AMEN, Wonderful news! God Bless, MemawIn a surprise announcement, Pope Francis has disclosed that he plans to preside at the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra this year.Speaking to reporters who accompanied him on a …
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More on Padre Junipero Serra: He was a respected professor in his native Spain long before he came to America. He spent 19 years ministering in Mexico before he founded the first mission in California, which he did at age 56. In his lifetime, he traveled an estimated 24,000 miles sailing across oceans and over land by mule or on foot. He spent 13 years in what is now California, and founded the first 9 of the 21 California Missions despite having asthma and that bad leg. Quite a guy! St. Junipero Serra, pray for us!Lol! “Surprise announcement …!”
What’s surprising? That the Church finally exhausted its list of (relatively obscure in comparison) European saints to be … and noticed that Fr. Junipero over on the West Coast of North American had quite an exemplary life?
He’d be 300 years old if alive today … hmm … he IS still alive come to think of it … just elsewhere. AND NOW … let’s remove all doubt and declare where!
Praise you St. Juniper! You left home like Abraham to follow the Lord’s call.
You suffered terribly with a game leg, but it did not keep you from founding the chain of missions that brought the Good News of Jesus to what later became the state of California … and its cities yet bear the names of angels and saints.
You tried to keep peace between the different peoples in your flock. Many of your brother missionaries died while bringing the message to the indigenous peoples. But they converted many. You took the native converts’ side when occasionally abusive soldiers from your homeland wronged them.
When will we see your like again? Always moving forward. Not seeming to rest at ease in any mission you built for long.
I love going to mass in your chapel in San Juan Capistrano and hearing the strains of Latin at the 7 o’clock morning weekday mass. And that you built IT in 1776, while others were building our nation on the other coast.
I hope the mission has a great fiesta on the day you are canonized.
Confirming a fact that most of us already knew!
And after I toast you … I’ll look forward to the canonization of Blessed Fulton Sheen when next the Vatican remembers America.:extrahappy:
EWTN featured his life story and what a story it was! I believe you can get a copy of this program and it is so inspiring. This is truly wonderful news!More on Padre Junipero Serra: He was a respected professor in his native Spain long before he came to America. He spent 19 years ministering in Mexico before he founded the first mission in California, which he did at age 56. In his lifetime, he traveled an estimated 24,000 miles sailing across oceans and over land by mule or on foot. He spent 13 years in what is now California, and founded the first 9 of the 21 California Missions despite having asthma and that bad leg. Quite a guy! St. Junipero Serra, pray for us!
You may be listening to the wrong sources. I have visited many of the Missions in Calif. and they all have a museum. The Indian art was very evident in them. If I remember right the secular media raised a fuss when his cause was first opened and accused him of cruelty to the Indians which isn’t true. They forget what the protestant English did to the Indians when they took over America. The Pope wouldn’t be Canonizing him if he wasn’t truly a Saint. That is Infallible. Trust the Church, not the secular media.Pope Francis has even told us to listen to him and NOT the media. God Bless, MemawIt is my understanding that Serra is a highly controversial figure because of his treatment of the Native Americans on the missions. pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/serra.htm
I don’t think that Pope Francis should canonize him, especially not without a second miracle. It really doesn’t square with Francis’ love for the poor.
Fr. Serra might be highly controversial for those who judge him based on today’s sensibilities, but my understanding is that he truly loved the native people he served, and in many instances he fought to prevent further exploitation and mistreatment of the Native Americans by the Spanish civil authorities. He was a mediating force between the two groups, respected even by those who disagreed with him. And his zeal to win souls for Christ might be frowned upon by today’s secular experts and some Native Americans, but the Church has always relied on those rare individuals with a strong missionary spirit. The lack of a second miracle is bound to upset some people, but I am one of those who trust the judgment of Pope Francis. Here is more on the story:It is my understanding that Serra is a highly controversial figure because of his treatment of the Native Americans on the missions. pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/serra.htm
I don’t think that Pope Francis should canonize him, especially not without a second miracle. It really doesn’t square with Francis’ love for the poor.
