The Franciscan Priest: My 4X Great Grandfather

By Ron Wood

About the Book
This is Ron Wood’s second book. It is the story of his four-times Great Grandfather, who came to the Americas in 1806. He was a Franciscan Priest assigned to the Alta California mission system owned by the Catholic Church. This book was developed through family stories passed down through many generations. Fr. Blas Ordaz was born in 1792 and passed away in 1850, in the same year that California became the 31st state of The United States. Blas is buried underneath the floor of the San Gabriel Mission, located in San Gabriel, California.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: Aug 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888128367

Book preview

Chapter One

Introduction

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It was the summer of 1835 and sitting in the courtyard of Mission Buenaventura was the Priest. In his hands were two letters from the Vatican in Rome which were both addressed to him. The sun was just beginning to set over the Pacific Ocean which the Mission overlooked. There was a soft breeze blowing through the courtyard and you could smell the salt from the ocean in the air. The courtyard had several different types of palm trees ranging in sizes planted all around the courtyard and the mission. There were also other types of lush scrubs and flowers planted there which helped to create a peaceful setting. The mission not only overlooked the ocean but also the downtown area and graveyard. The downtown area consisted of Main Street with its shops and delivery stables. The sheriff also had his office there which contained the city’s jail.

Mission Buenaventura was a bit smaller than most of the other missions in California. It was actually an extension of Mission Santa Barbara, the Jewel of all the California missions. While it acted in the same manner and tradition as all of the other missions, it served fewer people and thus was a smaller venue.

Father Blas Ordaz had relocated to Mission Buenaventura from Mission Santa Inez in 1833. He was the proprietor of the mission and reported to the Father – President of the California missions, Narciso Duran, who was then located in Santa Barbara.

Father Ordaz and Father Duran were not friends and they both had a hard time tolerating each other. Father Duran always had the upper hand as he was the Father – President of all of the California missions. Both Father Ordaz and Father Duran came to Alta California in 1806. Father Duran was assigned to the Mission San Jose and Father Ordaz was assigned to Spanish expeditions. There was always competition between the two of them. In the beginning Father Ordaz became well-known throughout the California mission system as he traveled between most of them. Father Duran, however, was stationed in one place and had little interaction with the other missions. His ambiguity was short-lived, however, as he became known for his leadership of the San Jose mission which was considered to be one of the most prosperous of the Spanish missions in California. As a result, he served his first term as Father – President of the California missions from 1824 to 1828. Father Ordaz completed his last expedition in 1821 and was then assigned to the La Purisima mission. In 1824 both Father Ordaz and Father Duran were being considered for the Father – President Position and the story goes that most thought it was going to go to Father Ordaz. For whatever reason it did not go to him and thus began their dislike for each other that lasted throughout their remaining years.

Back in the courtyard sat Father Ordaz holding the letters he had received from Rome. The letters pertain to a relationship he was having with a widow woman and the two children he was said to have fathered. One a boy and one a girl. It was said that the letters were as a result of his accuser’s letters that had been sent to the Vatican advising the Pope of Father Ordaz’s transgressions. You might ask, who sent the letters to Rome….? Well, none other than Father Duran. The letters were an admonishment of his actions and advised him that he would be ex-communicated if he did not stop behaving in this manner.

Father Ordaz was angry with receiving these letters but he could not deny his actions or his behavior. It is said that he traveled to Santa Barbara the following day to finally take on Father Duran.

Chapter Two

1792-1806

Blass Ordaz was born in 1792 in Cervero de Rio Alamo, Burgos, Spain. Not much is known about his childhood, but the story goes something like this. He was the last of eighteen children and lived in a very poor town just outside of Burgos, Spain.

When he was about six years old his father passed away and his mother, who could no longer take care of her children, placed Blas and two of his other siblings in a convent.

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Convent de Santa Dorothea was an Augustinian nuns’