Father Junipero Serra was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded nine of the 21 Spanish missions in California. He was born in 1713 and died in 1784. He was canonized by Pope Francis in 2015, making him the first Hispanic saint in the United States. His mission was to spread Christianity among the Native Americans in California. The crossword solution for Father Junipero Serra is SERRA, which is a five-letter word.