Who is Saint Junipero Serra and what did he do?
St. Junípero Serra. Spanish Franciscan priest, explorer and colonist of California, and founder of the missions of California, Saint Junípero Serra is known as the “Apostle of California” and “The Father of the California Missions”.
When did Junipero become a friar?
At the age of 16, Miguel entered the Franciscan friary and took the name Junípero, after a close follower of St. Francis of Assisi. On September 14, 1730 he entered the Order of Friars Minor (O.F.M.). As an academic, he was appointed a lector of philosophy before his ordination to the priesthood.
Why did Junipero and Portola leave San Diego?
Portola and St. Junipero reached the newly founded San Diego. In a few months, the colony ran low on food, and the Governor declared that if supply ships did not arrive, the expedition would be abandoned on March 14. St. Junipero pleaded with Portola to wait until the feast of St. Joseph, March 19.
Why is Father Serra called the Apostle of California?
Serra’s missionary efforts earned him the title of „Apostle of California“. Both before and after his canonization, Serra’s reputation and missionary work during the Spanish occupation have been condemned by critics, who cite alleged mandatory conversions to Catholicism, followed by abuse of the Native American converts.
Was a police car parked near a fallen Father Junipero Serra statue?
A police vehicle was parked near a statue of Father Junipero Serra in June at the San Gabriel Mission, in California after a statue of Serra in nearby downtown Los Angeles had been toppled earlier that week. Credit…
Was Father Serra the first developer of California?
Father Serra had his fervent backers — one California real estate developer had 100 statues of him cast from a single mold, and sent the monuments to Catholic schools and missions throughout the state, praising the friar as “the first developer of California.”