OCEANSIDE, CALIF. — Three LDS musical groups were included in a recent community bicentennial celebration of an old Catholic mission in the San Diego, Calif., area.

Taking part in "Bicentennial Finale — a Choral Fest," which culminated a yearlong commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Mission San Luis Rey, were the Southern California Mormon Choir, a California Carlsbad Mission choir and cast members from "Company B," a local LDS musical about the Mormon Battalion. Some 2,000 people attended the June 13 event on the grounds of the mission. Mission San Luis Rey and another nearby mission, Mission San Diego, are official historical sites in San Diego County.

For the "Bicentennial Finale," Chuck Hackley, an officer in the modern-day Mormon Battalion organization, coordinated the arrangements with the Rev. Ben Innes, who is in charge of the mission. Brother Hackley also announced the LDS portion of the program.

The Carlsbad mission choir sang three hymns, "Love One Another," "Onward Christian Soldiers" and "Called to Serve." Cast members from "Company B," which depicts the story of the battalion in Southern California in 1847, performed two selections from the musical, "It Will Be Heaven" and "For Freedom, for God, and for Family." The entire program concluded with the Southern California Mormon Choir, directed by H. Douglas Custance and accompanied by Carol Cole, performing several hymns, including "Come, Come, Ye Saints," "I Believe in Christ" and "The Spirit of God," with John Huntington as soloist

"Many of the audience were totally overwhelmed with the choir and Brother Huntington's rendition of `The Spirit of God.' The choir was also heartily cheered for its performance of `When the Saints Go Marching In,' " said Brad York of the battalion's San Diego Company.

The program finale was the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," performed by the Southern California Mormon Choir, with fireworks and the ringing of the bells of the mission. A standing ovation followed.

The week following the celebration, local Church leaders presented a check for $2,000, contributed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation, to the Rev. Innes. Presenting the check were Brother Hackley; Frank Moon, a member of the Carlsbad California Stake presidency; Gaylor Smith of the Carlsbad stake high council; and Nick Nichols, media specialist for stake public affairs.

"It was a great way to end the bicentennial year," the Rev. Innes said after receiving the check, "and as we talk about the 200 years of history of the missions, the arrival of the Mormon Battalion and their service here is a most important part of our history. To be able to celebrate with our Mormon brothers and sisters and have such a wonderful evening as we did is a fitting climax to our celebration.

"We're most grateful to the Church for making this possible. It created an event that might not have happened and ended our bicentennial year as it should have because we were short of funding. We're very grateful that this climactic event did happen and we owe all its success to our Mormon neighbors. Thank you!"

The Church was invited to participate in the celebration because of the involvement of the original Mormon Battalion at Mission San Luis Rey, some 30 miles north of San Diego. The battalion arrived in the area in January 1847 before it turned south to San Diego. A company from the Mormon Battalion was sent back to the mission to protect it and to help repair the ravaged buildings and grounds. In 1995, Brother Mo, a Franciscan monk at the mission, told Carlsbad California Stake Pres. Roy D. Atkin: "At the time, the mission was almost in shambles, the victim of vandals and warring factions, all of whom wanted control of the mission because of its strategic position. The monks who were left at the mission were relieved that battalion members were willing to help them protect the property and were not interested in further pillaging."