So I got in my rental car and drove south to visit Mission San Juan Capistrano.
Whenever I'm in the LA the area, I try to visit one of the historic Spanish missions. And to date, Mission San Juan Capistrano has been my favorite.
Why?
Well, how about the swallows?
Before my visit, I vaguely remembered an old song about "the swallows of Capistrano." Well, it turns out that those swallows are associated with the mission.
The legend goes like this.
Father John O'Sullivan was the pastor of Mission San Juan Capistrano from 1910-1933. One day, while walking through town, Father O'Sullivan saw a shopkeeper, broomstick in hand, knocking down the mud, cone-shaped swallow nests under the eaves of his shop. The birds were flying about, shrieking over the destruction of their nests.
"What are you doing?" the upset O'Sullivan asked.
"These dirty birds are a nuisance and I am getting rid of them!" the angry shopkeeper responded.
"But where shall they go?" asked O'Sullivan.
"I don't know and I don't care," replied the shopkeeper, slashing away the nests. "These birds have no business here!"
O'Sullivan paused and then said, "Come swallows, and I will give you shelter! Come to the Mission. There's room enough there for all."
The very next morning, Mission San Juan Capistrano awoke to find the swallows busy building their nests outside the church. And every spring thereafter, the migratory swallows would return to nest at the Mission.
O'Sullivan and the Mission began to celebrate the "miracle" of the annual return of the swallows on March 19, St. Joseph's day, an event still celebrated at the Mission.
The song "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano", written by Leon René, was first recorded by the Ink Spots. Here are the lyrics:
When the swallows come back to CapistranoYou can listen to the Ink Spots sing the song here.
That's the day you promised to come back to me
When you whispered, "Farewell", in Capistrano
Twas the day the swallows flew out to sea
All the mission bells will ring
The chapel choir will sing
The happiness you'll bring
Will live in my memory
When the swallows come back to Capistrano
That's the day I pray that you'll come back to me
All the mission bells will ring
The chapel choir will sing
The happiness you'll bring
Will live in my memory
When the swallows come back to Capistrano
That's the day I pray that you'll come back to me
