Junipero Serra

In 1730 Serra entered the Order of St. Francis and became a professor of philosophy. He arrived in Mexico City in 1750 where he pastored Native American converts and did administrative work. In 1769 due to Jesuit reductions, the Society of Jesus had to leave its missions. As a Franciscan, Serra was then given responsibility for lower California. Spain wanted missions established as a buffer between its new world empire and the activities of Russia and England along the California coast. The missions thus had both a military and a religious purpose. Serra helped to establish a series of nine missions between San Diego and San Francisco, where he re-located Native Americans to teach them Christianity and European agriculture and customs. Serra was dedicated to evangelism of Native Americans; he is said to have baptized 6,000 and confirmed 5,000 persons.