JUNIPERO SERRA 1713 1784 SPANISH MISSIONARY TO THE NEW WORLD SERRA JUNIPERO 1713 1784 RELIGION AMERICAN INDIANS WEST AMERICAN CULTURE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION JUNIPERO SERRA WAS BORN ON MAJORCA A SPANISH ISLAND IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA SERRA'S PARENTS ENROLLED SERRA IN A SCHOOL RUN BY THE FRANCISCAN RELIGIOUS ORDER HE EXCELLED THERE AND IN 1730 HE OFFICIALLY JOINED THE FRANCISCANS HE QUICKLY GAINED A REPUTATION AS A GREAT THEOLOGIAN AND PHILOSOPHER HE WAS ORDAINED AS A PRIEST IN 1738 FOR A TIME HE TAUGHT PHILOSOPHY AT LULLIAN UNIVERSITY ON MAJORCA BUT HE SOON ABANDONED HIS TEACHING JOB TO BECOME A MISSIONARY TO THE NEW WORLD HE WORKED AMONG THE AMERICAN INDIANS IN MEXICO AND TEXAS UNTIL HE WAS CHOSEN TO LEAD A NEW MISSIONARY EFFORT IN CALIFORNIA IN JULY 1769 SERRA FOUNDED MISSION SAN DIEGO THE FIRST MISSION IN PRESENT DAY CALIFORNIA OVER THE NEXT 15 YEARS HE FOUNDED EIGHT MORE MISSIONS MANY OF WHICH BECAME CALIFORNIA'S EARLIEST CITIES DESPITE HIS POOR HEALTH SERRA WALKED THOUSANDS OF MILES TO FOUND HIS MISSIONS HIS MOTTO WAS ALWAYS FORWARD NEVER BACK SERRA WAS ALSO A GREAT DEFENDER OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS UNDER HIS CARE HE OFTEN CLASHED WITH THE MILITARY OVER THEIR TREATMENT SERRA IS KNOWN AS THE APOSTLE OF CALIFORNIA
