The Replication of the Father Serra Statue
A Volunteer Community Project
by
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Councilman Burns, whose experience included large art works, believed that a wooden likeness of the Serra statue could capture the spirit of the original. He presented his concept to the members of the Channel Island Woodcarvers Association. The carvers agreed. The wooden form, Burns suggested, could then be used as a pattern for making a mold in which to cast a bronze statue, thus giving birth to the concept: "From concrete, to wood, to bronze." The carvers agreed and excitement grew among them as they discussed the possibilities; 30 volunteered to help. Early in 1986 Councilman Burns officially presented his proposal to the San Buenaventura City Council in the form of a motion. The motion "To endeavor to replace a crumbling 50-year-old concrete statue of Father Junipero Serra" carried unanimously. In the excitement Deputy Mayor James Monahan, caught in the spirit of the moment, declared the statue to be "our ‘Statue of Liberty.’" On December 21, 1986, the above action prompted the following statement by the editor of the Star Free Press, "It was divine providence that brought Junipero Serra to the site of San Buenaventura, and divine providence is still at work because the City Council happens to include someone with artistic credentials, Russ Burns. He is an artist who specializes in large works. His enthusiastic involvement offers assurance that Father Serra will be preserved faithfully and artistically." Thus the work of preserving San Buenaventura’s historical integrity was assured.
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About the Book
The state of California proudly displays, in various locations, a variety of statues of the Franciscan priest, Father Junipero Serra, founder of nine of California’s twenty-one historical missions. Only the city of San Buenaventura, however, can boast of three similar statues, one of concrete, one of wood, and one of bronze. This is the story of how these three statues grew out of the heart of the people of the "City by the Sea".
About the Author
Catherine Antolino Mervyn is a native Italian who immigrated to America at the age of thirteen. She served in the U.S. Military for two years during WW II. Mrs. Mervyn received a B.S. degree in Education from Ohio State University and an M.A. degree in Education from California Lutheran University. She taught in Elementary Schools in Ohio, New Mexico and California. Her first book: A Tower in the Valley, The History of Santa Church was published in 1989. Historic Moments With California Federation of Women’s Clubs was published in 1998. Mrs. Mervyn and her husband live in Oxnard, CA.