Sister Maria Philomena wrote a biography of Father Serra, The Father of California. You can read it here. In his homily for the canonization, Pope Francis stressed the zeal of the saint to spread the joy of the gospel unto death: “He kept going, because his brothers and sisters were waiting. He kept going forward to the end of his life. Today, like him, may we be able to say: Forward! Let’s keep moving forward!”
CNA: Pope Francis made history Wednesday by performing the first-ever canonization on U.S. soil, of St. Junipero Serra.
St. Serra, a Franciscan missionary from Spain, founded nine Catholic missions in California, most of which would go on to become the centers of major cities in the state. Read more here.
