Following the removal of the Father Junipero Serra statue over the summer, LMU recently announced its plans to reinstall the figure in a location on campus that has not yet been determined. The University explained their decision to reinstall the controversial statue in the Oct. 19 edition of LMU This Week, which states that the removal of the statue was a part of a relocation plan they conceived “in response to community conversations and recommendations.”

Over the summer, Agency LMU reported on the statue’s removal after an Instagram photo showing an empty grass space where the statue once stood surfaced. The article says it is unknown when the statue was first removed.

According to LMU This Week, “The Father Serra statue is currently being evaluated for weather-related wear-and-tear repairs and will be reinstalled in a yet-to-be-determined location.”

In a statement to the Loyolan, Senior Director of Public and Media Relations Erin Bossen said, “We are considering options to place the statue in an educational context, like an exhibit, where we can more effectively present Father Serra’s competing meanings and impacts on California’s history, Catholicity, and the indigenous peoples and Latina/o and Latinx Catholics in the region.”

Full story at laloyolan.com.