Junipero Serra Statue Unveiled and Blessed

A life-size bronze statue of Father Junipero Serra, the “father of the California missions,” was dedicated Friday at Casa de Lopez.

Msgr. Francis J. Weber, curator of the San Fernando Mission, said a prayer and blessed the statue, sprinkling the figure with holy water.

“May this figure bring inspiration to all who see it,” Weber said.

Serra was selected by the king of Spain to erect missions in California as a way to claim territory along California’s coast. Serra built nine California missions, locating them a day’s journey from one another on the 650-mile El Camino Real, or king’s highway.

The statue was sponsored by the William H. Hannon Foundation, whose efforts include providing scholarships for students.

Hannon has erected several statues of Serra in the Los Angeles area.

“The man was the first real estate developer in Los Angeles if you think about it,” Hannon said. “Serra helped to settle what is now the Valley. It’s important to remember where we came from.”