18th century
Feast: July 1
Spanish Franciscan missionary who established missions throughout California, founding nine of the 21 missions.
Junípero Serra was a Spanish Franciscan missionary (1713-1784). He traveled to Mexico in 1749 and later to California where he established the mission system. He founded nine missions including San Diego and San Francisco. Despite controversy over treatment of indigenous peoples, he worked to protect them from exploitation. Canonized in 2015.