What did Junipero Serra discover?
When Spain began its occupation of Alta California (present-day California ), Serra joined the expedition’s commander, Gaspar de Portolá. On July 16, 1769, he founded Mission San Diego, the first within the present state of California.
What is Father Junipero Serra most famous for?
Father Junipero Serra is known as the Father of California's Spanish missions. He personally founded nine of California's 21 Spanish missions and served as president of the California missions from 1767 until he died in 1784.
What did Junipero Serra do in ca?
While Serra is credited with spreading the Catholic faith across what is now California, critics say Serra was part of an imperial conquest that beat and enslaved Native Americans. Serra, who was born in Spain, came to the Americas in 1749, and in 1769 he founded the first of what would become 21 missions along the California coast.
Why did Father Junipero Serra travel to California?
Since Spain was a Catholic country, part of Spain’s plan when colonizing was to also spread Catholicism. Father Serra agreed to travel to Alta California and make the initial encounter with the native people and teach them about Catholicism. He also agreed to teach them about farming and the Spanish way of life.
Where did Junipero Serra grow up?
Born on November 24, 1713, on the Spanish island of Majorca, Junipero Serra came from humble beginnings. His parents, Antonio Nadal Serra and Margarita Rosa Ferrer, spent their lives working the land in the town of Petra. They had him baptized on his first day in the world, giving him the name Miguel Jose.
Where did Junipero Serra settle?
VeracruzIn 1749, Serra and the Franciscan missionary team landed in Veracruz, on the Gulf coast of New Spain (now Mexico).
Where was Father Junipero Serra from?
Petra, SpainJunípero Serra / Place of birthPetra is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean island of Majorca, in the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. "Petra" means "rock" in Latin. Wikipedia
Where was Father Junipero Serra buried?
Carmel Mission Basilica Museum, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CAJunípero Serra / Place of burialMission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo, or Misión de San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, first built in 1797, is one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California. Wikipedia
What does the name Junipero mean?
Juniper TreeThe name Junipero is primarily a male name of Spanish origin that means Juniper Tree.
Why was Spain in Alta California?
Spain wanted to protect its California colony from other European powers, so it established strategically placed presidios (defensive forts). Soldiers lived within the presidios and worked to protect the missions, the ports, and Spanish interests in the California region.
Where and when was Fr Serra born?
Miquel Josep SerraJunípero Serra / Full name
Why was Junipero Serra statue torn down?
In spring 2020, the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer prompted nationwide protests over racial injustice. On July 4, 2020, protesters tore down the Serra statue on the Capitol grounds.
Where did Junipero Serra go to school?
Universidad Luliana1742College of San Fernando de MexicoJunípero Serra/Education
What country built missions in California?
SpainSpain was responsible for the missions, which scholars believe were attempts to colonize the Pacific coast of North America. There were 21 missions in all, lasting from 1769 until about 1833.
Who is buried at Carmel Mission?
Both Serra and Lasuén are buried at the mission. Mission San Carlos de Borroméo (Carmel Mission), in 1791, before construction of the present church. This mission served as headquarters of Fathers Serra and Lasuén, who founded 18 of the 21 California missions. From a drawing by Jose Cardero.
When did Father Serra come to Mexico?
The date of arrival at Veracruz was December 6, 1749. Fr. Serra was now 36 years old, and was to serve in Mexico nineteen years, from 1750 to 1768.
Where was Junipero Serra born?
Early Life. Born on November 24, 1713, on the Spanish island of Majorca, Junipero Serra came from humble beginnings. His parents, Antonio Nadal Serra and Margarita Rosa Ferrer, spent their lives working the land in the town of Petra. They had him baptized on his first day in the world, giving him the name Miguel Jose.
What did Serra do in 1751?
Serra preached to the native people and sought ways to improve the area's economy. During the late 1750s into the 1760s, Serra played many different roles at the College of San Fernando.
