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July 31, 2021On Sunday, 8 August, the unique contribution of Padre Kino will be acknowledged with a Proclamation by Mayor Regina Romero, honoring the 30th Anniversary of the “Three Statues for Three Nations” (Mexico, Italy, and the US). There will be simultaneous celebrations in Segno, Italy, Padre Kino’s birthplace. The Proclamation will take place at 8:30 AM in front of the statue of Padre Kino on Kino Boulevard. The day will also be marked with Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral at 10:00 AM. The Mass is an annual event, celebrating Padre Kino’s birth on 10 August 1645.
I would encourage a special remembrance of Padre Kino (declared “Venerable” by Pope Francis in 2020) and prayers at weekend Masses for the Cause of Padre Kino.+Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger
PRAYER FOR THE CANONIZATION OF PADRE KINO
Almighty God, Lord of the Nations, You inspired your servant, Eusebio Francisco Kino, with a love for the Peoples of the Americas, and filled him with selfless zeal for the proclamation of the Gospel by his words and actions.
In his desire to share the blessings of the Gospel of peace, You made him a true ‘bridge-builder’ between peoples and cultures, and a model for true evangelization. In his love for the Native Peoples, you made him a champion of justice, in protecting their lives and their dignity as Your sons and daughters.
We thank you, Father, for the heavenly favors You bestowed upon him in his lifetime of service, and which continue among us, the inheritors of his legacy of loving service to all. With confidence, we beg You, through his intercession, to grant the petitions we bring before You. . . We ask, too, that if be in accordance with Your will, that the holiness of his life may be acknowledged by the Church, for the greater glory of Your Name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.