Podcast with Greg Orfalea: Author of "Journey to the Sun: Junipero Serra's Dream and the Founding of California"




Author Mr. Gregory Orfalea sat down with Secular Franciscan Gregg Garrison, Minister of the St. Louis the King Fraternity at the Old Mission in Santa Barbara recently to record this podcast.

They discuss, with the St. Louis the King Seculars and two Franciscan Friars, the St. Serra biography written by Mr. Orfalea, “Journey to the Sun”, published by Scribner in 2014 — just a year before Pope Francis’ canonization of St. Serra in 2015.

The author and the fraternity have a lively conversation on the Mission system, the Franciscan Friars, Spaniards and indigenous Indians of the Americas in the 16th to the 19th centuries.    

One recurring theme in their conversation is how the West Coast missionary system historically occurred at the same time as the East Coast colonial system — and how different the two systems were in how the two cultures developed on opposite coasts. The key difference between the Dutch and English colonization of the East Coast and the Spanish missionary system on the West Coast in the 18th  century, is how different the Spanish versus the Dutch and English perceived and treated the two Indian groups on the East and West Coasts.

Mr. Orfalea gives insight into Serra's relationship with the Indians that is both complimentary and critical.  For example, about the corporal punishment that was given to Spaniards as well as Indians, he makes no mistake, “It was cruel, a violation of the Fifth Commandment. Serra's and Lasuen's arguments for flogging ultimately ring hollow. They should have had the wisdom and foresight to stop it.”  

 At the same time, Gregory Orfalea finds extraordinary respect and love, for example, in the insistence that Indian rebels who murdered three Spaniards, including one priest at San Diego, be freed from jail, an exceptional thing he calls 'radical mercy' in the spirit of' 'the Gospel of Love.' 

 Mr. Orfalea also points out that Serra was so solicitous of the Indians that on coming upon 'good, sweet water' near San Diego he insisted that the thirsty Spaniards and the animals not drink it!  Why?  Because 'we do not want to spoil the watering place for the poor gentiles.'  In other words, hands off the Indians' water!  Serra felt the same way about the Indians' land, too.

Click here to hear this podcast which was recorded on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at the Old Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA.




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