Kino Heritage Festival events on May 19:

12:30 and 1:15 pm
Two Mission Tours by The Docents of Patronato San Xavier – Tour 45 minutes
The mission tours by the Patronato are conducted daily and are opened to the public. The Patronato San Xavier is a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization founded by Southern Arizona community leaders in 1978 to promote the restoration, maintenance and preservation of Mission, a National Historic Landmark. The docents are volunteers from the community, trained in the history, architecture, and culture of the Mission San Xavier and its surroundings. See www.patronatosansavier.org.

2:00 to 2:20 pm
Opening Remarks and talk on the history of Father Kino and the People of San Xavier del Bac (in the Church).

2:30 to 3:00 pm
Classic Music Concert by the Tucson’s Dolce Musica Quintet. The members of the woodwind quintet are Barb Bayless, Christie Blute, Lorraine Callahan, David Eckertand, Sherry Jameson who are members of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra (in the Church).
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3:00 to 4:30 pm
Courtyard Reception with Book Signing, Art Show, Live Music and other entertainment in the beautiful Mission San Xavier courtyard and arcades.

Book Signing
Artist and author Edna San Miguel will sign her recent book “Mission San Xavier … A Story of Saints and Angels, Art and Artists”. Edna beautifully tells the story of our internationally famous mission in both English and Spanish text along with her enchanting illustrations. She relates the mission’s history, architecture and statuary and other art and the efforts of the international team of conservators to preserve it. Edna’s book is published by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press. See www.ednasanmiguelart.com

Art Show featuring local artists including art displayed by artist and author Edna San Miguel and Joan Grecchi.

Live Music and other entertainment including traditional music of Arizona and Sonora.

The Mission Museum and the Mission Gift Shop will be open during its regular hours.
See the Mission’s website at www.sanxaviermission.org.

Note: The two tours are at 12:30 and 1:15 pm. The main festival events start at 2:00 pm.

The San Xavier Mission and the Kino Heritage Society are joining with communities across Sonora and Arizona during the month of May by having the Kino Festival at the San Xavier Mission on Saturday afternoon May 19th from 12:30 to 4:30 pm.

Our Festival is part of the regional celebrations in Arizona and Sonora from May 16th to May 20th that honor the life of Jesuit missionary and explorer Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino.

The Tubac Presidio State Historical Park (Friday May 18 to Sunday May 20) and the Tumacacori National Historical Park (Wednesday May 16- Special Mission Guevavi and Calabasas Tour; Thursday May 17 Events at Park Headquarters) are also participating and having their own Kino Festivals.

The flyer above has a beautiful image of the pen and ink drawing of Ted DeGrazia’s (courtesy of the DeGrazia Foundation) of the San Xavier Mission and its people.

More details for San Xavier, Tubac and Tumacacori Festivals when they become available at www.padrekino.com.

Tumacacori National Historic Park would appreciate an RSVP on the tour to (520) 398-2341, extension 0.

Anita Badertscher
Acting Chief of Interpretation
Tumacácori National Historical Park
P.O. Box 8067
Tumacacori, AZ 85640
(520) 398-2341, ext. 74 (enter 174#), or 0 for the visitor center.

Father Philipp Segesser, courtesy of Georg von Segesser

Swiss Jesuit missionary Philipp Segesser (1689 to 1762) followed famous Jesuit missionary Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino (1645 to 1711) into the Pimeria Alta of Southern Arizona (18th- century Sonora, Mexico).

His letters in Swiss German (mostly to his family in Lucerne) have been read and translated by my husband German Studies University Distinguished Professor Albrecht Classen. Quote below from the summary intro:

The early history of Sonora/Arizona (Pimeria Alta) was profoundly influenced and determined by the Jesuit missionaries from Europe. After Padre Eusebio Kino’s death in 1711, an increasing number of German-speaking Jesuits arrived in our region and soon dominated the entiry missionary district. We have known so far well about the Fathers Ignaz Pfefferkorn or Joseph Och.

The Swiss Philipp Segesser, one of the most effective, pragmatic, and industrious members of the Jesuit Order active here in the Southwest, has not yet been fully noticed because his large collection of letters have never been translated into English.

