Articles About Junípero Serra
Serra Statues: Don’t Tear Down, Build Up
Junípero Serra’s statues are being defaced. Government institutions are seeking to remove his name from public monuments. All in the name of justice. Is there a better way forward?
“The Spirit Within Saint Junípero”: A Book of Stunning Photos
¡Siempre Adelante! Junípero Serra Goes to New York
A new exhibit on the life of Junípero Serra made its New York debut in. It tells the story of the missionary from Mallorca in his own words.
Happy Birthday Junipero Serra
Junipero Serra was born Miguel José Serra on November 24, 1713, in the town of Petra on the island of Mallorca, Spain, 302 years ago. You can read more about Junipero Serra’s life here.
Junipero Serra Video Clarifies Some Misconceptions
The Academy of American Franciscan History has released a new video documentary on Junipero Serra, Introducing Junipero Serra: The Newest Saint. This video does a good job of avoiding the “grand narrative,” i.e., of framing Serra and the missions as part of a struggle between good guys vs. bad guys. Instead, in Introducing Junipero Serra, we something more resembling […]
The Five Reasons Pope Francis Canonized Junípero Serra
Note: this is an updated version of an earlier post written at the time of Serra’s canonization. Catholics and non-Catholics alike seem to be interested in whether Junipero Serra should be declared a saint. In the previous post I gave an outline of the long process that Junipero Serra — or any other would-be saint — must undergo […]
The Seven Steps to Sainthood for Junipero Serra
When Pope Francis announced that he was going to declare sainthood for Junipero Serra during a flight to Manila in January 2015, some people took it as an impromptu decision. And while the announcement might have been made on the spur of the moment, the process that led to it was anything but. When the Catholic Church declares […]
Who Was Junípero Serra?
Junípero Serra was a Spanish priest who established the a series of missions among the native peoples of what is today California. He is considered by many to be the founding father of California and is recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church.