The History of Father Junipero Serra Bl. Junipero Serra: On to Monterey

Apr 6, 2015

Editor's note: This is part 14 of a series on the life of Bl. Junipero Serra in anticipation of his canonization. To read other articles in the series, click here.

NOW that San Diego had been reinforced by the arrival of the San Antonio, soldiers and missionaries began planning for further expansion. The initial step would be a sea and land trek to Monterey. Serra opted for the former. After a long and "somewhat uncomfortable voyage", Serra and the crew members of the San Antonio arrived at Monterey on June 1st, there to rendezvous with the overland party which had completed their journey several days earlier.

It was readily agreed that the formal establishment of San Carlos Borromeo Mission would take place on Pentecost Sunday, June 3rd. Early that day, Gaspar de Portolá and the others gathered under a mighty oak by a ravine running into the bay.

It was thought that this tree was the same one under which the Carmelites with Sebastian Vizcaíno in 1602 said the first Mass in the area. Again it was chosen as the site for the Eucharistic Liturgy. Serra relates that after Mass Portolá observed a nicety of protocol by declaring that the "primary purpose" of the king was to extend the faith, so the cross should precede the flag. For that reason, Serra first erected the cross and founded the mission; then there followed the act of taking possession.

There was also a somber note of mourning in the day's otherwise joyous festivities. One of the sailors had died aboard ship the preceding day. Serra assisted at the funeral services and the remains were buried at the foot of the mission cross.

Next day, the site for the presidio-mission was chosen: a flat piece of land near the ocean, some distance east of the ravine and the oak. Serra called it "a pleasing stretch of land." Easily identifiable today, it is near the present site of the old presidio church still standing in the city of Monterey.

From the very outset, Fray Junípero Serra realized that while San Carlos Mission began at Monterey, the permanent site could not be there. The first ingredient for a mission was lacking: the presence of a large Indian town, as required by the laws of the Indies. There was timber there, but no good drinking water.

On June 14th, the Feast of Corpus Christi was observed. The celebration was a relief from the makeshift life they had all been leading. Serra may have magnified its beauty but to him it was real. He wrote that "it was carried out indeed with such splendor that it could have been witnessed with pleasure had it taken place in Mexico."

In a letter written to officials at the Apostolic College of San Fernando, Serra repeated his qualifications for future priestly volunteers in the area:

"Those who come here dedicated to so holy a work must undergo sacrifices, as everyone knows .... In these distant parts, one must expect to suffer some hardships, but these will be even more burdensome to those who are seeking every convenience and comfort." Serra obviously wanted men who were every inch apostles and he looked forward to the day when more missionaries would come and all would enjoy the "worthwhile benefits of mutual encouragement, security and solidarity."

What Fray Junípero Serra looked for in others was, in himself, taken for granted.