Off of I-19 in Southern Arizona, near the Mexican border, a beautiful historic Catholic Mission rises seemingly out of nowhere. Spanish Franciscans started construction on the current Mission San Xavier del Bac in 1783, finishing it in 1797. This building was the center of a Catholic mission organized by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692 in the area inhabited by the Tohono O’odham Nation.
Today, this beautiful structure still stands strong. A restoration team called Patronato San Xavier continues to care for this historic church, preserving it for generations to come. Father Stephen Barnufsky is the current pastor and conducts mass in the Mission.
