After years of preparation and careful consideration of his vocation, Serra received his Franciscan habit in 1730 and took the name Junipero which meant Jester of God. He chose the religious name Junipero, after a companion of Saint Francis of Assisi who was simple, sincere, and good-natured man. When the original Junipero was condemned by others Saint Francis was to have remarked: "My brothers, my brothers, I wish I had a forest of such junipers." Serra was ordained in 1737. He taught for seven years at Lullian University of Mallorca. In 1744 he was named Professor of Philosophy at the monastery of San Francisco and at Lullian University. Serra was known as bright, articulate, scholar, a moving speaker, and a clear precise writer. He did not remain long in the academic venue. His dream was to become as missionary and in 1749 he responded to the call for Franciscan miss

The Indians certainly faced terrible hardship adjusting to this new way of life. Their main suffering was abusive soldiers who were responsible for the spreading of diseases such as pox, syphilis and the mistreatment of Indians. Many today still unfairly blame Serra for the abuses. Serra tried to prevent the devastating effects, but knew the overall system would benefit the Indians. An anthropological view shows the mission life as harsh. When one realizes the mentality of the time Serra and his Franciscans held, their practices were acceptable toward the unknown civilization of the time considering the treatment of the Indians by the United States. It is important to consider what the natives would have endured without the protection of the mission system. The missionaries saw themselves as personally responsible for the conversion and care of the souls of the Natives for their own salvation. Examining this one can begin to understand the reasoning of Serra was for the benefit of the Indians.

Serra landed in the port city of Vera Cruz when he was thirty-six and then traveled by foot to Mexico City to dedicate his mission vocation at the shrine of Mexico's Our Lady of Guadeloupe. On this first part of his journey his leg became severely swollen from a mosquito bite. This sore never healed and hindered Serra physically for the remaining fifteen years of his life.

ionaries to the New World. His dream became a reality. He left his family and friends and sailed off to a "New World."

Some common words found in the essay are:
Junipero Serra, Married Indians, Catholic Church, Mexico City, Indians Claims, Luis Obispo, California Serra's, Americans Christianity, University Serra, Indians United, junipero serra, catholic church, mission system, mexico city, alta california, native americans, gospel message, mission san, san francisco, san fernando, san luis obispo, john paul ii, native americans christianity, pope john paul, san francisco san,
Approximate Word count = 2443
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)