St. Leo’s Mission was founded in 1942 by families of La Colonia, many of whom found themselves sending sons to fight in World War II. The war brought urgency for a spiritual center for the community, according to reports from the era. The church’s first home was a small barracks building moved from the Camp Callan Army base on Torrey Pines Mesa. In 1959, the eastern portion of the church property was claimed for constriction of Interstate 5, resulting in the church’s displacement. Parishioners took over a nearby concrete platform that contained the shell of a building initially planned as a community hall and held fiestas to help raise money for a new structure. The site itself was donated by Frank “Pancho” Garcia, who ran a grocery store and cantina near his home at the corner of Valley Avenue and Genevieve Street starting in the 1920s. Desi Arnaz of “I Love Lucy” fame often played music at the temporary church site while visiting his summer home in Del Mar. Actors Pat O’Brien and Bing Crosby also were visitors.
In spite of this push to rebuild a permanent church for St. Leo in the 1960s, there was some controversy over whether two Catholic churches were needed less than a quarter-mile apart in the same community. St. James had relocated to Solana Beach from what is now the current library site in Del Mar. After intense lobbying led by Cipriana Gonzales — who took the case to the Vatican — the diocese of San Diego in 1966 agreed that St. Leo’s was a cultural as well as religious center, essential to the La Colonia community, and that it should be preserved. St. Leo’s became a mission church under the pastorship of St. James and the two parishes were joined, as they remain today.
That same year, parishioners built their modest church and bell tower from the shell on the temporary platform for just $2,000. The brass bell would ring for births, baptisms, marriages, quinceañeras, sacred Masses and funerals until 2004, when the tower was found to be termite infested and had to be taken down. After another successful fund-raising effort, a new steel tower was erected in 2012.
Boo-Boo had been looking forward to the Historical Society’s Halloween party all month. He had never been to one before, and was excited to dress up in his best white sheet.
Jackie o’Lantern was feeling excited as she made her way to the community center by the sea. It was the earliest Halloween party of the season, and Jackie loved nothing more than dressing up and celebrating with her friends.
The Jinx attended the earliest Halloween party of the season, at a community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon and the days might finally start to get chilly. The Jinx was excited to attend his first Halloween party, but he was also nervous. What would he wear? He had no idea what costumes humans wore. He decided to go as himself and flew to the party in a cloud of dark smoke.
Obscuro was getting excited for the upcoming Halloween party. It would be his first one of the season, and he was looking forward to dressing up in his favorite costume. He had white latex skin that made his face look like a mask, so he always stuck out in a crowd. But that was exactly why he loved going to Halloween parties- he loved the opportunity to show off his unique look.
Lucius Morte had never been to a Halloween party before. He had always been too busy tormenting the damned in the 4th level of hell to bother with earthly celebrations. But this year, he was feeling particularly restless and decided to venture out into the world of mortals. He found a community center by the sea that was hosting a Halloween party and decided to attend.
Vespera was so excited to go to the Halloween party. It was at a community center by the sea, and it would be her first party in a long time! She had been practicing her mime and charade skills for weeks, and she was determined to show everyone how good she was.
Gourdy Bane was very excited to attend the earliest Halloween party of the season. It was being held at a community center by the sea, and he loved the sound of waves crashing against the shore. When he arrived, he saw that the party was already in full swing. There were pumpkins everywhere, and people were dressed in costumes. Gourdy Bane saw a couple of gourds wearing pirate costumes, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He loved Halloween parties, and he was having a great time dancing to the music and eating candy.
Morrigana was very excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and the days were finally starting to get chilly. Morrigana had been working on her Halloween outfit all year long, and she was looking forward to showing it off.
William Wisp had been looking forward to the community center’s Halloween party all month long. It was going to be two days before the full moon, and he loved the smell of fall in the air (cinnamon and pumpkin spice). His Halloween costume was all ready to go, and he was excited to show it off to all of his friends. This year, he was dressed as a pumpkin. His little orange boots matched his little pumpkin body perfectly.
Mr. Creepers was all dressed up and ready to go to the community center by the sea for the earliest Halloween party of the season. It had been a long time since he’d been out and about, but he was feeling young at heart and ready to have some fun. He loved the black 1940s coat that he had found at a thrift store and felt confident that he would be the most stylish person at the party.
The Frankster had always loved Halloween. He loved the costumes, the candy, and most of all, the parties. This year, he was especially excited for the party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and he could feel a tiny bit of a cool autumn breeze in the air.
Wooblydook was really excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. He had never been to one before, and he was looking forward to kale pulling and making neep lanterns. The party was two days before the full moon, and Wooblydook was hoping it would start to get chilly soon. He loved being out in the cold and feeling his bat-like ears flap in the wind.
As the sun began to set, the community center by the sea came to life. Lights flickered on, announcing that the earliest Halloween party of the season was about to start. A golden sun slowly rose in the sky, growing brighter and brighter as it got closer to the horizon. As it reached its peak, people whispered: this sun only came out at night. It was the Midnight Sun.