About Portolá 250
21 Missions in 21 Days
2019 marks the 250th anniversary of the Portolá Expedition, a land journey from San Diego to Monterey which helped lay the groundwork for St. Junipero Serra’s establishment of the first nine Missions along El Camino Real (Spanish for “The King’s Highway”), which runs from San Diego to San Francisco; what we know as Interstate 5 today.
On a modern-day road trip, Catholics across 12 dioceses comprising 30 percent of the state’s population or more than 10 million California adults who identify themselves as Catholic are preparing to raise their collective voice as we come together to reenact this Sacred Expedition and to revitalize Christianity in California with the same fervent spirit as those early missionaries.
The world-famous International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima will accompany the Portolá 250 tour of the California Spanish missions.
This historic tour of the Spanish missions will feature the world-famous International Pilgrim Virgin Statue, which has been traveling non-stop for 72 years, bringing the message of Fatima to a world in need.
The expedition tour will kick-off with the first mission in Alta California, Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá and go as far north as Mission Sonoma. Escorted by the Blue Army and the California Knights of Columbus and their color corps, the journey for the pilgrim statue is from September 1st through September 21st with a final visit in a carefully selected public square, the state’s capital, Sacramento before she departs.
Please check calendar of stops to find the one closest to you and join us that day to hear the story of Fatima and venerate this beautiful statue that set out from Fatima in 1947 to bring the graces of Fatima to all who might not ever be able to make a pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal.
Hundreds of favors and graces, including cures and countless conversions are associated with the image. The presence of this special statue (sculpted by José Thedim in 1947, based on Sr. Lucia's description of her encounters with Our Lady) is a great gift to our community.