Fermín de Lasuén
Fermín de Lasuén Vitoria, Basque Country, Spain | |
---|---|
Died | 1803 |
Occupation | Missionary |
Fermín de Francisco Lasuén de Arasqueta (7 June 1736 – Mission de San Carlos (California), 26 June 1803) was a
Biography
Although he is sometimes called the "forgotten friar," Fermín Lasuén actually governed the California Mission system three years longer than his more famous predecessor, Junípero Serra. Lasuén was born at Vitoria in Álava, Spain on 7 July 1736 and joined the Franciscan order as a teenager, entering the Friary of San Francisco shortly before his fifteenth birthday on 19 March 1751. On 19 March 1751, Lasuén was ceremoniously invested with his Franciscan habit.[2]
In 1759, Lasuén left the Franciscan
In late 1776 he went to
Intellect, personality and character
Although of a more introspective and brooding temperament than his predecessor Junipero Serra, Lasuén was a dedicated and capable administrator, founding the remaining California missions. Captain
"A missionary priest has to engage in many duties, many of which only concern him as a means to something else. He is responsible for the spiritual and temporal welfare of people who are many and varied. He has individuals who are more dependent on him than small children, for there are many needs that arise...and many different things to be done for the different groups that make up the community. He is surrounded by pagans, and placed in charge of neophytes who can be trusted but a little..."[7]
At age 47, writing to his friend Fray Joseph de Jesus Maria Velez in 1783, Lasuén stated:
"I am already old and entirely gray and although [to some extent] this is caused by my age, yet the difficult exercise of my position here has also brought this about, especially during the five years I am about to celebrate as minister of San Diego. This land is for apostles only and its people call for apostolic men greater than I happen to be; but (thanks to God) I enjoy good health and shall try to use it to some good purpose, although somewhat languidly.[8]
Relationship with Junipero Serra and Felipe de Neve
In 1774, Fermin Lasuén requested to return to the
Missions founded by Fray Fermín Lasuén
- Mission Santa Barbara (1786)
- Mission La Purísima Concepción(1787)
- Mission Santa Cruz (1791)
- Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (1791)
- Mission San José (1797)
- Mission San Juan Bautista (1797)
- Mission San Miguel Arcángel (1797)
- Mission San Fernando Rey de España (1797)
- Mission San Luis Rey de Francia (1798)
He also oversaw the expansion of many of the California mission sites and helped many other missions like Mission San Gabriel Arcángel.
References
- ISBN 0-87417-625-5. Retrieved 16 February 2014.]
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link - ^ Archival Center of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, "Private notes on California'a Catholic Heritage", ed. by Msgr. Francis Weber, not paginated.
- ^ Anaut, Bernardo. "Fermín Francisco Lasuen". EuskoMedia Fundazioa. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Mission San Juan Capistrano – 31882 Camino Capistrano". San Juan Capistrano Historical Society. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1912). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- ^ Archival Center of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, "Private notes on California'a Catholic Heritage", ed. by Msgr. Francis Weber, not paginated.
- ^ Wise, Winifred, "Fray Junipero Serra and the California Conquest", New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1967,pp. 154-155.
- ^ Geiger, Maynard, OFM, "The Life and Times of Junipero Serra, Vol. II" Richmond: William Byrd Press, 1959, p. 322."
- ^ Geiger, Maynard, The Life and Times of Junipero Serra, Vol. II, P 304. Richmond: William Byrd Press, 1959
- ISBN 0-87417-625-5. Retrieved 16 February 2014.]
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link - ^ Lasuén to OFM Guardian, Monterey, Aug 3, 1775, from Geiger, Maynard, The Life and Times of Junipero Serra, Vol II, p. 323. Richmond: William Byrd Press, 1959.