Pilgrimage of a Catholic teacher in California is being discussed in the wake of screams of destruction of statue of Saint Junipero Sera, the founder of Mission Activities in California. On June 22, Christian Clifford, a theology teacher, completed a two-year pilgrimage to California’s 21 mission centers. Clifford began his pedestral pilgrimage in May 2018 by visiting the Mission San Francisco Solano Mission Center in the far north end of Solano.
The last part of the pilgrimage was 138 miles from Mission San Fernando to Mission Santa Ines. In the meantime he also visited the mission centers of San Buenaventura and Santa Barbara. Clifford’s Pilgrimage concluded with the 5th anniversary of the consecration of Saint Junipero. He responded that it was a good experience for him as a teacher to grow in holiness by following in the footsteps of the saints. He added that learning about the mission centers deepened his relationship with Saint Junipero.
Clifford had the desire to learn more about Saint Junipero, their patron, after teaching at Sera High School in San Mateo. During this time, he authored three books on Spanish and Mexican history to help high school kids learn more about missionary friars. The book, “St. Junipero Sera: Making Sense of the History and Legacy”, is regarded as a response to the criticism of some secular organizations for their involvement in Spanish colonization.
