Golden Secrets

At the Mission, the padre conducted mass and baptisms and monitored the weaving and wine-making workers. Not only that, he had a knack for spotting cargo from the Orient docked at Refugio. In short, Romo  knew everything about everyone in the parish. For the Ortega family he spoke Spanish, the Mass was in Latin, and the Chumash instruction was in some combination of words and gestures. He impressed the Yankees with theological discussions in English. Many settlers arrived as Protestants, then were baptized as Catholics within a month of arrival in Alta California. Marriage to a local girl followed weeks later, all sanctioned by Padre Romo. No one at the table spoke as the p adre slurped up the rest of the berries. Th en, two men outside interrupted the silence when they came running toward the hacienda calling out in a panic. “¡Padre, Padre! ¡Fuego!” “Now, what?” Clara pushed away from the table. “What fi re, where?” “Bless my soul, hombres; we see no fi re.” Padre Romo rushed out the door and toward the men. Everyone moved out to the patio, sniffi ng the air and searching the sky. Th e sun had disappeared, and the hills were dark. “Th ere is a fi re at the back gate of the Mission.” Two Chumash men gasped for air after their long run; soot smeared their faces. Th e padre understood how serious this could be. Th e Mission’s most valuable product, tanned cattle hides, hung to dry near the back gate.