Sacramento Priest Will Play Major Role In Junipero Serra Canonization

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A priest from Sacramento will play a major role in the canonization of Father Junipero Serra on Wednesday.

Pope Francis arrived to cheers as he landed at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, D.C, for his first trip to the United States.

On Wednesday, he'll hold a canonization ceremony for Spanish missionary Junipero Serra, the founder of the California missions and the first Catholic saint proclaimed on U.S. soil.

Alongside Pope Francis will be Father Ken Laverone, a priest from Sacramento's St. Francis of Assisi Church. For the past 10 years, Laverone has been in charge of promoting for Serra for sainthood, and he will read a biography of the future saint at the ceremony.

It will be a very special event for several hundred of Laverone's students in Sacramento. He's promised to signal them during his portion of the mass.