Eusebio Kino

After an attempt in Baja California, Father Kino was sent in 1687 to the Pimería Alta. There, he founded the mission of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores and traveled tens of thousands of kilometers on horseback, founding more than twenty missions. As a scientist, he proved that Baja California is a peninsula. He introduced agriculture and livestock farming to the Pimas, becoming the first rancher in Arizona. He vigorously defended the indigenous people against forced labor and negotiated peace after the revolt of 1695.

Father Kino died on March 15, 1711, in Magdalena, in great poverty, after falling ill during the dedication of a chapel. His burial site, which had been forgotten, was rediscovered in 1966. His cause for canonization is being promoted by the Archdiocese of Hermosillo, with the support of Tucson and Trento. In 2006, the Positio was accepted, conferring upon him the title of Servant of God.

On July 10, 2020, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Eusebio Francesco Chini, officially declaring him venerable. For his subsequent beatification and canonization, the official recognition of miracles attributed to his intercession by the Vatican remains required. To date, no miracle has been the subject of an official decree.

His spirituality is marked by the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius and the imitation of Saint Francis Xavier. Praised by John Paul II in 1987 and described as a "defender of the poor" by the Church, he is honored as a founding father of Arizona, with a statue in the U.S. Capitol in Washington. His legacy endures through the Kino Border Initiative, which supports migrants at the border between the United States and Mexico.