Encyclopedia of California's Catholic Heritage, 1769-1999

A compendium of the immigrants who brought Catholicism to California and the ways in which they 'passed that precious jewel to new generations.' The reverend archivist of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has gathered some 1600 of his own brief accounts of people, places, and events in the Golden State and woven them into a magnificent reference work on Catholicism in California. The basic arrangement is topical: the missions, the hierarchy, the laity, and the secular clergy. Within each section the organization is generally alphabetical, but readers are advised to make liberal use of the eighteen-page index. Even with the help of the index, it is possible to miss some gems of encyclopedic information: the murders at Mission San Miguel (page 67); Cardinal McIntyre and the UFOs (page 290); the ghost in the cathedral at Monterey (page 584). Contents: Preface; The California Missions; Hierarchy; Laity; Clergyman; Friars; Religious Men and Women; Ecclesial Institutions; Memoirs; Topical; Index.