Saint Junípero Serra Ferrer O.F.M. ( /huːˈniːpəroʊ ˈsɛrə/; Spanish: [xuˈnipeɾo ˈsera]; November 24, 1713 – August 28, 1784), popularly known simply as Junipero Serra, was a Spanish Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He founded a mission in Baja California and established eight of the 21 Spanish missions in California from San Diego to San Francisco, in what was then Spanish-occupied Alta California in the Province of Las Californias, New Spain.
Serra was
beatified by
Pope John Paul II on 25 September 1988 in
Vatican City. Amid denunciations from Native American tribes who accused Serra of presiding over a brutal colonial subjugation,
Pope Francis
canonized Serra on 23 September 2015 at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, D.C., during his
first visit to the United States. Serra's missionary efforts earned him the title of "Apostle of California". (
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Attributes: Franciscan habit, wearing a large
crucifix, or holding a crucifix accompanied by a young Native American boy
Patronage:
Vocations;
Hispanic Americans; California
See also:
Oliver Plunkett