Father Junípero Serra

Statistics in the Life of Fr. Serra

1713 November 24th Born in Petra de Mallorca

1730 September 14th Received into the Franciscan Order

1749 Arrived in New Spain (present day Mexico) and was assigned to work  in the Sierra Gorda Missions

1767 Assigned to the Baja Missions as Father Presidente

1768 Assigned as Father Presidente of the Alta California Missions

1769 Begins the journey north to establish new outposts in Upper California and he founded the first nine of the 21 missions.

1784 August 28th He dies and is buried at Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel, CA

Father Serra was 55 almost 56 years old when he arrived in San Diego

He was 5’ 2” tall

He weighed 120 pounds

He had a chronically ulcerated leg from an insect bite which left him with a bad limp.