Father Vicente Fustér, O.F.M. was

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a priest of the

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

Order, and a Spanish missionary in

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during the 18th century. A member of the Franciscan Province of

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

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, he was one of twenty Franciscans who set out from the missionary

College of San Fernando de Mexico The College of San Fernando de México was a Roman Catholic Franciscan missionary college, or seminary (''Colegio Apostólico''), founded in Spanish colonial Mexico City by the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor on October 15, 1734. The institution w ...

in October, 1770 to labor in the

Spanish missions in Baja California The Spanish missions in Baja California were a large number of religious outposts established by Catholic religious orders, the Jesuits, the Franciscans and the Dominicans, between 1683 and 1834 to spread the Christian doctrine among the Nativ ...

. On November 24, 1771 he arrived at Loreto with fourteen of his colleagues. In the summer of 1773 the Franciscans surrendered all missions on the Baja Peninsula to the Dominicans, after which Father Amúrrio along with five other friars volunteered to work the new missions in Upper California. Upon arrival in

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on August 30, Fray Fustér was assigned to

Mission San Diego de Alcalá Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá ( es, Misión San Diego de Alcalá) was the second Franciscan founded mission in The Californias (after San Fernando de Velicata), a province of New Spain. Located in present-day San Diego, California, it ...

to take the place of Father Tomás de la Peña. In July, 1774 Father Fustér was transferred as supernumerary to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, registering his first baptisms at that station on December 28. Father Fustér replaced Father Gregório Amúrrio at Mission San Juan Capistrano in late 1779; after laboring there for over eight years, he accompanied Father Joseph Arroita to the recently established

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. The padre resided at La Purísima a mere two years, however, for he returned to San Juan Capistrano where he remained until his death on September 8, 1800. Father Fustér's remains were transferred to the "Great Stone Church" on September 9, 1806.

References

* , pp. 214–218. 1800 deaths Spanish Friars Minor History of Catholicism in the United States Priests of the Spanish missions in California Spanish Roman Catholic missionaries Burials at Spanish missions in California Year of birth missing Roman Catholic missionaries in New Spain {{US-reli-bio-stub