Saint Junipero Serra (1713-1784) was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded the first nine of the California missions, evangelizing and baptizing thousands of Native Americans along the Pacific coast. Tireless despite a chronic leg ailment, he is remembered as the Apostle of California. He was canonized by Pope Francis in Washington in 2015.

07-01

• California
• vocations
• Hispanic Americans

canonized

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