As an historic landmark, Mission San José and the Mission museum preserve our history, and are places where all people–regardless of faith–can learn about the history of the Mission and the Ohlone Indians.  As the Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, Mission San José also needs to become a place that welcomes and spiritually nourishes those who visit the Mission as pilgrims.  Even in terms of history, the story of Mission San José is a story of faith.

The reimagined Mission museum centers around the concept of pilgrimage. We as Christians are a pilgrim people.  The Church is always on the move, carrying out Jesus’ call to bring the Gospel to every nation.  Each of us is also on a personal journey–the journey of faith that we call life.  Like pilgrims, we journey purposefully from one place to another, from one experience in life to another, with heaven as our final destination. Along the way, our paths cross and our stories become intertwined.  The Mission–as a missionary outpost–is a place where our paths can cross with God’s, a place where we are invited into God’s story, into the divine life.

The reimagined museum will feature be a cohesive story of the pilgrim characteristics of Joseph and the Holy Family, the Ohlone Indians, the Franciscan Missionaries, and the present day people of faith (all of us).  Joseph and the Holy Family journeyed a lot–Nazareth to Bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth to Jerusalem-with only what they could carry. The Ohlone Indians traveled throughout the region, moved into the Mission system, and then out of the Mission system. And the Franciscan Missionaries journeyed from Spain to Mexico and from Mexico to found Mission San José.

These stories of people on the move–indeed, God on the move in the world in and among his people–is the lens through which we will tell the story of the Mission.

Chapel of Healing

At the heart of the museum will be the Chapel of Healing. The current audio/visual room was once a chapel. As part of the renovation, the chapel will be restored and dedicated as a place of prayer and healing. One of Joseph’s titles in the Litany of St. Joseph is “Hope of the Sick.” This chapel will be a place where those who need healing in mind, body, and spirit for themselves and those they love can come to seek the intercession of St. Joseph, Hope of the Sick.

New Welcome Center and Reimagined Gift Shop

The current gift shop will be remodeled into a space for welcoming visitors and pilgrims as they arrive. It will provide hospitality and demonstrate the spirituality of this holy place. It will include a flat-screen TV for video presentations, a volunteer reception desk, and informational materials.  The current admin office behind the gift shop will be converted into a new gift shop entered from the welcome center. The reimagined gift shop will sell unique items related to St. Joseph and Mission San José, and religious books and articles focused on St. Joseph.

Renovated Exhibit Spaces

We will refresh and sequentially arrange the flow of Museum display areas according to three time periods: Pre‐contact, Mission Period 1797-1853, and Post Mission Period (1853-until now).  Next to the Chapel of Healing a new exhibit room will be created from a former storage room to display our collection of historic vestments and processional silver.  The museum’s lighting, security cameras, technology, and sound systems will also be upgraded.  The updated museum floor plan is shown here.