Blessed Father Junípero Serra
Founder of California Missions
Feastday: August 28
Some people may have questioned the wisdom of the 5-foot 2-inch monk whose zealous actions often drove his points home. His listeners regarded Junípero Serra as an excellent speaker who got his audiences to pay close attention. And just in case they didn’t get the importance of his points, he would beat himself with a rock while preaching or set a lighted torch against his chest. In effect, his actions not only punished himself, but caused the congregation to be penitent for their own sins.
Junípero Serra, born Miguel Jose Serra, in 1713 on a Spanish Island, did not think his mortal life and body were all that important. He did not believe that his earthly existence provided the ultimate home for his soul. As a result, he turned away from anything that most people found pleasurable, including friendships, food, comfort, humor, and the arts.
At the age of 16 while still living on the Spanish island of Majorca, in the Mediterranean Sea off Spain’s eastern coast, Miguel Jose, as he was baptized, became a Franciscan monk. He traveled to Palma where he took the new name of Junípero and studied philosophy. After receiving a doctorate in that subject, he taught at the university in Palma until 1750 when he volunteered to go to the new world as a missionary.
Along with some other Franciscans he sailed for Mexico where he did missionary work for 16 years. In 1767 the Jesuits had to leave their missions in Baja California and the Franciscans took them over. Junípero lead this work and eventually founded more missions in this remote land where literally thousands of indigenous people became Christians. Often walking, Junípero founded nine missions which eventually became 21 along the nearly 700 miles of the El Camino Real between San Diego and Sonoma.
The missions became places where people could live, find clothing, food and learn trades. The missions developed into agricultural and manufacturing centers as the community learned farming, carpentry and metalworking. It was the people of indigenous culture groups themselves that often constructed the new mission buildings. The missionaries taught the people to read and write and instructed them in Christian teachings. Junípero translated the Catechism into their own language.
As Junípero got older, his body suffered from his earlier days. Not only did he bare scars from his penitent inflictions on himself, but when he first arrived in the new world, he fell from a mule. In this fall he wounded his leg and it never healed properly. For the rest of his life he would suffer from this injury although it never prevented him from walking everywhere he went along the hundreds of miles between the California missions. The last injury came from a snake bite on August 28, 1784 that resulted in his death. Father Junípero Serra is buried under the sanctuary floor at Mission San Carolos Borromeo del Carmel in Carmel, California.
Connecting to Faith First® Legacy Edition
Junior High, Church History, chapters 9 and 11