(ANS – Bellflower) – Fr Jim Nieblas, SDB, is the vice director at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower. He is also the first Juaneno Indian to become a priest and now is one of a handful of Native Americans from California whom Pope Francis has asked to meet with moments after he canonizes Father Serra, making him a saint.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is the last remaining mission church where Father Junipero Serra said mass. The chapel was built by Juaneno Native Americans more than 200 years ago. Soon, the descendant of the Juanenos will meet face-to-face with Pope Francis in Washington D.C. -- an honor that has San Juan Capistrano bursting with pride.

“They know me as Jimmy, so it’s little Jimmy that has gotten this honor and they’re very proud of me,” said Fr Jim Nieblas. Fr Jim Nieblas is the vice director at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower. The half Mexican, half Native American has deep roots in San Juan Capistrano. He was baptized at the mission his ancestors built, attended the mission schools and was ordained there, becoming the first Juaneno Indian to become a priest.

He’s now one of a handful of Native Americans from California whom Pope Francis has asked to meet with moments after he canonizes Father Serra, making him a saint. It was an invitation Fr Nieblas did not immediately accept. “I think most of us understand there are part of our families who don’t agree with it,” said Nieblas.

Serra’s sainthood has generated controversy within the Native American community. Some believe his mission system persecuted the Indians. With this in mind, Nieblas asked his tribe for their blessing. “I wanted them to feel I respected them,” said Nieblas. The tribe’s response was not unanimous, but is was overwhelmingly positive.

“They each one embraced me, prayed over me, and blessed me. Now there were some who naturally didn’t do that, but that’s alright,” Nieblas said. Nieblas says he’ll be taking his tribe along with him in the form of these gifts, which include traditional musical instruments and a rosary made of shells gathered from the shore in San Juan Capistrano.

The Juanenos believe the sound of the wind and the sea, which can be heard in the shells, carries their prayers to their creator. Now, it is Nieblas who will carry the message to the pontiff.

News Source: NBC Los Angeles, by Kim Baldonado

Published 21/09/2015