“Always Forward, Never Back”: 45 Days Filming the Path of Junípero Serra

Illumined Wellness Podcast · Oct 9, 2026 · 1h 7m

Who was Saint Junípero Serra, and why is he so controversial?

Documentary director Zach Fiedler joins the Illumined Wellness podcast to talk about the life of Saint Junípero Serra: the Franciscan friar from Mallorca who left a university professorship to become a missionary in Mexico and California. Zach spent years reading Serra’s letters and journals and tracing his route from Petra, Mallorca to Mexico City to the California missions. He then filmed a documentary series about it.

We cover:

Serra’s journey from a tiny Mallorcan village to the missions of Mexico and California

The leg…