I definitely learned about the mistreatment by the English and the Spanish and the Americans in school. However, none of these people are being declared saints.You may be listening to the wrong sources. I have visited many of the Missions in Calif. and they all have a museum. The Indian art was very evident in them. If I remember right the secular media raised a fuss when his cause was first opened and accused him of cruelty to the Indians which isn’t true. They forget what the protestant English did to the Indians when they took over America. The Pope wouldn’t be Canonizing him if he wasn’t truly a Saint. That is Infallible. Trust the Church, not the secular media.Pope Francis has even told us to listen to him and NOT the media. God Bless, Memaw
I truly feel sorry for you. You must indeed lead and bleak and sad life. May the Lord have mercy upon your soul.Lol! “Surprise announcement …!”
What’s surprising? That the Church finally exhausted its list of (relatively obscure in comparison) European saints to be … and noticed that Fr. Junipero over on the West Coast of North American had quite an exemplary life?
He’d be 300 years old if alive today … hmm … he IS still alive come to think of it … just elsewhere. AND NOW … let’s remove all doubt and declare where!
Praise you St. Juniper! You left home like Abraham to follow the Lord’s call.
You suffered terribly with a game leg, but it did not keep you from founding the chain of missions that brought the Good News of Jesus to what later became the state of California … and its cities yet bear the names of angels and saints.
You tried to keep peace between the different peoples in your flock. Many of your brother missionaries died while bringing the message to the indigenous peoples. But they converted many. You took the native converts’ side when occasionally abusive soldiers from your homeland wronged them.
When will we see your like again? Always moving forward. Not seeming to rest at ease in any mission you built for long.
I love going to mass in your chapel in San Juan Capistrano and hearing the strains of Latin at the 7 o’clock morning weekday mass. And that you built IT in 1776, while others were building our nation on the other coast.
I hope the mission has a great fiesta on the day you are canonized.
Confirming a fact that most of us already knew!
And after I toast you … I’ll look forward to the canonization of Blessed Fulton Sheen when next the Vatican remembers America.:extrahappy:
PBS/NPR are quite far to the Left with a distinct anti-Christian slant to much of their programming. I would instead check authoritative Catholic sources for a total picture of Bl Junipero Serra. Further please consider whatever objectionable behavior you believe occurred within the context of the times and the situation. Bl Junipero lived in very challenging times and in very austere locations. Based on what I’ve read from Catholic sources (which I agree have their own bias but at least we can determine if they are credible) he is well deserving of canonization.It is my understanding that Serra is a highly controversial figure because of his treatment of the Native Americans on the missions. pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/serra.htm
I don’t think that Pope Francis should canonize him, especially not without a second miracle. It really doesn’t square with Francis’ love for the poor.
Thank You and God Bless. MemawFather Serra to Receive Sainthood
As someone who has spend several years researching Father Serra and other Franciscans who established the missions of Upper California, I think this is long overdue.
I am NOT a Roman Catholic and am not about to consider Father Serra my patron saint or anything like that. The reason I studied his was having grown up in Southern California and hearing lots of things about those times that made no sense to me.
Why did thousands of California Indians voluntarily come to the missions – and stay there? They were not held in chains. Father Serra and the other Franciscans loved them as their children and treated them as was the custom in 18th Century western culture. They were never severely beaten as the strict rules said “spanking” was appropriate, as long and it did not draw blood or even bruise.
The Franciscans punished themselves far more by flagellation in which blood poured down the backs.
There are many other links to this story but I’ll stay with the original church announcement @ catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1500192.htm as well as @ ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/blessed-junipero-serra-be-made-saint
You are also invited to read my latest blog about this @ msgdaleday.blogspot.com
The episode of EWTN Live covers the “controversy” in the later part of the show.It is my understanding that Serra is a highly controversial figure because of his treatment of the Native Americans on the missions. pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/serra.htm
I don’t think that Pope Francis should canonize him, especially not without a second miracle. It really doesn’t square with Francis’ love for the poor.
Ken Burns is quite fair and balanced in my opinion. I certainly benefited from watching his documentary… The Civil War in school.PBS/NPR are quite far to the Left with a distinct anti-Christian slant to much of their programming. I would instead check authoritative Catholic sources for a total picture of Bl Junipero Serra. Further please consider whatever objectionable behavior you believe occurred within the context of the times and the situation. Bl Junipero lived in very challenging times and in very austere locations. Based on what I’ve read from Catholic sources (which I agree have their own bias but at least we can determine if they are credible) he is well deserving of canonization.