What did Serra do for Native Americans?
Serra spent the rest of his life devoted to his evangelical work in the region. In trying to bring his religion to the Native Americans sometimes led to clashes with his own government. He clashed with Spanish authorities over the way soldiers treated the native peoples. While he advocated on behalf of native peoples, Serra also sought to correct them when they broke the rules as well. He supported the use of corporal punishment for offenses.
Why did Serra clash with Spanish authorities?
In trying to bring his religion to the Native Americans sometimes led to clashes with his own government. He clashed with Spanish authorities over the way soldiers treated the native peoples. While he advocated on behalf of native peoples, Serra also sought to correct them when they broke the rules as well.
Why did Pope Francis say that Serra was important?
Pope Francis told the thousands who attended the mass that Serra "sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it. Mistreatment and wrongs which today still trouble us, especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people.".
What is the significance of Serra's death?
After his death, Serra was remembered for his dedication to his faith and for bringing Catholicism to California. Beginning in the 1940s, a movement began to have him canonized. Pope John Paul II beatified Serra in 1988, giving him the title of "Blessed.".
When was Serra canonized?
Serra established nine missions there from 1769 to 1782. He died in 1784. He was beatified in 1988 by Pope John Paul II and canonized in 2015 by Pope Francis.
Where did Serra work?
In 1750 he arrived in Mexico City for missionary work among the Indians, serving first in the Sierra Gorda missions from 1750 to 1758 and then in south-central Mexico from 1758 to 1767. When Spain began its occupation of Alta California (present-day California ), Serra joined the expedition’s commander, Gaspar de Portolá.
What did Serra introduce to the Indians?
His advocates claim that he was a strenuous defender of the Indians and introduced to their lands the cattle, sheep, grains, and fruits of Mexico.
Why is Junipero so famous?
He eventually entered the Franciscan Order, taking the name Junipero after St. Juniper. He became famous for his learning and was appointed to the chair of Duns Scotus at the University of Palma, the university’s most distinguished position. He had a prestigious academic career ahead of him.
How long did Junipero spend in Baja California?
During the ten years he spent in Baja California, St. Junipero was able to pacify and civilize an area where, for two centuries, others had attempted but failed. Yet our saint achieved even greater success with his next apostolate in Upper California.
How many Indians did Junipero convert?
He converted 5,000 Indians during his life and thousands more converted later due to his heroic apostolate. St. Junipero obeyed Christ’s great commission, “Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt 28: 19).
Who was the father of the natives?
The record needs to be set straight. St. Junipero Serra was a friend and dedicated father to the natives. He improved their lifestyle and brought them Western civilization. Most importantly, he brought thousands of natives into the fold of Holy Mother Church and therefore saved many souls.
Who led the expedition to California?
In 1768, Jose de Galvez led an expedition to Upper California, our current State of California. He asked St. Junipero to go with him to begin a mission system in those unsettled lands. The strong-willed and daring Galvez found Serra to be a man of his liking; together, they began to plan California’s conquest.
Who was the first Spanish missionary to visit the Spanish?
Arriving in Upper California, St. Junipero founded the first mission, San Fernando de Velicata, named after King St. Ferdinand III. Here the Spanish met with the pagan natives for the first time.
Did Junipero go to the missions?
Since his youth, Junipero had a desire to go to the missions. After teaching at the university for ten years, Junipero and his friend Fr. Francisco Palou asked to go to the missions. They were denied permission, but after some friars decided not to go, vacancies opened up for St. Junipero and Fr. Palou. Before leaving St. Junipero wrote a letter to his parents, saying, “Always go forward and never go back,” which sums up his indefatigable spirit.
What did the Spanish conquistadors do to help the natives?
Many of the Spanish conquistadors were committed to the evangelization and fair treatment of the native peoples and chaplains accompanied them to provide for their spiritual needs and to spread the Gospel . Sadly, many Spanish colonists focused on finding gold, spices, and exploiting the natives.
