Letter to Pope Francis, Sept. 2015
In a letter to Pope Francis outlining the reasons the Amah Mutson people oppose the canonization of Junipero Serra, Tribal ChairmanValentin Lopez says “Undoubtedly what puzzles and hurts us most is how the Catholic Church has ignored the humanity of our ancestors.” Read: Letter to the Pope Sept 2015
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I am sickened at the thought of Junipero Serra being a saint. I would like to get a message to Mr. Valentin Lopez. I listened to a web-cast of the Cross of thorns interview on Kalw. Anyway what you said about being less than or having no identity— I felt the pain in your voice and am weeping as I write. I have anoher reason for writing you. I must have been guided because about seven years ago I learned about my paternal grandmother’s father, she hadn’t known who he was in her lifetime. I have been told he was full blooded chumash/Salinan. I had always known my whole life that there were gaps in our knowledge of our heritage. I have also always had a deep affinity for the earth. I think there are the,as I call them, Like-hearted people who choose the ways of nature. Anyway when I finally learned my lineage, I felt a whole in my heart heal, it was an emptiness that I tried to deny but once I knew who I was I couldn’t hide that it matters. I don’t know how to go about finding out if this is true. Am I Chumash? Who can tell me? Am I a descendant of the Salinan tribe? how can I know. I want my children to learn their heritage. Especially if there is Native American traditions they may carry on through the generations. I had reach out to Elias Castillo but I fear he has been to busy with his book or has never seen my e-mails. Could you maybe respond if you are not too busy. I would appreciate it more than you know. If you are too busy I understand and thank you for the time you have given to this massage.
to Amah Mutson tribe/ Chm Lopez et al ; Please bear in mind that the sainthood of Fr Serra is for the Catholic church; it may not be for the rest of us, at all ,esp if Serra treated native Americans as “inferior ” as many have testifed. Such treatment is directly contrary to the teachings
of Our Lord And Savior JESUS CHRIST, “..all are equal in the sight of God..” and are contrary to our judeochristian teneted DECLARATION OF INDEPENDANCE …”all men [women] are created equal and are endowed by our Creator…”. Also, where is ANY documentation that Serra protested the savage &/or violent treatment of our natives by catholic administrators/ military members/ insincere priests / criminals or other colonists ? etc ? l am baptisted into another denom of Christianity and l ,like Amah Mutson tend to hold Serra ‘sainthood ‘ in abeyance until Serra’s saintlyness is proven. ….Greetings to All Amah Mutsons, Blessings and love to each; jim N connor { Harvard 1960, % Tuscarorah( des’ of Chief Danahah), wife %1/8 Cherokee; my occup: composer/ author/ musician. email) 4 jimconnormusic@gmail.com. cheers jNc. replace post
I am utterly horrified by the brutality inflicted upon the First Nations people by the Catholic priests and Spanish soldiers. The deaths of so many thousands of your ancestors is truly a tragic loss to all of humanity. The heinous savagery of the Catholic-led Spaniards is a sickness that continues to this day, in subtle yet significant forms. Thank you for delineating the history, sad as it is.
I knew the general history of the genocide of 100 million First Nations peoples but hearing you, today, describe what was done to your people brought the sad picture to focus, in California, and reminded me of the continued lies and failure of the perpetrators of these grave sins to do anything about those sins.
We settlers and mixed peoples must all remember these vile atrocities against the First Nations peoples of the Americas. The Catholic church should most certainly apologize fully, in a detailed confession of their sins. Canonizing that Serra demon is just proof of their continued deception.
Thank you for delivering the truth in a world of lies.