The History of Father Junipero Serra The Presidente Moves On

May 28, 2015

This is part of a series on Junipero Serra. To read the full series, click here.

IN mid 1776, Fray Junípero Serra sailed south to the desecrated San Diego where he hoped to formally re-establish the mission. Since it was the dry season of the year, favorable to building, he hoped to finish the work before the rains began. 

Unfortunately Fernando de Rivera, who was also at San Diego, had the work suspended when word reached him that the Indians were regrouping for another attack on the mission. Though it was likely only a rumor, he decided it would be better to halt reconstruction, at least temporarily. 

There were also economic problems at San Diego. The mission had no food of its own for the padres and the neophytes except the surviving cattle. Rations for the handful of sailors, soldiers and friars were sparse, to say the least. 

Since he was thwarted in his attempt to rebuild the mission, Serra found other ways to occupy himself at San Diego. He gathered and examined the church goods ruined by the fire, among them a silver chalice with its paten and spoon. He shipped them back to San Fernando College for repair or replacement. Many of the mission's articles were still in the hands of the Indians who participated in the destruction of the buildings. 

On September 16, 1776, Serra inscribed a new baptismal register, writing therein a concise history of the early days at San Diego in 1769. He later entered the names of the sixteen persons who had been baptized there. Other names were added later, as the friars could recall them. 

One item that Serra salvaged was the complete catechism in the Diegueño language which had been composed by Fray Luis Jayme. During his stay in San Diego, Serra observed that in each village there was an Indian religious instructor and many catechists. A large number of youngsters knew how to serve Mass and a soprano choir sang the Asperges and other music "to perfection." In September, military reinforcements arrived at San Diego, causing great rejoicing at the presidio. Serra had the bells rung in honor of the event and, on the feast of Saint Michael, he sang a High Mass "for the health and well-being" of the viceroy. 

Serra received three letters from Bucareli which the soldiers delivered. The first stated that the royal treasury would willingly bear the expenses of delivering supplies by land and sea for the missions to be founded in the San Francisco area. The second said that twenty-five additional soldiers were being sent to California to reinforce the mission guards. 

The third letter, dated April 3, 1776, ordered that the Indians guilty of the November massacre and fire be treated with kindness and pardoned, and that Missions San Diego and San Juan Capistrano were to be re-established. Serra passed along the information about clemency for the Indians to Rivera and thus prevented any further action being taken against them. Rivera gave orders to proceed with work at the two sites. He addressed the soldiers, urging obedience in assisting with the many chores that were inseparable from founding a mission. 

The Presidente wrote to the viceroy, telling him of the "pleasure, happiness and consolation" that had resulted from his directives. He assured Bucareli that "we shall pursue with all our strength the work we have begun." 

Once more fired with zeal and energy, Fray Junípero Serra was now ready to go forward again.

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