Serra was born in Petra, on the Spanish island of Majorca, in 1713. His given name was Miguel José Serra Ferrater. In his youth, he considered joining the Jesuits, but when he was 16 years old, he entered the Franciscan order at the friary in Palma. He took the religious name of Junípero, in honor of the Italian 13th-century saint _Juniperus_.
Serra was ordained as a priest in 1737 and spent the next 15 years teaching philosophy at the University of Llucmajor. In 1749, he volunteered for missionary service in the New World.
_Serra_ sailed for the Americas in early 1749, arriving first in Veracruz, Mexico, and later in Mexico City. He worked as a missionary in the Sierra Gorda region of Mexico for eight years before being assigned to Baja California in 1758.
In 1767, Serra was selected by the Spanish authorities to lead a group of Franciscan missionaries to Alta (Upper) California, which had recently been acquired from Mexico by Spain. Serra established three missions in California in 1769, including the Mission San Diego de Alcalá, which was the first permanent European settlement in California.
Serra went on to found a total of nine missions in Alta California. He traveled extensively throughout the region, often walking barefoot and carrying a heavy cross, and preached to the Native American peoples about Christianity. He is credited with converting thousands of Native Americans to Catholicism.
_Serra_ faced numerous challenges during his missionary work, including conflicts with the Native Americans and a shortage of supplies. He also suffered from ill health in his later years. Nevertheless, he persisted in his efforts to spread Christianity in California until his death in 1784.
Serra's legacy is complex and controversial. He has been praised by some for his missionary zeal and humanitarian efforts, but he has also been criticized for his role in the Spanish colonization of California and his treatment of the Native Americans.
In 1987, Serra was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II. He is commemorated on August 28th on the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.