Bl. Junipero Serra

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Feastday: July 1
Patron of Vocations
1713 - 1784
Beatified By: Pope John Paul II

Miguel Jose Serra was born on the island of Majorca on November 24, 1713, and took the name of Junipero when in 1730, he entered the Franciscan Order. Ordained in 1737, he taught philosophy and theology at the University of Padua until 1749.

At the age of thirty-seven, he landed in Mexico City on January 1, 1750, and spent the rest of his life working for the conversion of the peoples of the New World.

In 1768, Father Serra took over the missions of the Jesuits (who had been wrongly expelled by the government)in the Mexican province of Lower California and Upper California (modern day California). An indefatigable worker, Serra was in large part responsible for the foundation and spread of the Church on the West Coast of the United States when it was still mission territory.

He founded twenty-one missions and converted thousands of Indians. The converts were taught sound methods of agriculture, cattle raising, and arts and crafts.

Junipero was a dedicated religious and missionary. He was imbued with a penitential spirit and practiced austerity in sleep, eating, and other activities. On August 28, 1784, worn out by his apostolic labors, Father Serra was called to his eternal rest. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988. His statue, representing the state of California, is in National Statuary Hall. His feast day is July 1.

from Wikipedia

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1 - 10 of 10 Comments

babes fajardo
3 months ago
year ago blessed junipero serra was mentioned by priest ferdie fajardo, to pray novena every 22 day of the month,I started to pray the novena because my mother had lung mass lession size like a tennis ball and it is not cancerous.Several laboratory test such as brochonscopy, citi scan, x-ray, sputum and the result are negative. The dra. did not provide any prescribe medication except for monitoring the mass. Since she is already 68years old we decided to have it monitor and buy pxp herbal medicineReligiously praying to cure her disease through the intersession of blessed serra and novena to divine mercy currently her lung mass lession miraculously decrees into the size of a pimple. The dr. scheduled her on march 12 to have xray and sputum test to study what type of disease occured to my mother,after determining it medicine will be given to her. but new trial comes because her creatirin decrese
Michelle Holvorson
1 year ago
HI. I'd like to know where his early life was spent and his major achievements. Thanks.
Vincent Quan
1 year ago
While on a tour to Seville , Spain, the tour guide said that the 21 missions Serra found in California were named after the 21 parishes in Seville. Is that true?
Karen
1 year ago
All of these Saints Fun Facts would be great as Trading Cards and educational media/posters for teachers and students.
Are they available as a group or in those forms?
Thanks.
felice
1 year ago
One more certified miracle attributed to
his intercession and he would become
a canonized saint. Blessed Junipero Serra
intercede for california and the USA in this
difficult time.
John Mitchell
1 year ago
Blessed Serra founded 0nly 9 of the 21 missions,
Alexandria
1 year ago
BL. stands for Blessed. Like Blessed Junipero Serra.
Betty Stevens
1 year ago
I learned about Junipero Serra when I was a child--and I've never lived anywhere close to Mexico or California--at least 60 years ago, and always assumed he was a saint already. So I was surprised to learn that his beatification occurred as late as 1988. Thank you for all the new information.
Don Fetterman
1 year ago
What does the "BL." stand for? thanks
joanne WAYLETT
2 years ago
that was very interesting and nice...there is a statue of Father Serra here in Bay Area
on hwy. 280 thanks

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