Mission San Juan Capistrano’s Romance of the Mission benefit gala returns to the beautiful  grounds of historic Mission San Juan Capistrano on Friday, September 14. Longtime Mission San Juan supporters Madeline and James Irvine Swinden will be honored for their extensive leadership and support of preservation efforts and NBC’s America’s Got Talent star and youngest-ever solo platinum artist Jackie Evancho is this year’s concert artist.

As devoted advocates for the arts, education and health sciences, Madeline and James Irvine Swinden have long supported historic Mission San Juan Capistrano along with numerous philanthropic causes throughout California.

“The Mission Preservation Foundation recognizes the Irvine-Swinden’s as critically important friends to the Mission and is sincerely happy to celebrate them as a couple at this wonderful gala tradition. They join the distinct roster of former honorees that include Sheila and Jim Peterson, Bette and Wylie Aitken and The Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel,” said Mechelle Lawrence Adams, Executive Director of the Foundation.

Madeline co-founded the Friends of the Mission in 1996, is the founding chair of the Mission’s benefit gala and has served on the Mission Preservation Foundation board for several years. James is a fifth generation Californian, an ardent devotee of California history and art and founding member of the California Cultural and Historical Endowment. Most recently, he helped to establish The Irvine Museum dedicated to California Impressionism and was the vision and driving force behind the new UCI Institute and Museum for California Art.

“Jim and I are touched and enormously grateful to be recognized as the 2018 Romance of the Mission honorees.  We are both passionately devoted to the Mission and applaud the remarkable work that the Mission Preservation Foundation has done to preserve this unique Orange County landmark. As we celebrate the past and look to the future, we invite all of you to join in the auspicious opportunity to make a difference in our mutual goal of preserving this important part of California history, not only for our community, but for future generations to come,” said Madeline.

Organizers are thrilled to reveal Jackie Evancho as this year’s concert artist. Since she first appeared on NBC’s America’s Got Talent at the tender age of 10, she’s gained global recognition and has released a string of platinum and gold albums with sales of over 2.5 million in the US. Now 18 years old, Evancho will entertain guests with an intimate concert in the ruins of the Great Stone Church.

The evening begins at 6:00 p.m. with an opening reception in the Mission’s Front Gardens followed by the concert, traditional bell ringing and candlelight four-course plated dinner in the Central Courtyard hosted by long-time community partner, the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar, will generously donate their time and expertise with table décor for the event.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is located at 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675. For information on underwriting or reservations or request an invitation contact Barb Beier at (949) 234.1323 or bbeier@missionsjc.com. For more information about Mission San Juan Capistrano, visit www.missionsjc.com.

About Mission San Juan Capistrano

Known as the “Jewel of the Missions,” Mission San Juan Capistrano is a historic landmark and museum that boasts of quality permanent exhibits featuring original artifacts as well as traveling and temporary exhibits on a wide variety of topics.

The Mission is also Orange County’s only Mission and is a site of ongoing faith, education, preservation, and cultural event programming.  The site includes such original buildings as the Serra Chapel, Great Stone Church, and the original padres’ quarters of the South Wing.

The Mission was founded on November 1, 1776 by Padre Junipero Serra as the seventh in the chain of the twenty-one California missions established by Spain. Over 70,000 fourth grade students visit the Mission as part of their field trip learning about Early California history.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is owned by the Diocese of Orange.  Its fundraising entity, the Mission Preservation Foundation, is comprised of business and community leaders committed to ensuring the long term preservation and viability of Orange County’s only Mission. The Mission receives no funding from either the Church or the State of California and must charge admission funds as a means of providing continued public access.