Those who are familiar with the old crooners, will perhaps remember “When the Swallows Return to Capistrano.” It was first composed by Leon Rene, and performed in 1940 by the Ink Spots. It was quite the hit, reaching No. 4 on the U.S. charts. It has been recorded again by many other artists, including Pat Boone, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, Guy Lombardo, Glenn Miller and many others. It is a love song, and the lyrics read, in part,

“When the swallows come back to Capistrano That’s the day you promised to come back to me When you whispered, ‘Farewell,’, in Capistrano Twas the day the swallow flew out to sea

All the mission bells will ring

The chapel choir will sing The happiness you’ll bring Will live in my memory When the swallows come back to Capistrano That’s the day I pray that you’ll come back to me.”

The swallow is rich in religious and cultural history, and perhaps the first reference to it is in the Bible, in Psalms 84:3. “Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.”

The swallows really do return to Mission San Juan Capistrano, once a year, traditionally on March 23, the Feast of St Joseph. Their migration from Argentina is the longest known of any migratory bird. Swallows are a cliff-dwelling bird that makes its nests of mud and twigs, which makes California seacoasts ideal for them. The Mission was founded Nov. 1, 1776, by Father Junipero Serra, and it was not long before the swallows shifted the allegiance from the coast to the walls of the mission.

A wonderful story recalls how the pastor of the mission, Father St. John Sullivan, was taking a walk one day in the 1930s, when he saw a shopkeeper charging about with a broom chasing the swallows out of his rafters. The birds made a huge noise as their homes were being destroyed. The padre demanded to know what the shopkeeper was up to, and the merchant replied that the birds were dirty and messy.

“Where will they go?” asked Sullivan, but the shopkeeper loudly declared that he could not care less. Father announced to the swallows that they were welcome to come to the mission “where there is room enough for all.”

The very next morning the swallows were found at the walls and eaves of the mission making new homes and have been there ever since. Or at least, according to Sullivan’s autobiography, that was how it occurred. To this day, the Mission Parish holds an annual festival on St. Joseph’s Day and the birds are welcomed back to the sounds of ringing mission bells.

There are two major varieties of swallows with many varieties in the larger family. In North America, they are a migratory bird, and at the end of a long flight the male typically chooses the nesting site, and then lures eligible females to come and make a home with him. After mating, the pairs remain monogamous. The eggs take 10-24 days to hatch. Both parents assist in feeding the chicks their preferred diet, which is composed of small bugs. When they are mature, the parents lure the fledglings out, but they are allowed to return home until they are ready to live on their own. They have a lifespan of two to three years.

A rich folklore surrounds the swallow. Perhaps because of the biblical references, they are seen as a bird of good omen. Swallows are said to have comforted Christ as he hung on the cross. Sailors have long held them dear because when a ship was returning, the mariners knew home was not far off when they encountered them. It was quite common for sailors to get a swallow tattooed on their bodies for good luck. A Celtic legend describes how swallows were the natural enemies of Irish serpents, before St. Patrick showed up to drive the snakes out. In ancient Greece, the swallow was a friend of the goddess Aphrodite, and so their appearance could bring luck to a fortunate bachelor. According to the Romans, the souls of the dead cold take the form of a swallow and its way to the underworld. In Japan, the swallow brought prosperity and the ability to avoid evil. In medieval Europe, they said, “when a swallow’s nest is high, the summer will be dry. When a swallow’s nest is low, it is safe to reap and sow.”

Swallow nests are of course good luck, but if you bash one in, you might go blind, so watch out.

Sadly, the swallows are returning to Capistrano in fewer numbers each year. Human inroads into their habitat have not helped and some reconstruction at the mission in the 1990s also did not help. The mission today releases ladybugs to lure more of the little fellows back. What if they stopped returning altogether? Well….doubtless that would mean a disaster of epic proportions.

Gregory Elder, a Redlands resident, is a professor emeritus of history and humanities at Moreno Valley College and a Roman Catholic priest. Write to him at Professing Faith, P.O. Box 8102, Redlands, CA 92375-1302, email him at gnyssa@verizon.net or follow him on Twitter @Fatherelder.