Portal to Heaven.
The Milky Way galaxy shines brightly above Saint Richard Catholic Church in Borrego Springs, California.
I shot this in the predawn hours of June 14, 2020 with a Canon EOS R mirrorless camera.
Until the 1940s, the Borrego Valley was considered one of the most isolated communities in San Diego County. The outside world was accessible by only a few dirt roads, and there were no telephones or outside electricity.
As the population of Borrego Springs grew in the late 1940s, it became clear that a Catholic Church should be established in the community. The Most Reverend Charles F. Buddy, Bishop of the San Diego Diocese, assigned the task to Father Francis Lobell, pastor of St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Julian. Father Lobell went about finding an appropriate site for the church.
A.A. Burnand's initial plans for the town included a "municipal center" located in the foothills at the top of T Anchor Drive. During the Easter season of 1949, a group of local residents placed a large cross on the ridge above, and it soon became known as the church area. It was there that Father Lobell secured a tract of land donated by Burnand for what was being called the de Anza Catholic mission, named for Juan Bautista de Anza, the early Spanish explorer who traversed the Borrego Valley in 1774 and 1775. While waiting for the new mission to be built, Father Lobell celebrated Mass at Hoberg's Desert Resort, now known as the Palms at Indian Head.
Fund-raising for the mission began in 1952, and by the summer of 1953 construction was underway. Built largely by volunteers, financial support was provided by the sixteen Catholic families living in Borrego, and by many others in the community.
Sadly, just as construction was finishing in October 1953, Father Lobell passed away. Father William Cooney became the new pastor of St. Elizabeth's, and oversaw the completion of the church.
In 2007 Rev. Victor Maristela was assigned to be pastor of St. Richard Catholic Church. And fifty-four years after the church was completed, the future looks as bright as ever.