WHEN JSERRA CATHOLIC High School was founded in 2003, its founders chose to name the new coeducational institution after St. Junípero Serra, the recently canonized Franciscan priest who established missions along the California coast.
Among them is Mission San Juan Capistrano, which is a just over a mile away from the school’s campus.
JSerra’s founders were aware of St. Serra’s credo, “Siempre Adelante, Nunca Atras,” which means, “Always forward, never backward.”
Inspired by its patron saint’s mission to go forward and bring the Gospel to as many people as possible, JSerra held its inaugural Adelante Fest in March 2023. Despite cold temperatures and rain, many attended the event.
JSerra continued surging forward with its second Adelante Fest on Aug.17. Well over 1,000 celebrants filled the gymnasium in the JSerra Pavilion for a vigil Mass before relocating to the adjacent field for an evening of family friendly activities that included live music, games, inflatables and food trucks.
Speaking to the crowd from the outdoor stage, JSerra president Rich Meyer said the Adelante Fest will grow to become an annual tradition.
“We encourage you to continue to invite friends, families and neighbors,” Meyer said. “Bring them into the community here. We believe that JSerra was founded 20 years ago, not just for our students and our parents, but really to be a witness for our entire country to be forces, to help graduate forces for good in society that will continue to move culture forward so that in many ways we can Christianize America and bring holiness in every corner of the world.”
The highlight of the Adelante Fest was an onstage interview with actor, producer and director, Jonathan Roumie, who plays the role of Jesus in the historical series, “The Chosen.”
Conducting the interview was author, speaker and podcaster Lila Rose, a staunch anti-abortion activist, who was 15 when she founded the prolife nonprofit Live Action.
Roumie was also interviewed by Patrick Reidy, JSerra’s vice president of Mission and Faith, for the school’s podcast, “Plugged In.”
A devout Catholic, Roumie talked in detail about his reconversion to Catholicism, which came when he was struggling financially and at a low point in his career. During this time, he was contacted by producer Dallas Jenkins, about playing Jesus in his new series.
“I felt I knew that God had given me artistic gifts for a reason,” Roumie told Reidy. “Even though I didn’t quite see where it was going to take me. I grew to get used to it and realized it was a beautiful means of expression, of human expression and telling other people’s stories. And ultimately, quite literally, telling God’s story, that it would be a sin if I wasted the gifts that God gave me.”
Students in the National Honor Society were among several JSerra students who volunteered for Adelante. Student volunteer Caroline Powell, who only recently transferred to JSerra, was attending Adelante for the first time.
“Oh, it’s awesome,” Powell said. “The energy around here is great. There are tons of people. It’s fun seeing all my friends. It’s a nice way to just grow the community and it’s a nice way for us students when we’re not in school, get to know each other and hang out.”
Roumie’s onstage interview with Rose and the podcast interview with Reidy are both posted on JSerra’s YouTube channel.
Reidy said Roumie’s journey is an embodiment of the lessons JSerra tries to impart on its students that transcend beyond the classroom.
“We want our graduates to walk away knowing professional aptitude is of absolute importance,” Reidy said. “You should strive to be excellent and be the best at what you’re doing. But that’s not enough. At the end of the day, no matter what you do, what your job is – it is not the most important. Who you are is what’s most important. Knowing, having an encounter with Jesus, giving your life to him, loving him is most important.”