Today the Church celebrates a priest I first learned about in grade school.
Public school.
(I’m pretty sure that would never happen today.)
I was fascinated.
Here were pictures, in my schoolbook, of men dressed like my uncle, who is a Franciscan friar. Here was the story of a priest who founded a string of Catholic churches throughout what later became the state of California at the same time the American Revolution was being fought in the eastern part of our nation.
In the Catholic middle school I attended, I learned about Father Serra again;
As an adult, when I had the chance to visit California with Hubs in 1995, I made sure to see one of the mission churches there.
Here’s more about this energetic, dedicated Franciscan saint.
All images generously shared by Christine Johnson.