Who was the bishop of Mexico who fought against the Aztecs?
Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, best known for his role in the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531, fought against the enslavement of the native Aztecs in Mexico, going so far as to excommunicate the colonial authorities who defied him.
When did the Spanish colonize the New World?
Permanent Spanish colonization and evangelization efforts in the New World began with the voyages of Columbus in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. In 1565, a settlement at St. Augustine, Florida, was founded, forty-two years before the English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. Spanish colonial activity was extensive, taking place ...
Where did Serra live?
A native of Mallorca, Serra left behind family, friends, and prestige as a professor of philosophy to become a missionary ad gentes in North America during the latter half of the 18th century.
Why did Serra visit Mexico City?
In 1773, Serra, gravely ill and seemingly near death, traveled thousands of miles to visit the viceroy in Mexico City to discuss certain conflicts which had arisen between the missionaries of Alta California and the Spanish military relating to the governance of the missions.
Why was the Gospel preached in California?
The bottom line is that, due to the apostolic efforts of Father Serra and the other Franciscan missionaries, the Gospel was preached to the natives of California. It is virtually certain that many of them, especially the baptized who died in infancy and childhood, were spared eternal separation from God.
What is the importance of Serra's penitential practices?
Although he, like the other missionaries of his time, spoke in paternalistic tones about the natives, his letters demonstrate that he loved and cared for them. Also, Serra’s penitential practices are acts to admire if not necessarily imitate. For example, he slept only a few hours per night on a board while clutching a one-foot crucifix. After rising with his confreres at midnight to say the office, he routinely eschewed returning to bed and would instead pray and read until dawn. In short, Serra reportedly exhibited heroic virtue and the other trappings of sanctity, even though the Spanish colonial system in which he operated was far from perfect. The Church has canonized a man, not a system.
What was the impact of Serra's program of colonization?
According to some critics, Serra was the architect of a program of colonization which resulted in the enslavement of unwilling neophytes, fostered the eradication of native culture and traditions, caused the decimation of the local native populations through the spread of European diseases, and facilitated a host of other evils which are still felt even to the present day.
What was the sober reality for the Native tribes of California?
But the sober reality for the native tribes of California was that outsiders—and their foreign diseases—were coming no matter what. If not the Spanish from the south or the Russians from the north, eventually they would have been visited by the English or the Americans from the east.
Did Serra use corporal punishment?
There is no evidence that Serra himself ever used such punishment, though as a man of his era, he did not oppose it. Corporal punishment was also used on Spanish troops and non-natives. But the natives were not “slaves” as that term is commonly understood in America.
Synopsis
Early Life
- Born on November 24, 1713, on the Spanish island of Majorca, Junipero Serra came from humble beginnings. His parents, Antonio Nadal Serra and Margarita Rosa Ferrer, spent their lives working the land in the town of Petra. They had him baptized on his first day in the world, giving him the name Miguel Jose. He was later educated by Franciscan monks ...
Missionary in Mexico
- In 1749, Serra took on a new challenge—bringing his faith to the New World as a missionary. He traveled first to Mexico with a former student, Francisco Palóu. Serra landed in Vera Cruz and walked 250 miles to Mexico City. Along the way, he suffered an injury to his leg, which would cause him pain the rest of his days. Serra joined College of San Fernando, a missionary school i…
California Missions
- Serra established his first mission in San Fernando de Velicatá in May 1769. Moving further north, he founded another mission in San Diego, first of nine missions he created in what is present-day California, that July. Serra spent the rest of his life devoted to his evangelical work in the region. In trying to bring his religion to the Native Americans sometimes led to clashes with his own gover…
Controversy Over Sainthood
- In 2015, Pope Francis made Junipero Serra a saint during his first visit to the United States. A special mass was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on September 23. This service marked the country's first canonization. Pope Francis told the thousands who attended the mass that Serra "sought to defend the dignity of th…