The Mission Cats
Holy cow! No – it’s Holy Cat!
Mission San Antonio’s most famous resident since Fray Junipero Serra...our cat...Rosario.
In June 2007 a little black kitten came to experience the Mission’s Annual Fiesta. What happened next could be called extraordinary, and if you believe in them...a miracle. Come hear his story and decide for yourself. God has used this cat to touch the hearts of numerous visitors and guests.
Rosario was married to Spirit and enjoyed communicating with his friends via his Facebook page. He has his own wine – Rosario’s Red – available at Marin’s Vineyard's tasting room in Lockwood and on-line @ marinsvineyard.com. All proceeds from these sales directly benefits the Mission Retrofit/Restoration project.
In Memory of Rosario
Summer 2007 – September 20, 2017
God reaches out to us daily in so many varied ways . . . the burst of sunlight that begins the day, the gentle breeze that carries with it a hint of rain, the warmth of the summer sun, the warm rush of the afternoon winds, the breath-taking array of colors vibrantly painting the sun setting over the foaming waves of the turbulent ocean, to the stars that twinkle above us, scattered across the dark night sky . . . reminders that God is always with us.
He reaches to us with the newborn’s cries, the small hand of a child reaching up to hold our hand, the hand of our life-long help-mate as they join with us on life’s journey. God reaches out to us through the hands of those in need, and blesses others with the help our that our outstretched hands can bring to others. He links our hands and our hearts as we journey together through life.
God doesn’t stop there. He also speaks to us through the animals that he allows into our lives. He teaches us through them about acceptance, living-in-the-present-moment, forgiveness, unbridled joy and unconditional love. We love them while we have them, mourn them when we lose them and always remember them fondly.
Rosario, one of our Mission cats, has been a wonderful ambassador for our Mission and for God’s unconditional love for the past ten years. Beginning with the miracle from which he was named, to the many lives he touched and allowed God to love through him, Rosario left a loving legacy.
After fighting valiantly for the past two months against a toxin in his body, Rosario went on to the fields of heaven, where all good pets go. Whether he is sitting on Mother Mary’s lap, playing with the little children or conversing with St. Francis, I’m sure that when we reach the end of our journey, Rosario will be there, awaiting our arrival under the old olive tree at the pearly gates. He will be waiting to welcome us home.
Thank you, Father God, for the loving gift of Rosario. Amen.
Joan Steele, Mission Administrator
In Memory of Spirit
Spring 2008 – November 12, 2020
Almost a dozen years ago, fairly high up in the Italian Cypress trees in the Mission’s Padres’ garden, a sweet little kitten was born. This loveable little cat, whom we named Spirit, stole our hearts from the beginning. She was curious (as cats tend to be) and extremely brave, killing young rattlesnakes with finesse from a very tender age. She was friendly but shy.
Many of our visitors and overnight guests, for the past twelve years have enjoyed spending time with Spirit. Spirit, herself, though, gave her heart to Rosario, our Miracle Cat. For nine years, until we lost Rosario in 2017, Spirit and Rosario were united. We told visitors they were married. We know, at least, that they loved to be together.
When we lost Rosario, Spirit suffered from a broken heart. Her soulmate was gone and she was less than impressed by the addition of her nephew and niece, Hope and Joy, to the Mission garden. Although she never really took a liking to them, she did worry if she didn’t know where they were. I’d like to believe that having them around brought at least a little comfort to her.
While the restoration of the garden has been taking place for the past nine months, the cats have been able to spend their days inside the Mission cloister. Spirit made herself quite at home and it became a daily exercise in Where’s Spirit? to find her newest hideout. Every afternoon, when the work crews would leave for the day, the cats have ventured out to explore and review the daily progress on the garden. Spirit was happy to have plants returned to her garden home and enjoyed both sunning herself on the rocks or wandering down the dry creek bed, craftily stalking small birds.
During the evening of November 12th, Spirit left us to rejoin her beloved Rosario. While we will miss her gentle nature and her shy affection, we are comforted by the fact that she’ll be running through the fields of heaven alongside Rosario. Knowing them both has enriched our lives and encouraged our spirits. We thank God for sharing them with us. We move onward towards our new future, with Hope and Joy trustily at our sides.