Father Pedro Estevan Tapis

Father Pedro Estevan Tapis was born at Santa Coloma de Farnes in Catalonia, Spain on August 25, 1754. He became a Franciscan priest in 1778 and came to Mexico in 1786. He came to California in 1790 and worked at six different missions:

• 1790 - 1793 San Luis Obispo
• 1793 - 1806 Santa Barbara
• 1806 - 1811 San Carlos de Borromeo (Carmel)
• 1812 - 1813 La Purisma Concepcion
• 1813 - 1814 Santa Ines
• 1815 - 1825 San Juan Bautista

When Father Lasuen died in 1803, Father Tapis became acting Father-President of the missions. He was then elected Father-President of the California missions three times, holding the office from 1803-1812.

In 1812, Father Tapis retired and joined Father de la Cuesta at San Juan Bautista. Like Father Duran at Mission San Jose, he had a special talent for music and he taught singing to the Indians, creating a system using colors for different types of music notes that made it easier for them to follow. His choir of Native American boys performed for many visitors and San Juan Bautista was sometimes called the "Mission of Music". Two of his handwritten choir books are preserved at the San Juan Bautista Museum.

Father Tapis died on November 3, 1825 at Mission San Juan Bautista where he was buried. He was widely mourned. He was a true missionary, and he was held in the highest esteem by his fellow missionaries for his learning and piety.