Father Barron and Father Steve are in Tucson, Arizona, this week, filming for the
Catholicism Series. They are visiting the beautiful
San Xavier del Bac Mission as well as the
Vatican Observatory outside of Tucson.
The San Xavier del Bac Mission is an Arizona landmark and an important part of the early presence of the Catholic Church in the southeastern United States. The Mission, according to its
website, "was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, the church's interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. It is a place where visitors can truly step back in time and enter an authentic 18th Century space. The church retains its original purpose of ministering to the religious needs of its parishioners." For a beautiful and in-depth description of the San Xavier del Bac Mission and the experience of visiting this Catholic landmark, view a fascinating article from InsideCatholic.com by clicking
here.
Here are a few pictures of the Mission and its beautiful architecture and statues -- sent to us by the crew on site in Tucson today!
In addition, the crew will be visiting one of the
Vatican Observatory's telescopes at the University of Arizona. Many people find it surprising that the Vatican studies the universe, wondering what faith has to do with science. But the Church confidently studies the universe with the faith that the Logos (intelligibility) is found throughout all of creation. Without this faith in the intelligibility of the universe, science could not operate. Fr. Barron's visit to the observatory demonstrates the Catholic embrace of Faith and Reason and the interdependence of the two.
Here is the video of Father Barron speaking about religion, science, and his meeting with Father George Coyne, former director of the Vatican Observatory and head of the Observatory’s research group.
Here are some other useful links to find out more about the Vatican Observatory:
http://vaticanobservatory.org/
http://vaticanobservatory.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=43&Itemid=154
www.as.arizona.edu/