From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Sep 24: The Canonisation of Blessed Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., by Pope Francis on Wednesday was celebrated by the Serra Club of Bengaluru.
Fr Serra, an 18th century Franciscan friar, left a very comfortable life in Spain to go to the New World and share his love of the Gospel. He was born as Miguel Jose Serra on the island of Majorca on November 24, 1713. He took the name of Junipero when he entered the Franciscan Order.
He was ordained in 1737 and later taught philosophy and theology at the University of Padua until 1749.
Fr Serra landed in Mexico City on January 1, 1750 at the age of 37 and began his missionary life as a long battle with cold and hunger, with unsympathetic military commanders and even with danger of death from non-Christian native people. Through it all his unquenchable zeal was fed by prayer each night, often from midnight till dawn.
He founded the first nine of the 21 eventual missions and brought the Native Americans not only the gift of faith but also a decent standard of living. He won their love, as witnessed especially by their grief at his death. Fr Serra died at the age of 70 at Mission San Carlo Borromeo, Carmel, and was buried there. He was beatified in 1988.
Blessed Junipero Serra is the patron of Serra International and has been since its founding in 1935. His goal was to bring people into the Catholic faith. The Serra Club of Bangalore with Serrans worldwide, focus on fostering and promoting vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life and supporting those who have already answered the call to become priests, religious or members of the Secular Institutes. In 1951, Serra was aggregated to Congregation for the Clergy by Pope Pius XII.
Serrans come from all walks of life and are united by a common mission to promote, encourage and affirm vocations. Each Serra Club supports the Church in its own unique way and the Serra Club of Bangalore since its inception in 2002 strives to work in the service of the Archdiocese.
The Serra Club of Bangalore can be contacted on: serrabangalore@yahoo.co.in or bangaloreserra@gmail.com.