Saint Junípero Serra Ferrer O.F.M. (†1784) was a Spanish Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Franciscan Missions in Baja California and established eight of the 21 Spanish missions in California from San Diego to San Francisco, in what was then Spanish-occupied Alta California in the Province of Las Californias, New Spain. Serra's missionary efforts earned him the title of "Apostle of California." Serra was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 25 September 1988 and canonized in 2015 by Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. His feastday is commemorated on August 28 (July 1 in United States) and he is considered a Holy Patron of Vocations, Hispanic Americans, and the State of California.