After our visit to Tumacácori Mission, we headed up the road to see another mission founded by Father Kino. This mission was founded in 1692. The construction of the current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. It is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona and is filled with beautiful original statues and mural paintings!
This mission was named after St. Francis Xavier whose feast day is celebrated today and, according to my Spanish mother-in-law, is in our family tree! Apparently my father-in-law always refers to him as “Uncle Frank!” ☺ I would love to do a little further research on that someday!
Here are a few pictures from our visit to San Xavier del Bac:
St. Francis Xavier, Patron of the Missions, Pray for us!
Ah, the "white dove of the desert." I have been there several times, having lived only about 10 minutes from the mission.
Wow! How beautiful! What a blessing for your family.
Dear Jessica,
I've been following your blog daily since discovering it last year – just wanted to say how very lovely I find it, and how much I enjoy the privilege of sharing a little in your days. I home-educated my two daughters from Year 8 and Year 6 through to Year 13 – wish I'd begun earlier! – and really admire all you are doing with your children. Thankyou again for sharing; a blessed Advent and Christmas to you; you are often in my prayers. Every good wish to you from Valerie in a rural area of Mid-Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand.
Oh my goodness!! That is GORGEOUS!
Incredible artwork. I am just amazed by the talent of the painters and sculptors! Thank you for sharing these, since few of us may ever get to visit.
It was at this very same Mission that I asked the Blessed Mother and San Xavier to pray that God might grant us a son after suffering a few early miscarriages. The next morning, I was hospitalized for dyhydration due to vomiting ALL night. I thought it was food poisoning…turns out God and his Saints have a great sense of humor – Stephen was born to us 9 1/2 months later!