Pablo de Mugártegui

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Father Pablo de Mugártegui, O.F.M. was Catholic a priest of the Franciscan Order, and a Spanish missionary in California during the 18th century. As with Father Gregório Amúrrio, Father Mugártegui was a member of the Franciscan Province of Cantabria, Spain before he joined the missionary College of San Fernando de Mexico

When Father Presidente Junípero Serra returned to California from Mexico on March 13, 1777 he brought Fray Mugártegui with him. However, due to illness Father Mugártegui had to remain at the Mission San Diego de Alcalá for some six months to recuperate. From that point forward he divided his duties between the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, and Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo until November of 1776 when he was called to the newly-founded Mission San Juan Capistrano. The padre performed his first baptism at the new site on December 25 of that year. Father Mugártegui had long been considered a worthy successor to then Father Presidente Fermín Lasuén and to that end the Missionary College elected him Vice-Presidente (with authority to administer Confirmation) in an emergency on August 16, 1786.

Father Mugártegui continued in residence at San Juan until November 13, 1789, at which time he retired to Mexico. By order of the Commissary General, Mugártegui presided at the Chapter of the College that had convened to elect a Guardian and Councillors on May 23, 1795.

[edit] References

• Engelhardt, Zephyrin, O.F.M. (1922). San Juan Capistrano Mission. Standard Printing Co., Los Angeles, CA. , pp. 213-214.