First U.S. Hispanic Saint: Pope Francis to canonize Junipero Serra during U.S. visit

Pope Francis and the Vatican have announced plans to canonize the Blessed Junipero Serra during the Pope's visit to the United States on September 23. Serra will become the United States' first Hispanic saint.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Often times, the Spaniards' and the Catholic contribution to the United States' growth and formation is overlooked and belittled. Serra's canonization will help Americans realize Hispanics did contribute to the settling of the country, according to the secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

It will "promote greater acceptance of Hispanic Americans, recognition of the Catholic contribution to US history and a more accurate understanding of how the United States became a country," explained Guzman Carriquiry, the Vatican official from Uruguay.

"The 'anti-Catholic, anti-Hispanic' sentiments do not die easily," expressed Carriquiry. "A more accurate vision also will help break down walls of separation between what is Anglo and what is Hispanic, between the Protestant and Catholic traditions, between the United States and Latin America."

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Carriquiry believes the canonization of Blessed Serra will allow the United States' Hispanics to free themselves of the harmful mentality that no one likes them. He wishes they will now be able to see themselves as part of something much larger and greater; they are in continuation with a long line of Hispanics who have inhabited large areas of the United States during its birth.

Serra was born on the Spanish island of Majorca in 1713; in 1749, he moved to Mexico to work as a missionary and began his ministry in what is now California in 1769. Serra was able to establish nine missions before his death in 1784.

Although the cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for Saints' Causes still have to vote on the cause, Pope Francis, the supreme legislator in the Church, has already decided to proceed with canonizing Father Serra.

According to Carriquiry this is quite remarkable as "the first Hispanic Pope in history" will give the United States' their first Hispanic saint.

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