STEVE EMBER: Today, the people of California consider the missions a treasure. Eighteen of the twenty-one are still active Catholic churches.
All of the missions are museums that teach the early history of California. Many visitors come to the missions to see the beautiful buildings. Several of the missions have become famous. One example is the Mission San Juan Capistrano. It was planned and built by Junipero Serra.
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Each year, on the same day, at almost the same hour, thousands of birds called swallows return to the mission. They return from their winter homes thousands of kilometers to the south. The swallows arrive on March nineteenth. They build nests and raise their young in the old mission. They leave on October twenty-third.
One story says the birds have been late only once because of a storm at sea. Everyone agrees that Junipero Serra would have loved the beautiful swallows of Capistrano.
(MUSIC: “When The Swallows Come Back to Capistrano”)
FAITH LAPIDUS: This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. I’m Faith Lapidus.
STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.
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2013-11-25
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