Catholic youths heroically stop California mob from tearing down saint’s statue.
The young Catholics placed themselves between the vandals and the statue of Saint Junipero Serra located at Ventura city hall in California.
I found this article this morning and wanted to share it with you because I feel I have a personal connection to FATHER JUNIPERO SERRA. Many of you have read my story about the YELLOW MUSTARD SEED & THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS, here, on my blog.
Also, my connection is closely tied to his birthplace, on the island of Majorca, which I visited a number of years ago. And the fact I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school for 8 years. I have always had a love for our missions in California. I have toured many missions in my home state of California. My favorite is the one in SANTA BARBARA.
The news story goes like this:
VENTURA, California, June 25, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) –
A group of courageous young Catholics surrounded the statue of a saint in
Ventura, California last Saturday, placing their bodies in between Junipero Serra
and the mob who wanted to tear him down.
The anti-Serra demonstrators had put out a call on social media for the June 20 event
that began at 1 PM. Calling the event “Tear down Junipero Serra,”
the demonstrators stated that
“No longer shall we celebrate the enslavement, rape,
and genocide of the original people of Ventura.”
That same weekend, statues of Catholic saint Serra,
considered the founder of the California missions, were toppled
and defaced in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park
and historic Olvera Street in Los Angeles.
Serra, a Spanish Franciscan missionary to the United States,
helped to found nine missions in California in the late eighteenth century.
He established the mission of San Buenaventura in 1782,
which is now present-day Ventura.
His statue was erected at city hall in 1936.
The current bronze statue was erected in 1989.
Pope Francis canonized him in 2015.
(meaning he is now a SAINT)
But, thanks to the saint’s new bodyguard of dozens of young Catholics, including a priest, the city’s Serra statue was not toppled. Padre Serra continued to gaze out over Ventura from his place in front of City Hall as the sun went down Saturday evening.
Prior to the 1 PM demonstration, dozens of pro-Serra activists had surrounded the statue to protect it from the vandals.
As the rally began, they stood quietly,
some holding signs reading “Save Serra,” some praying.
At Tumamait-Stenslie’s invitation, Father Tom Elewaut, pastor of the historic
Mission San Buenaventura, the final mission established by Junipero Serra, addressed the crowd and then joined pro-Serra activists at the base of the statue.
As the rally officially ended, Rev. Elewaut blessed those gathered to protect the statue.
By about 4 PM, activists on both sides had dispersed.
The statue of Ventura’s founder remained, but its fate continues
to be uncertain as city officials, church leaders, and
tribal elders continue to negotiate its fate.
The bishops of California later in the week issued a carefully worded statement
expressing their disapproval of the tearing down of statues of the saint.
While Saturday’s victory may be only a temporary reprieve,
the Catholic young people went home that day knowing that they
had accomplished an important symbolic victory.
A change.org petition to save Ventura’s statue of Saint Junipero Serra
has gathered thousands of signatures:
“Fr. Serra Statue In Ventura: We Must Preserve our History, and Learn from It.”
By Barbara KisKis
June 27, 2020
sagasandstoriesat821lane 