Junipero Serra: A Short Biography

by Kerry Walters

Founder of missions, preacher of the faith, and center of controversy, Franciscan Junipero Serra was a man of complexity and contradictions. Kerry Walters offers a brief portrait of this fascinating man—our newest saint—and the times he lived in. He explores the multifaceted history of Christian missionary work in the Americas and the way our history has its roots deep in the virtue and vice of this movement.

64 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2015

Reviews

[Vanessa W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick summary of several other biographies of Junipero Serra ending with a defense of Serra's practices. I was vaguely familiar with most of the events that were covered in this book through my knowledge of Mexican history. It is informative, however favors to see Serra not as an oppressor but as a protector of the Indigenous people, even if from a patronizing angle.