Headline: Shrine to St. Francis drawing faithful By: Angela Cara Pancrazio Source: The Arizona Republic, Apr. 17, 2004 at http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/southwestvalley/articles/0417frisco16Z5.html
Excerpts: They come alone or by the carload. They hear of this holy place tucked away in south Phoenix through friends and family, a tradition passed from one grandmother to the next. They zigzag down a dead-end road, dodging potholes. Once inside the little whitewashed adobe, their pilgrimage is over. Their ritual begins. They kneel and kiss the forehead and feet of St. Francis Xavier. All this happens every day at San Francisco Xavier Mission, where a life-size papier-maché-and-cement replica of the saint is stretched out to look as if he has been laid to rest here. This ritual has taken place for nearly a century along South Mountain Avenue near 24th Street. Rooted in the Catholic religion, the mission is homegrown. In 1912, Francisco Vasquez, a native of Mexico, a cattle puncher and rancher, built the tiny chapel in honor of his patron saint. St. Francis Xavier is revered worldwide, especially in the Southwest and Mexico. That's because St. Francis Xavier was the patron saint of The Rev. Francisco Eusebio Kino, the Jesuit priest who, in the late 17th century, introduced Christianity to the far reaches of the Spanish Empire, what is now southern Arizona and northern Sonora. The faithful believe that there's a direct link between Kino and St. Francis, and that when Kino passed away, St. Francis went with him, even though St. Francis Xavier died in the 1500s and is buried in Goa, India. ...bouquets of red roses placed on the saint's brown gown show the adoration of the pilgrims. Dozens of snapshots and handwritten notes are scattered across his body. Full text, 897 words, at: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/southwestvalley/articles/0417frisco16Z5.html Forwarded by Eddie Fernandes ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################