Saint Junipero Serra: Making Sense of the History and Legacy

by Christian Clifford

Serra’s legacy has been distorted. Taking the controversy head-on, this composition aims to bring clarity to Serra’s heritage.Christian Clifford’s passion for the topic and presentation will help the fair-minded see the first saint canonized on American soil in a clear and concise way and as one worthy of inviting on one’s own faith journey.Going beyond the standard biography and drawing from many disciplines, the author paints a vivid picture of Serra during his time and through the years.This book is written with Catholic high school students, parents, and religious educators in mind. However, anyone who is interested in the man Pope Francis called the "Evangelizer of the West" will deepen their understanding of this amazing Catholic Hispanic.

111 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2015

About the author

Christian Clifford is the award-winning author of books about Catholic history in Spanish and Mexican California. His writings have appeared in Aleteia, Angelus, Busted Halo, Catholic News Agency, Crux, National Catholic Register, Philippine Daily Inquirer, among others. He has also been a guest speaker on radio, podcasts, and to school, church, and service groups.

The story of his 800-mile pilgrimage of the California Missions Trail was highlighted by the Knights of Columbus in season 3 of EVERYDAY HEROES (“Walking in the Footsteps of St. Junipero Serra”).

Clifford received a B.A. in Social Science from the University of Great Falls (Montana) and M.A. in Catholic School Teaching from the University of San Francisco. He has been a teacher in the schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco since 1997. He and his family live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For more information, visit Missions1769.com. Join him on social media @ MISSIONS1769. #GoGoStJunipero #PabloTacPray4Us #CaliforniaMissionsTrail

Reviews

[Michael Kenney]

Saint Junipero Serra: Making Sense of the History and Legacy is an excellent biography of an heroic priest who made an enormous contribution to building a culture rooted in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness through God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

His motto, Always Go Forward, Never Turn Back is a wonderful way to live life. Reflect on the past to learn and improve but never turn back -always move forward with faith, humility, and resolve to live every day with consideration and virtue.

Saint Junipero Serra's feast day occurs on July 1, three days before America's birthday. He dedicated his life to creating communities through missions in what is today California. May California return to her holy roots, honoring God and God's image imprinted on every human being from conception. This is a great book about an inspiring life.

[Craig Huber]

Having begun my studies of Fray Serra several years before his canonization in 2015, I relied on two well-written academic books from professors in California. During the era of his canonization, the loudest 'voice' the press gave the main stage to were the many who had not taken the time or effort to study the facts of the era. Christian Clifford took this charge from fellow learned academics a step further with his book, published just prior to Serra's officially becoming a saint. Christian's book continued the academic writings to look at the facts from the prior centuries and how they shaped Serra and the history around him.

[Sue]

Excellent bibliography