Santa Ysabel Mission is a small church on the Kumeyaay reservation, reached when Sean Callan and Nora Hayden leave Highway 79 during an afternoon drive. The chapel becomes a place of prayer and remembrance: its history of stolen bells and its altar prompt Nora to speak about Juan Parada, whose murder led her to betray Adán.

Setting and Architecture

Built in the classic California Mission style, the church is little more than a chapel. Inside, whitewashed adobe walls contrast with dark, hand-hewn beams beneath the peaked ceiling. Inexpensive pine paneling covers the lower walls, while stained-glass windows depict saints and the Stations of the Cross. The oaken pews look new, and the Mexican-style altar is decorated with brightly painted statues of Mary and the saints.

The Lost Bells

Beside the church, Callan and Nora encounter a small abstract statue labeled The Angel of the Lost Bells. Its accompanying plaque recounts that the mission’s bells were stolen in the 1920s. Parishioners continue to pray for their safe return, hoping the church will regain its voice. The account of a loss that remains unresolved gives the mission a history of absence as well as a place of worship.

Prayer and Remembrance

Nora has not entered a church since Parada’s funeral, and the mission’s interior brings him back to mind. She and Callan stand together before the altar while she prays for a long time. Outside, she says she feels better, then tells Callan about her friendship and love for Parada and explains that his murder was what led her to betray Adán. The mission thus holds a private reckoning within its religious setting: Nora’s prayer does not erase her hatred of Adán, but the visit opens a space for her to disclose the loss and choice that connect them.