was perplexed and the reason was that Dougal was a single man without issue so who were these descendents of whom Fr Mac Donald spoke. I wrote to him and asked that question. Well, it turned out that Dougal ,before his accident, had impregnated a local girl who at the time of his death almost immediately dropped the newborn child off at an orphanage and departed before anyone could talk to her.
Fr. Mac Donald was a representing a Kenneth Mc Donald, one of three sons of Dougal’s son. Ken was trying to learn more about his heritage so I contacted him and gave him the names and addresses of several of his relatives in East Bay. He was thus able to learn more about his paternal ancestry. However, in spite of a long continued search, Ken never was able to learn anything specific about his grandmother except that she apparently had come from a very well-to-do family.
I never heard from Ken again but I hoped he was able to make contact with his Cape Breton relatives, in spite of the seed having been sewn in the Snow Wars.

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