Junipero Serra May Have Been a Saint, but He Wasn’t California’s Founding Father
For All His Religious Fervor, the Founder of the State's Missions was Out of Touch and Made Little Effort to Understand Local Culture
Could sainthood be bad for Junipero Serra’s reputation?
Serra has long been a singular figure in California, widely called the state’s “founding father” for the Catholic mission system he started in the 18th century. Schools, parks, roads, and even one of the state’s most beautiful stretches of freeway (I-280 from Daly City to San Jose) were named for him. California schoolchildren are still taught the story of the missions he founded.
But next week, Pope Francis is scheduled to canonize Serra at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.—a designation that will make the …
