The White Dove of the Desert
The San Xavier del Bac Mission, often referred to as the “White Dove of the Desert,” is located near the Santa Cruz River nine miles south of Tucson, Arizona. A Jesuit missionary named Father Kino visited the site in 1692, and would commence construction of the mission seven years later. The Mission was finally completed in 1797.
The mission is a wonderful polyglot of 17th century Spanish, and traditional and modern Tohono O’Odham sacred art and symbols.
Every time I go to visit, like I did this past January, I spend a moment by the entrance looking for the cat and mouse. I squint at the facade to see if we’re any closer to the end of the world.
Carved from a mesquite wood, right by the front door of the church is a small carved frieze of a cat chasing a mouse. It is said that when the cat catches the mouse, the end of the world will be at hand.
