I find it fascinating that one human being with a simple mission and stick-to-itiveness can affect the lives of millions. Giants like Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Abraham Lincoln, and Billy Graham come immediately to mind. The clarity and simplicity of their objectives led to their massive successes. For sure there are others; however, what it tells me is that people can and do move mountains.
After reading Junipero Serra, Founder of the California Missions by Hebron’s Linda Gondosch, I am inclined to add Father Serra to my aforementioned list.
Admittedly, I did not know much about Father Serra before reading Gondosch’s informative book, which is beautifully illustrated by Emmanuel Beaudesson.
Father Serra’s driving force was basic: always forward, never back!
For sure, I knew about Father Serra. With millions of others, I watched his canonization ceremony during Pope Francis’ recent visit to the United States. I also remembered a few sketchy facts from my study of American history.
What I did not know was that Father Serra, a Franciscan priest, was born in Majorca, Spain, in 1713; that he did not travel to the New World until 1749; that he walked 200 miles to Mexico City after his journey across the Atlantic Ocean; and that he was in his fifties and suffering from asthma and a chronic leg infection when he began establishing missions in California. I was not aware that he founded nine California missions, between 1769 and 1782. Missions that became bustling cities like San Diego and San Francisco.
Father Serra did all of this before our country’s revolutionary war. Father Serra died in 1783 at the Mission of San Carlos, where he is buried. He lived in a plain room, with a bed, a table, and a chair. Throughout his life, his only real possessions were his clothing, a bible, and a crucifix. Quite the opposite of our modern, self-indulgent, and narcissistic lifestyle.
As you read this book you will join “the founding father of California on his amazing journey and experience the saintly zeal that led to the establishment” of Catholic missions in California, a state where his presence still lingers. Gondosch’s narrative is precise and appealing, and ideal for children ages nine and above.
How important was Father Serra? In her book, Gondosch writes about Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. which displays statues of the two most important people from each American state. She writes that, “When Californians chose the most important people from their state, one of them was Father Serra.”
Gondosch has an M.A. degree in education from Northern Kentucky University. You can learn more about her life and her many books by visiting her website www.lindagondosch.com. Junipero Serra, Founder of the California Missions is also available on Amazon and other popular book sites.
Donald Then, a novelist and experienced editor and journalist, is NKyTribune’s literary editor. He will review books written by local authors or those with a Northern Kentucky setting. Reach him at author@djamesthen.com. Visit his website at www.djamesthen.com. You can also follow Don on Twitter: Novelguy@DJamesThen.