St. Junípero Serra

Their story

Miguel José Serra was born in 1713 on the island of Majorca, in Spain. He joined the Franciscans, taking the name Junípero after one of St. Francis's early companions, and became a respected professor of philosophy. But at 35 he gave up his academic career to become a missionary in the New World. After arriving in Mexico in 1749, he insisted on walking the long road from the coast to Mexico City, and along the way an injury to his leg left him in pain for the rest of his life. For years Serra served among the native peoples of the Sierra Gorda mountains in Mexico. In 1769, at the age of 55, he joined a Spanish expedition north into what is now California and founded the mission of San Diego. Over the next fifteen years he founded nine missions along the California coast, walking thousands of miles between them despite his bad leg. He baptized and confirmed thousands of people and introduced farming and crafts. He also defended the native peoples against abuse by Spanish soldiers and officials, traveling to Mexico City to secure protections for them. The mission system brought great suffering to many native Californians, through disease, the loss of their lands and ways of life, and harsh discipline, and Serra's legacy remains painful for many today. The Church honors his zeal and personal holiness while acknowledging these wounds. He died at Mission San Carlos in Carmel on August 28, 1784. In 2015 Pope Francis canonized him in Washington, D.C., the first canonization ever celebrated on American soil.