Father Peter Escalante of Mission San De de Alcalá retired as pastor on his 70th birthday, March 1. The pastor served the mission for almost seven years.
Father Peter Escalante, Steps Down as Pastor
As reported on The Southern Cross, Father Peter Escalante retired as Pastor of Mission San Diego de Alcalá. He told The Southern Cross that serving the mission is a real privilege.
He did not only step down as pastor but also retired from active priestly ministry. For Father Escalante, those seven years at Mission San Diego de Alcalá are memories that he will continue to savor in retirement.
Father Escalante also plans to “stay active” by celebrating Masses at different churches. Additionally, he also welcomes opportunities to help the bishop and the diocese.
Mission San Diego de Alcalá marked its 250th Anniversary under his leadership. Moreover, he also navigated this faith community through the Covid – 19 pandemic.
For Father Escalante, the anniversary was a wonderful experience and a memorable celebration. Though, the pandemic made it a very challenging time for the parish. He reminisced and shared to The San Diego Cross that parishioners were invited to send in photos of themselves and their families during the lockdown when Masses were suspended.
These photos were printed out and attached to the pews of the mission church. They filled the entire church; the pictures were left on the pews for several months. According to Father Escalante, this act gave the parish a sense of strong connection during the isolation.
He was able to look out upon the photos as they recorded the Masses. When outdoor
Masses were allowed, the courtyard became the venue for the parishioners to listen to liturgies.
According to the Mission San Diego de Alcalá webpage, Father Escalante served as pastor of the mission since July 1, 2015. He hails from San Diego and grew up in the area.
Father Escalante served as the Pastor of St. Joseph Cathedral for eight years before coming to the mission.
He served as Secretary to Bishop Maher, Director of Vocations, and Director of the Office for Ministry to Priests; he also worked as a faculty member of St. Francis College Seminary.
Before he was appointed Pastor of St. Joseph Cathedral in 2007, he had served as Pastor of Santa Sophia Parish in Spring Valley, St. Brigid Parish, and St. Charles Borromeo Parish in San Diego.
He replaced Msgr. Richard Duncanson as the Pastor of Mission San Diego de Alcalá.
Fr. Escalante’s education includes St. Francis College Seminary at the University of San Diego.
He graduated in 1974. He pursued priestly education at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park and was ordained to the priesthood in 1978.
Fr. Escalante, after his ordination, completed graduate studies in spirituality at Duquesne University.
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
According to Facebook, it is located at 10818 San Diego Mission Rd., San Diego.
As per its history website, Mission San Diego de Alcalá is the soul of San Diego. It is the first Mission of California. The El Camino Real is a 600 mile stretch of road in California.
In here, 21 California Missions are located. The first among these missions is Mission San Diego.
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