| At San Lorenzo Seminary and Prayer Center, a complex of buildings and spectacular views cradled in the foothills of the San Rafael Mountains, to-do lists and the march of time lose their urgency. While breezes and birdsong brush the treetops, visitors converse, chatting easily until the setting sun startles them with the lateness of the hour.
"That's what this place does to you, you feel you can relax," Father Christopher Kearney smiles at a guest. "People often say this is about as close to heaven as they're going to get while on earth. It's a spiritual place where we can draw closer to God, and think about what's most important and valuable in our lives."
Father Chris and the other five residents of the center are Capuchin Franciscans, members of a Roman Catholic religious order devoted to contemplation and active service. Three hundred years after the inception of the movement by St. Francis of Assisi in the early 1200s, reformers seeking to re-establish Franciscan life according to the earliest tradition, founded the Capuchins, so-named because of the pointed hoods ("cappuccini") sewn into their brown robes.
The prayer center takes its name from San Lorenzo of Brindisi, a Capuchin priest of wondrous abilities who mastered a dozen languages, and proselytized in most of the countries of Europe in the late 16th century. A diplomat, orator, and military chaplain, he rode in front of the Imperial Army in two successful battles against the Turks, and eventually held all the offices of his Order. San Lorenzo was canonized in 1881, and made a Doctor of the Church about the same time the center was built.
The residents of San Lorenzo warmly welcome visitors who come to pray, walk the peaceful grounds, or attend daily services. A priest or brother is always available for anyone seeking spiritual counsel, and the doors to the chapel, with its gently flowing baptismal fount, are open to those in search of quiet contemplation.
The friars host groups, like AA and Al-Anon, as well as parishioners, and retreatants of all denominations, asking only a modest donation based on nights spent and meals taken. Visiting groups have the run of the grounds, use of classrooms, and access to a well-stocked library; and their positive experiences at San Lorenzo have prompted organizers to book weekends as far ahead as two years.
Father Kelly, who served as pastor at Mission Santa Ines in the early '60s, finds the swell of visitors refreshing. "It's what we're here for," he concedes, "we are hoping it's going to grow and grow." He laughs when he explains, "There's always so much to do: prepare talks, help out at other churches, host visiting groups, that none of us will be on Social Security any time soon."
Brother Joe has lived at San Lorenzo for 31 years, longer than anyone else. When he's not taking flowers to ailing friends and parishioners, lighting up their rooms with his wide smile, he's attending to visitors, or caring for the assortment of cats and elderly dogs that roam the center's grounds.
As vacationers discovered Solvang, and overflowed onto the mission grounds looking for gifts and guided tours, the friars decided to build a novitiate away from the hubbub, where novices could pursue their vocation, and members of the community could come to pray.
Bud Hourihan and his sisters, long-time residents of the Santa Ynez Valley, offered the Capuchins a parcel of land on their large ranch, located nine miles north of the mission. In 1960, the friars accepted 28 acres in a secluded Valley, and, a year later, construction of the novitiate began.
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Brother Alexius, who had built mission houses in Africa, and Brother Irenaeus, a hard worker from Ireland, formed San Lorenzo's first community, and did most of the construction work themselves. The Capuchin Franciscan history page, at www.beafriar.com/pioneer.html, relates these details of the seminary's beginnings:
"At first, access was difficult since the site was within a ranch and could be reached only by a very steep dirt road. Later, a paved road, nearly a mile long, was put in by Brothers Alexius and Irenaeus who lived for a while on the treeless hill, surrounded by half finished buildings, listening to the wind whistle and the coyotes howl."
Set on a scrubby knoll riddled with squirrel holes, the house opened in 1962. Eugene Ludwig, the first novice at San Lorenzo, plowed the hard ground to prepare it for the trees and lawns that would turn the rough hill into a lush retreat. He described the Santa Ynez Valley as "principally farming and ranching country, and on any given day one usually sees more cattle than people."
By 1985 the number of friars and novices in residence had dropped, and it was decided to open San Lorenzo as a retreat house. As Father Chris puts it, "We looked at all those empty rooms and suddenly realized, if you have taken a vow of poverty and you have such a beautiful place, you should share it."
Father Chris's association with San Lorenzo began in 1965, when he spent a few days at the novitiate before returning east to complete his training. After his ordination, he taught science at La Cañada's St. Francis High School for 26 happy years, and in 1995, he returned as Guardian of San Lorenzo Seminary.
"It was hot!" he remembers of his first visit, "It was just a new building in a field, like when you build a house and the lawn hasn't come up yet. Everything was dry, but beautiful&emdash;the sky, the hills, the quiet. I figured when I retired I'd come back and give tours of the Mission."
Smiling and serene, Father Chris scoots around the grounds in a golf cart, moving sprinklers, and pointing out his cactus gardens. A plant lover and keen observer, he notices all the newly pruned branches, volunteer seedlings, and wild critter activity that flank the bumpy paths.
"I like to be out in the air where you can walk, where you can grow something," Father Chris muses. Has the Valley captured his imagination? "Oh, yes," he declares, "how could it not?"
Near the swimming pool, he motions toward a grassy area where the friars hold two annual fundraisers: their Hawaiian Luau, a gala September event that includes dinner, auctions, and entertainment; and Country Fair, a child-friendly day of games, goodies, and live music, slated for May 18, 2002. Money raised at these events helps to maintain the buildings and extensive grounds.
Good humor informs every corner of San Lorenzo Seminary and Prayer Center, from the quips of the friars and the posted list of "Bumper Stickers Seen on the Popemobile" ("Question authority, ask me anything," and "God REALLY is my co-pilot"), to the contented cats lounging by the kitchen door and the gentle spirit of service that permeates the air. This community treasure offers a haven for study and prayer, and a quiet place to take a refreshing break from the tyranny of the clock.
San Lorenzo Seminary and Prayer Center is located at 1802 Sky Drive, Santa Ynez, and offers Mass daily at 7:15 a.m., Sundays at 8 a.m., and Vespers at 4 p.m. For information call 805-688-5630.
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