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June 11, 2024By Carissa Krautscheid
The Diocese of Tucson recently received a delegation of special guests from Italy: the relatives of Venerable Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino. “The delegation included members of the Chini family – Padre Kino’s own family, who still live and work on the ancestral farms where Padre Kino grew up in the 1600s!” explained Fr. Greg Adolf, pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Sierra Vista, AZ. “The group of 11 was led by Giuliana Cova, the mayoress of Predalia, and included Alberto Chini, who heads the Kino Foundation in Italy.”
Their visit aligned with a celebration in Magdalena, Mexico, where Venerable Padre Kino’s crypt is located. Before going to Mexico, the Chini delegation toured the Diocese of Tucson. They were welcomed by Bishop Edward Weisenburger, the Mexican Consulate, and the Kino Heritage Society. Fr. Adolf said, “They toured San Xavier del Bac Mission, founded by Padre Kino in 1692, and other sites, and participated in a symposium arranged in their honor in the Tohono O’odham Reservation” on the spiritual heritage of Venerable Padre Kino. The Chini delegation also ventured to Sierra Vista, where they “were delighted to be shown St. Andrew’s Kino Hall, the statue of Padre Kino on the south façade of the church, and the mural of Padre Kino greeting Chief Coro at the San Pedro River in 1695,” said Fr. Adolf. The Chini family also visited Tombstone and Bisbee, before traveling to Magdalena de Kino in Sonora, “for official receptions and exchange of sister-cities documents.”
Fr. Adolf explained, “The visitors were accompanied by Fr. Claudio Murrieta from Nogales, Sonora, the Vice-Promoter of Padre Kino’s Cause for Canonization. Pope Francis declared Padre Kino ‘Venerable’ in July 2020. Part of the reason for the visit was to assess the local respect and continuing influence of Padre Kino as part of the Cause for Sainthood!”
The Chini’s visit was particularly special for Tucson local, Elizabeth Pagels, who traveled to the birthplace of Venerable Padre Kino in Segno, Italy. Her 2022 pilgrimage followed his footsteps across Italy and Austria, collecting research for her book about Padre Kino.
“Alberto Chini and his gracious wife, Ilda, welcomed me into their hearts and their home in Kino’s beloved birthplace,” Pagels recalled. “Alberto and Ilda opened Padre Kino’s world to me. I walked in Kino’s childhood footsteps, up and down the village streets, through the rows of apple orchards all under the shadow of the glorious Italian Dolomites. I attended Mass with the Chini family in the little church of the Nativity of Mary right around the corner from the house where Kino and his family lived, where I had the great privilege of praying in the very room where Padre Kino was born.”
Pagels was overjoyed to “greet the Chinis again on their recent, official visit to the Southern Arizona and Mexico, along with a delightful group of their fellow ‘Trentinos.’” It was “not only an unexpected blessing for me, but truly a family reunion!” said Pagels. “What a joy it was to be greeted with ‘Ciaos’ and hugs by the Chinis here in the very land Padre Kino walked and came to love, Southern Arizona. Whether in Segno or Tucson, I am at home with the Chini family because of our mutual love for the great missionary, Venerable Eusebio Francisco Kino! Viva Padre Kino!” As the Vatican continues to assess Venerable Padre Kino’s cause for canonization, the faithful are encouraged to seek the intercession of this holy man in whose footsteps we now follow.