Saint Junípero Serra

By Father Scott Archer

July 1, 2020

The story of Saint Junípero Serra begins in the 18^th century on the island of Mallorca off the eastern coast of Spain. He was the son of Antonio Serra, a farmer, and Margarita Ferrer. Born on November 24, 1713, in the village of Petra, at baptism he was given the name Miguel José.

At the age of sixteen, he went to Palma, the capital of Mallorca, and applied for admission into the Franciscan Order. He was very short, and the provincial took him to be much younger than he was, so he was refused admission. He was admitted after his tutor and some Franciscans spoke up for him, and he received the gray habit of the Observant Friars Minor. At profession they were allowed to replace their baptismal name, and Miguel José became Junípero.

There was one desire that burned in the heart of Fray Junípero above all others; to become a missionary in order to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and baptize the pagans of the New World.

On August 20, 1749, thirty-one Franciscans and some Dominicans set sail for Mexico, but first they stopped in Puerto Rico, where they stayed for eighteen days. From there, they set sail for Vera Cruz, the gateway to the Spanish territories in the New World, where they arrived on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. El Camino Real, the King’s Highway, formed a cross and was the route to Mexico City. Saint Junípero Serra would be responsible for another branch of the El Camino Real, running up the Pacific Coast. From Vera Cruz, the road was 200 hard miles to Mexico City. Junípero and another friar, in order to follow strictly the Rule of St. Francis, decided they would travel the 200 miles on foot. During the journey, Junípero’s leg became swollen after being bitten by a mosquito, and an ulcer soon developed. It was a condition that would cause him suffering for the rest of his life. The two friars arrived on December 31, and Junípero offered Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

He eventually made his way north to Upper California. At this point, his leg was becoming worse, and it was doubtful that he would be able to continue; however, he said, “…I trust that God will give me the strength to arrive at San Diego, as He has given me to arrive this far. If this should not be the case, I conform myself to His Most Holy Will. But even though I die on the road, I will not turn back. Although I be buried there, I shall gladly remain among the pagans, if it be the Will of God.” I believe his words, “I will not turn back,” really are at the heart of his spirituality. Once he knew God’s will, nothing could stop him.

In another month, he reached San Diego, the site of his first mission in Upper California. Mission San Diego de Alcalá was founded on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16, 1769.

In all, he founded nine of the twenty-one missions in California: Mission San Diego de Alcalá, founded in 1769, which became the city of San Diego; Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, founded in 1770 in present-day Carmel-by-the-Sea; Mission San Antonio de Padua, founded in 1771; Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, in present-day San Gabriel; Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, in present day San Luis Obispo; Mission San Francisco de Asis, founded in 1776 in what is now the city of San Francisco; Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded in 1776, containing the only remaining chapel and altar used by Saint Junípero for Mass (and the oldest building in California still in use); Mission Santa Clara, founded in 1777 in what is now Santa Clara; and Mission San Buenaventura, founded in 1782 in present-day Ventura, California.

He founded missions that became centers of culture and learning, introduced agriculture and irrigation, created a network of roads, and advocated for laws to protect the Indians.

When Saint Junípero Serra’s life was coming to its close, he went back to Mission San Carlos Borromeo on May 26, 1784. He administered his last baptism on August 2, and wrote his last letter on August 8, which concluded, “What I appreciate most of all are the prayers to Our Immaculate Queen so that we may achieve success, and afterwards, Heaven.” Fray Francisco Palóu, his companion and biographer, came to be with him from Mission San Francisco de Asis. He wrote: “As soon as morning dawned on the 27^th I went to visit him and found him with his breviary in his hands, since it was his custom always to commence Matins before daybreak… He said he would like to receive the Most Holy Viaticum, and that for this he would go to church. When I told him that it was not necessary…that the Divine Majesty would come to visit him, he said no, that he wanted to receive Him in church, since if he could walk there, there was no need for the Lord to come to him.”

Saint Junípero walked unaided to the church, and tears were flowing from everyone’s eyes. There he received his last Communion from Fray Francisco Palóu. He did not sleep that night, and the next day, August 28, 1784, he said to Fray Palóu, “I promise, if the Lord in His infinite mercy grants me that eternal happiness, which I do not deserve because of my faults, that I shall pray for all and for the conversion of so many pagans whom I leave unconverted.” Fray Palóu left him alone to rest. When he returned, he was just as he was before, yet now in the eternal embrace of the One Whom he had served so faithfully on earth. He was 70 years old. The next day, he was buried in the floor of the church of Mission San Carlos. He was canonized by Pope Francis on September 23, 2015.