Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1896-03-28
THE NEW CATHEDRAL.
Descriptive History of the Strug-
gless of the Catholic Church
iu Arizona.
Dedication Ceremonies to Take Place
at o'clock Tomorrow
Afternoon.

The laying OF the corner stone Of the
new cathedral in the ancient and
honored pueblo" of Tucson should be
an opportune occasion for rather ex-
tensive review of the history of the
church in Arizona, were it is not that
the thought originated too late in the
mind Of the writer for him to do, at
such short notice, justice to the sub
iect. He will therefore put it off til a
later day, as for instance that of the
solemn dedication of the cathedral, and
in the meantime content himself with
presenting to the public summary and
hasty account of the most nota bic
events in tie work OF the Catholic
church in Arizona.
In 1888 two Franciscan fathers we're
| cent by the Viceroy Of Mexico on an
expedition of discovery towards the
north and reached the banks of the
Colorado river that emptles into the
gull of California. The following year
Father Marcos de MIA, with three other
mem bers of his order, went through the
same country to the same river, which
be reached at spot where now stands
the town OF Yuma. From 1889 appsr-
emily no further attempt was made by
the missionaries to visit the Arizona
tribes till 1890, when the celebrated
Jesuit Father Kino founded, in the
southern part OF the territory, the
Husvavi mission, the fret to be establish
ed in Arizona. In 1894 two more mis-
sions were opened on the GIla River.
Concerning the exact date OF the
foundation of the San Xavier del BAG
mission, the writer has no data; but it
is to be presumed that the missionaries
after settling permanently IN the terri
terry in 1890 were not long to discover
the advantages which the San Xavier
locality offered to them as sn important
central point for their evangelical labors.
The first church erected in San Xavier
| del BAG was an unpretentious adobe
building, although we gather from the
baptismal records that the population,
living in the vicinity of the oh arch, must
have been at the time considerable.
In l751 there broke out a fierce re-
bsllion among the Pima and Ceris
Indians, in the course of which several
missionaries were killed, while the others
had to flee and many missions went to
total ruin, till the year 1854. at which
time the indians, tired OF their work of
depreciation and carnage, returned to
their pueblos to live again peaceably.
In 1857 the Jesuit mission aries, who
from 1890 had zealously ministered to
the spiritual aud even the temporal
wants of their dearly beloved wards,
were compelled to withdraw from the
Spanish dominions and their places were
filled in the Arizona missions by come
Franciscan fathers who came from the
city of Queretaro, in old Mexico.
The @ obstruction OF the present
church 10 San Xavisr del Bac-that
little gem of the western slope OF the
/ Rocky Mountalns--was initiated and
conducted by the new missionaries
from 1888, the date of its inception, to
1897, the date of its completion, under
the administration, successfully, OF
Fathers B8ltszar GARLIC and Narclso
Gutierrez. The penuary OF material
means and the failure OF the Spanish
government to furnish the good fathers
with the oft proffered assistance caused
this long delay ip the completion OF the
new San Xavier church, as we'll as a
marked lull in the opening OF new
missions. In IT'S two more missions
we're established near what is now
Yuma, on the Colorado River; they were
respectively named "The Immaculate
Conception" and "St. Peter and st.
Paul." The writer has no record on
hand where from to show the fret start
of the Indian mission IN Tucson, situat-
ed on the left bank of the Santa Cruz
river, at place called "the Pueblito,"
and where an old building that once
belonged to the Indian mission ia still
to be seen we'll nigh in ruins.
The mission of the San Xavier was
prosperous till 1910 when new state of
things began to arise over the Spanish
possessions of America. From that
date to 1927, the time of the expulsion
of the Spsniards, from Mexico, the
missions, in Arizona especially, had
much to suffer from the revolutions
and the want of material resources
From 1927 to 1866 tho email settles
ments around Tucson and up the
Santa Cruz river were attended, first
and mostly, by visiting priests from
Sonora at long intervals, either owing
to the great distances or to the inceseant
danger from the Indians, who had then
the full control of the country. In 1850
the Ri. Rev. j. B. L8my was appointed
bishop Of what is now the territories OF
New Mexico and Arizona north of the
Gila River with residence at Santa
Fe, and in 1859 he had that portion OF
the territory, coded to the United States
under the Ggdsden treaty, OF 1854,
added to his jurisdiction, but, for a
long time he was powerless to do
more for the spiritual attendance OF the
mere handful of Catholic Mexlcans
entombed, SO to cay, within the Apache
kingdom, then send them an occasional |
visiting riest.
It was only in 1866 that Rt. Rev. j.
B. Salpointe, then a simple priest, |
arrived in Tucson with brother priest, |
both commissioned by the bishop OF |
Santa Fe, in New Mexico, to perman-
emily settle in the old pueblo, entrusted |
with the charge of the whole OF Ariz- |
onR.
The first church building IN the |
Tucson OF today must have been erect
ed soon after the establishment OF the |
Spanish presdio, or fort, subsequent to
the revolt of the Indians in 175l-54, and (
was situate, as far as we have been
able to ascertain, on what is now the
corner of Court and Alameda streets.
Like most adobe buildings it crumbled
to the ground within a certain lapse OF
time and was replaced by smaller one,
of the same material. which was put up
by the late and venerable Don Solano
Leon, Cd what is now Alameda street,
near the corner OF Main. As the popu-