Segesser’s reports about his daily life in our region, his insightful observations about local agriculture, fauna, flora, climate, and geology, and his numerous comments about the native Indians, their life styles, clothing, food, hunting habits, religion, and culture at large prove to be most intriguing and fascinating.

The introduction and excerpts of letters (translated into English) of a forthcoming book* are now online at his webpage at:
http://aclassen.faculty.arizona.edu/transcription_letters_0. These particular excerpts pertain to life in the Tucson area and San Xavier del Bac mission, located in the Tohono O’odham Nation southwest of Tucson at 1950 W. San Xavier Road.

See also the pre-print online versions of all Segesser’s letters (click here).

I’ve written before about Padre Kino and the Kino Heritage Society (click here) and other Padre Kino events celebrating the recent 300th anniversary of his death (click here).

*Due to state budget cuts this book will not be published in print by the Arizona State Museum.
(updated June 13, 2011)

The Kino Heritage Society sponsored an inaugural mass and lecture today at San Xavier del Bac Mission commemorating the 300th Anniversary of Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino’s death. The talk was entitled “Arizona’s First Apostle” by Father Greg Adolf, of St. Andrew the Apostle, in Sierra Vista. Father Adolf spoke of Kino’s passion as an “apostolic”, delivering the important missionary mandate, as a Catholic ambassador of God, to include and instruct all peoples of the New World that he encountered. Padre Kino went on 50 expeditions on horseback in his 24 years in Pimeria Alta as a Jesuit missionary starting in 1687, and died in Magdalena, Sonora at age 66 in 1711 (where his grave lies).

Padre Kino

Portrait to the right by Frances O’Brien, courtesy of Arizona Historical Society.

The mission of the Kino Heritage Society is:”to promote the legacy of Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino and support his cause for Canonization.”

From the Tucson’s Birthday website:

“The eminent UCLA librarian and author Lawrence Clark Powell described Father Kino as “the noblest Southwesterner of all.” Professor Herbert Bolton, the father of the study of Spanish colonial history in the United States described Father Kino as “the most picturesque missionary pioneer of all North America -explorer, astronomer, cartographer, mission builder, ranchman, cattle king and defender of the frontier.” Professor Bolton continues his description of Padre Kino as the untiring protector of the O’odham and other native peoples. Padre Kino also was an university mathematics professor, area historian and thwarted ship builder. In 1965 the citizens of Arizona honored Padre Kino by dedicating before 700 dignitaries from all over the world a statue of Padre Kino at the United States Statuary Hall located in the United States Capitol Building. Padre Kino was one of Arizona’s two representatives so honored. In 2006 the petition for the cause for Padre Kino’s sainthood was completed with the delivery of over 35 pounds of documents to the Vatican. His cause for sainthood is presently under consideration. Padre Kino was born on August 10, 1645 in Segno Italy, a village located in the foothills of the Italian Alps. While doing his missionary work, Padre Kino traveled over 50 thousand miles, mostly on horseback.”

My husband Professor Albrecht Classen at the University of Arizona has done research and has lectured on Padre Kino and subsequent Jesuit missionaries for the Arizona Humanities Council. See his website: http://www.aclassen.faculty.arizona.edu/.

Upcoming 2010 events in the fall for this Kino 300th Anniversary sponsored by Kino Heritage Society:

October 17, 3 p.m.
Father Kino Concert at St. Augustine’s Cathedral
Stabat Mater by Rossini, University of Arizona Symphony & Orchestra, UA Choir & Community Choir

November 20, 7 p.m.
Concert in Honor of Father Kino’s arrival in Tucson, at St. Augustine’s Cathedral
Tucson Masterworks Chorale, Criolle Mass and music from the New World during Kino’s time

December 11
Latin Mass in honor of Our lady of Guadalupe at Holy Family Church

Stay tuned for updates on these events and for other 2011 events leading up to the 300th anniversary of Padro Kino’s death on March 15. Contact the Kino Heritage Society at 520-245-9564, c/o Diocese of Tucson, P.O. Box 31, Tucson 85702-0031. Chair is Rosie Garcia and Honorary Chair is Rev. Greg Adolf, who gave the lecture today.

Padre Kino on horseback statue in Tucson