The former Balearic United States Consular Agent Tummy Bestard is now leading the crusade to not only teach Majorcans about the works and achievements of Serra, the founder of California, but, he is also using his 45-years of contacts made with some of the most important and influential people in the United States, to develop new relationships between Majorca and the United States based on the history of Fray Juniper Serra.
Since retiring as Consular Agent in 2007, Tummy has dedicated all his efforts and energy into restoring and rebuilding the Fray Juniper Serra Museum in Petra and persuading the Balearic government into transforming an annex into a shop and information/project centre.
Tummy is the President of the Association of Friends of Fray Junipero Serra and also vice-president of the Fray Juniper Serra Foundation, but his main focus is on improving relations between the Association and the United States.
Juniper Serra was born Miquel Josep Serra i Ferrer in Petra on November 24, 1713.
He later took the name of Junípero in honor of Saint Juniper, who had also been a Franciscan and a follower of Saint Francis.
On September 14, 1730, he entered the Order of Friars Minor.
For his proficiency in studies, he was appointed lector of philosophy before his ordination to the priesthood. Later he received a doctorate in theology from the Lullian University in Palma, where he also occupied the Duns Scotus chair of philosophy until he joined the missionary College of San Fernando de Mexico in 1749.
That year he journeyed to North America, first to Mexico City, where he taught.
Bestard explained that Father Serra always refused to ride the mule that was provided him and walked from Veracruz to the capital.
He was bitten by an insect and suffered from the effects of it throughout his life, though he continued to make his journeys on foot whenever necessary.
He requested a transfer to the Sierra Gorda Indian Mission, some 90 miles north of Santiago de Querétaro, where he spent about nine years. During this time, he served as the mission's superior, learned the language of the Pame Indians, and translated the Catechism into their language.
Recalled to Mexico City, he became famous as a most fervent and effective preacher of missions. His zeal frequently led him to employ extraordinary means in order to move the people to penance: he would pound his breast with a stone while in the pulpit, scourge himself, or apply a lit torch to his bare chest. He established ten missions including Velicata.
In 1768, Serra was appointed superior of a band of 15 Franciscans for the Indian Missions of Baja California. The Franciscans took over the administration of the missions on the Baja California Peninsula from the Jesuits after King Carlos III ordered them forcibly expelled from New Spain on February 3, 1768. Serra became the Father Presidente.
On March 12, 1768, Serra embarked from the Pacific port of San Blas on his way to the Californias.
Early in the year 1769, he accompanied Governor Gaspar de Portolà on his expedition to Alta California. On the way, he established the Misión San Fernando Rey de España de Velicatá on May 14 (the only Franciscan mission in all of Baja California). When the party reached San Diego on July 1, Serra stayed behind to start the Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the first of the 21 California missions (including the nearby Visita de la Presentación, also founded under Serra's leadership).
Serra moved to the area which is now Monterey in 1770, and founded Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo. He remained there as Father Presidente of the Alta California missions. In 1771, Serra relocated the mission to Carmel, of which Clint Eastwood was to eventually become Mayor and host a Majorcan delegation headed by Tummy, which became known as Mission Carmel and which served as Serra's headquarters.
Under his presidency, the following missions were founded: San Antonio de Padua, San Gabriel Arcángel, San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, San Juan Capistrano, San Francisco de Asís, Santa Clara de Asís, and San Buenaventura. Serra was also present at the founding of the Presidio of Santa Barbara on April 21, 1782, but was prevented from locating the mission there because of the animosity of Governor Felipe de Neve. The missions Serra founded on his great journey through California, eventually grew into the six main cities of the state including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco and he named each of the new missions after statues of saints at the convent in Petra where he first went to school, Bestard explained.
What is more, a number of Franciscan monks from various parts of Majorca travelled out to work for him and as a result, the towns and villages of Petra, Palma, Inca and Porreres are twinned with a number of towns and cities in the United States; Palma is twinned with no less than four, Bestard underlined in a bid to stress the historic and close relationships the island has with the United States but over the years have been forgotten and allowed to die.
The history of Fray Juniper Serra is taught in American schools, especially in California because he is considered a hugely significant figure in the country's history. His missions have also been declared heritage sites by the United States government and therefore protected by Washington.
They are also still functioning as missions and convents today, Bestard said.
All this is why Bestard is dedicating all his efforts to restoring and improving the museum. He is busy organising visits by local organisations on the island and now, he heads to the United States to pitch a major project to bring Americans over to Majorca to visit Petra and see the birthplace of the founder of California.
We do have a handful of groups which do come to Petra every year from the States and, for example, we have a group called Daughters of the American Revolution coming over from Madrid later this month.
We are also organising for a stream of journalists from the United States to come to the island every year to visit Petra, the museum and the island in general, Bestard added.
On his six-day visit to the Staes next month, he is going to be meeting his close friend James Jones Jr., the current United States National Security Advisor and retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who is President Barrack Obama's right hand man. Bestard said that General Jones, who has visited the museum with his wife, is fully up to speed on what is happening here in Petra and what Bestard wants to do. Jones is apparently just as keen to help Bestard get his project off the ground and will be arranging some key meetings for Bestard during his visit. Over the years, the US Navy, in particular, always visited Petra when the Sixth Fleet used to put into Palma. We would have groups of sailors and US marines come down to Petra to help carry out repairs on the museum and repaint parts of the old building. They were all too proud, especially those from California, to do what ever they could to help preserve the birth place of their founding father, Bestard explained. The Ministry of Tourism is backing the project, it will be good for tourism as a whole and the Spanish Tourist Board is now linking the museum's website to theirs so millions of people worldwide will have easy access to the site, Bestard said.
For more information visit: www.frayjuniperoserra.org, an English version is available.
No comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Currently there are no comments.