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Christian Clifford on Muck Rack

Christian Clifford

California
As seen in: Change.org, ACI Prensa, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Aleteia, Crux Now, San Diego Reader, National Catholic Register, American Federation of Teachers, ChurchPOP, Busted Halo and
Covers:  Saint Junipero Serra, Pablo Tac, California mission history, California Missions Trail
Tweets by award-winning author Christian Clifford. Why Missions 1769? That is when St. Junípero Serra came to California. More @ Missions1769.com.

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Christian Clifford’s Biography

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Christian Clifford is the award-winning author of books about Catholic history in Spanish and Mexican California. His writings have appeared in Aleteia, Angelus, Busted Halo, Catholic News Agency, Crux, National Catholic Register, Philippine Daily Inquirer, among others. He has also been a guest speaker on radio, podcasts, and to school, church, and service groups.

The story of his 800-mile pilgrimage of the California Missions Trail was highlighted by the Knights of Columbus in season 3 of EVE…

Christian Clifford’s Journalist Portfolio

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Retreat Into the Past on the California Missions Trail

Retreat Into the Past on the California Missions Trail

CCCL is the magazine of the Diocese of Fresno and is published each season of the liturgical year.

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California's 5 best pilgrimage routes

California's 5 best pilgrimage routes

The following is a California Catholic Daily exclusive by Christian Clifford. As amazing as they are, one doe…

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California governor's signing AB 338 into law does more harm than good

California governor's signing AB 338 into law does more harm than good

On September 24, 2021, Governor Newsom (D-CA), signed into law Assembly Bill 338. It easily passed both house…

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Oceanside school named after Pablo Tac

Oceanside school named after Pablo Tac

On June 8, 2021, the Oceanside Unified School District Board of Education announced that it will consider ren…

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10 Facts about the Great St. Junípero Serra Every Catholic Needs to Know! |

10 Facts about the Great St. Junípero Serra Every Catholic Needs to Know! |

1) We do not know exactly what Saint Junípero Serra looked like, but we do know a lot about his inspiring lif…

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Where does the statue controversy end?

Where does the statue controversy end?

The San Francisco Arts Commission voted unanimously Oct. 2 to consider the removal of the "Early Days" sculpt…

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Articles

God's plan for America

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By Jose Gomez, José Gómez Verified, Ronald Rolheiser, Christian Clifford
| Angelus News Verified
God's plan for America Vol. 11 | No. 14 | July 10, 2026 On the cover: A statue of Christ with an American flag is seen at a cemetery near the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona, last month. As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it’s worth remembering the different set of “founding fathers” who were busy in California during 1776 — Christian Clifford has the story on Page 10.
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Long before 1776, Catholics were already shaping America’s history

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By Christian Clifford, Pablo Kay
| Angelus News Verified
A mural depicting emerging Catholicism in North America by Frank A. Martinez greets people entering the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. (CNS/Nancy Wiechec) On July 4, 1776, as 56 men risked their lives by signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, 19 missionary friars from Spain were facing danger daily in what was then known as New California.
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10 Amazing Facts About St. Junípero Serra, California's Great Missionary Saint

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By Christian Clifford
| ChurchPOP Verified
ArticlesListsCatholic Saints St. Junípero Serra, pray for us! July 1, 2026 — 2 minutes read Share this post The link has been copied! Statue of Father Junípero Serra at Old Mission Santa Barbara. / Brandon, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 Saint Junípero Serra is one of the most important missionaries in the history of the Church in the Americas.
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Awards

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California Federation of Teachers Communications Awards

2007 - Best Public Relations

SFAFT Local 2240 brochure “Identity & Meaning”

American Federation of Teachers Communication Network (AFTCN)

2010 - Best Single Publication or Nonperiodical

First Place for SFAFT Local 2240 brochure “Identity & Meaning”, 1/28/2009.

Catholic Media Association Book Awards

2022 - 2nd place in the category of Pilgrimages/Catholic travel Books

Pilgrimage: In Search of the Real California Missions “This nicely designed account of the author’s 800-mile foot journey on the California Missions Trail includes renditions of period maps, photographs of key people involved in the establishment and operations of the missions, and the author’s reflections. Each chapter also includes information about the experiences of the founding friars and the Native peoples as well as the author-pilgrim’s experience.”

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Catholic Media Association Book Awards

2022 - 3rd place in the category of Newly Canonized Saints

Who Was Saint Junipero Serra? “This book was very informative with cute illustrations. It was written in first-person narrative, so that it sounds like an autobiography, and follows the life of the saint and those whom he influenced. The language was easy to understand. I enjoyed this simple explanatory book that detailed the history and relationships of this canonized saint.”

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