- Conducting religious services such as daily Mass, baptisms, marriages, and burials
-Administering sacraments and providing spiritual guidance to Native American converts
-Preaching and teaching Catholic doctrines and promoting religious knowledge
-Leading communal prayers, songs, and religious processions
Educational Responsibilities:
-Providing basic literacy and numeracy skills to Native American children and adults
-Establishing schools for the formal education of Native American children, teaching subjects like reading, writing, arithmetic, and catechism
-Creating printing presses and publishing materials such as catechisms, prayer books, and religious texts in Native Californian languages like Tongva and Diegueño
Cultural Exchange and Adaptation:
-Learning Native American languages and cultures to better communicate and spread the Catholic faith
-Encouraging Native Californians to adopt Spanish customs, dress, and lifestyle as a means of cultural assimilation
-Documenting Native American traditions, language, and customs for historical and anthropological purposes
Social and Economic Roles:
-Acting as intermediaries between the Spanish colonial government and Native American communities, facilitating communication and negotiation
-Managing the mission's economy and resources, including agriculture, livestock, and trade
-Overseeing the construction of the mission complex, including churches, living quarters, workshops, and irrigation systems
-Organizing Native American labor and providing vocational training in various crafts and trades such as carpentry, blacksmithing, and weaving
