This is another place in the Tucson area that I hope to come back to time and time again.  The first time I was here I took a tour of the place.  This time I came for Mass.  It is a special, holy place and one of the prize works that adorn my walls at home is a sketch my friend Tim did of this Mission.

This site is on the National Historic  Register but is also a working parish serving the Tohono O’ogham Reservation and surrounding area.  It was built in the late 1700s and has undergone a number of restoration phases that are ongoing.  It is one of the oldest parish churches in the US and in it’s history has been a part of both the US and Mexico.

This is the mission school at San Xavier.  It was established in 1864 and since 1940 has been staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Charity of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  It serves mostly children from the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui Tribes.

Although it is perfectly acceptable to take photos inside (not during Mass of course), I have always had a personal difficulty with taking pictures in worship spaces.  It doesn’t bother me at all that others do, it’s just a personal choice for me.

Having said that, walking into this church is like stepping back in time.  Little is known about the workers and artists that created this sanctuary, but the detail of the sculptures, statues, murals, and paintings takes your breath.  When I think about how old it all is, I can hardly get my mind around it.  I encourage you to go online and search San Xavier del Bac to look at some of the images from inside the mission.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), I’m off to explore other parts of Arizona.  I am well and hope you all are too.