BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Catholicism Junipero Serra

Pope Francis will canonize Junipero Serra while is in Washington DC.

There are mixed feelings about this but I think Junipero Serra was kind and compassionate and he certainly fulfilled his mission as an evangelist.

Read more about the life and times of Junipero Serra here

I realize I am a bit late on this post; but I am a newbie here and just came across this post. The article is great. As a Californian I have been thinking about Father Serra so much lately. He is part of all native Californians' lives, not just Catholics. Therefore, we all have had to answer to the controversy. Really not all people who oppose his sainthood are Native Americans, and nor do Native Americans as a block oppose the sainthood. The position I was being made aware of is, "What can St. Junipero do for you? Do you know someone who needs the Christ in their lives and is struggling? Then pray to St. Junipero." I just wanted to share a thought I feel is constructive and healing.

Mickey, thanks for your post. Saints can touch everyone in some way or another. They are models. I think he did a lot for the Native Americans. He tried to protect them and educate them. As always, you cannot please everyone and with social media comments, generally negative comments, abound.