Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of St. Junipero Serra, The Apostle ofCalifornia | August 28
St. Junipero was a Spanish priest and a missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He founded in Baja California the first nine of the 21 Spanish Missions, from San Diego to San Francisco, in what was then the Spanish-occupied Alta California in the Province of Las Californias, New Spain. St. Junipero was born Miguel Jose Serra y Ferrer in Petra, Mallorca in an island off coast of the Mediterranean Coast of Spain on November 24,1713. At age seven, he already started to help his parents work in the fields. He was fond of visiting the Franciscan Friars at San Bernardino, and had his primary
education at the school of the Friars. At age 16, he studied philosophy and on September 14, 1730, He entered the Franciscan Order, became a novice and was given the name Junipero, to honor Brother Juniper, one of the first companions of St. Francis of Assisi. As a religious, He
followed strictly the rigid schedule of prayers, meditation, choir singing,
study, spiritual reading and domestic chores. Among his favorite readings were the lives of Franciscan missionaries who were holy and suffered martyrdom. He became a priest in 1737. For three years, he taught philosophy while studying theology and later received a doctorate in theology. Then he applied to go to the foreign missions. Together with Francisco Palou and a few others they sailed on to Vera Cruz. But in order to get to New Mexico, their destination, they
had to go on horseback. Junipero refused to take a horse, following a rule of St. Francis that only in extreme necessity and in infirmity must a Franciscan travel on horseback. on the way, his left foot swelled and then bled, with a wound that he suffered the whole of his life. The object of their mission were Indians, natives who tried to evade the Spanish conquerors, whose soldiers were around to control the lives of the natives. They were hunters, farmers, and men of various trades and had their own religion. Junipero and his companions tried to help the people improve economically. They built roads, introduced skilled farm labor and taught the women knitting and weaving. They introduced Catholic practices and the people got involved. On June 24, 1767, King Carlos III expelled the Jesuits who earlier had already established several Missions. They were sent away without allowing them to bring any of
their possessions. After the departure of the Jesuits, the Franciscans took over. Junipero was appointed president of the Mission in Baja, California, but they were only allowed to manage the people’s spiritual affairs and other matters were controlled by the soldiers. St. Junipero and his companions were able to establish the following Missions: San Diego de Alcala, San Carlos Borromeo Carmelo, San Antonio de Padua, San Gabriel Arcangel, San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, San Juan Capistrano, San Francisco de Asis, Santa Clara de Asis, San Buenaventura, Santa Barbara, all in the State of California. The mission station in San Buenaventura in Ventura, California became a parish in 2020.
Junipero died at the age of 70 at San Carlos Borromeo Mission on August 28, 1784. He was beatified by Pope St. John Paul ll, at the Vatican on September 25, 1988 and was canonized in Washington D.C. by Pope Francis on September 23, 2015. For his great accomplishment in founding the Missions in California, he is called “THE APOSTLE OF CALIFORNIA.”
Virtue: piety, humility, penitence, courage, fortitude, excellence, integrity, charity, generosity and temperance.
Prayer: “Lord, give us the grace to help other people with our examples and words.”
