Correspondence, photography, and the periodical -- Franciscan Missions of the Southwest -- that pertain to Catholic Franciscan missions among the Apache, Navajo, Pima, Tohono O'odham, and Yaqui Indians in Arizona and New Mexico.

The collection is comprised of records from three separate donations. In 1998, the Tekakwitha Conference National Center (Great Falls, Montana) donated seven microfilm reels with St. John the Baptist Province correspondence and Franciscan Missions of the Southwest. In 2006, Mel Wendrick (Pinetop Arizona) donated one CD-Rom with correspondence and photographs from St. Francis Mission (Whiteriver, Arizona). In 2007, Brother Peter Boegel, O.F.M. (Mescalero, New Mexico), donated two DVDs with motion picture recordings regarding Reverend Albert Braun, O.F.M. Brother Peter, in turn, had acquired the 1958 motion picture from parishioners (Tularosa, New Mexico) and the 1965 motion picture from the Santa Barbara Province Franciscan Archives (Santa Barbara, California).

Historical Note

The St. John the Baptist Province (Cincinnati, Ohio), established in 1886, administered several Catholic Indian missions, parishes, and schools in Arizona and New Mexico to 1915. The Santa Barbara Province (Santa Barbara, California), established in 1915, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Province (Albuquerque, New Mexico), established in 1985, then succeeded the St. John the Baptist Province as noted in this list of mission parishes, which excludes subsidiary mission chapels and stations. For further information, see Guides to Catholic-Related Records for the United States about Native Americans.

1692-present (St. John the Baptist, 1897-1922; Santa Barbara, 1922-present)	San Xavier del Bac Mission (Pima, Tohono O’odham, and Yaqui), Tucson, San Xavier Reservation, Arizona
1873-1876 (closed), 1888-present (St. John the Baptist, 1897-1922; Santa Barbara, 1922-present)	San Xavier del Bac School(Pima, Tohono O’odham, and Yaqui), Tucson, San Xavier Reservation, Arizona
1897-present (St. John the Baptist, 1898-1985; Santa Barbara, 1922-present)	St. John the Baptist Church (Pima), Laveen/ Komatke, Gila River Reservation, Arizona
1897-1990 (closed) (St. John the Baptist, 1898-1985; Santa Barbara, 1922-1990)	St. John the Baptist School (Apache, Pima, and Tohono O’odham), Laveen/ Komatke, Gila River Reservation, Arizona
1898-present (St. John the Baptist, 1898-1985; Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1985-present)	St. Michael's Mission and School (Navajo), St. Michael, Arizona
1918-present (St. John the Baptist, 1898-1985; Santa Barbara, 1922-present)	San Carlos Mission (Apache), San Carlos, San Carlos Reservation, Arizona
1922-present (St. John the Baptist, 1898-1985; Santa Barbara, 1922-present)	St. Joseph Mission (Apache), Mescalero, Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico; Reverend Albert Braun (1889-1983), O.F.M., pastor, 1916-1918, 1919-1924, 1927-1940, 1946-1947
1921-present (St. John the Baptist, 1898-1985; Santa Barbara, 1924-present)	St. Francis Mission (Apache), Whiteriver, Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona; Reverend Justin Deutsch, O.F.M., pastor, 1921-1923, and Reverend Augustine Schwarz (1888-1946), O.F.M., pastor, 1923-1925, 1930-1935

Scope and Content

Series 1 (microfilm), Correspondence: Correspondence pertaining to St. Michael's Mission, San Xavier del Bac Mission, St. John the Baptist Mission, San Carlos Mission, and various day schools, plus general Franciscan administrative correspondence and financial records.

Series 1 (CD-Rom), Correspondence: Correspondence pertaining to St. Francis Mission. Notable correspondents include Reverend Augustine Schwarz, O.F.M., the bishop of Tucson, the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, and the Marquette League. Also included are black and white photographic images pertaining to St. Francis Mission, St. John the Baptist Mission, and Reverend Leo [surname unknown], O.F.M., as well as notes pertaining to Reverend Augustine Schwarz, O.F.M., and the history of St. Francis Mission.

Series 2 (DVD), Motion Pictures: The records pertain to the jubilee celebrations of Reverend Albert Braun, O.F.M., St. Joseph Mission, Mescalero, Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico.

Series 3 (microfilm), The Franciscan Missions of the Southwest: This periodical contains articles pertaining to various missions in Arizona and New Mexico. In original and microfilm formats, it is also found within the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records, Series 14-1.

More Related Resources

• Native America Collections: Checklist to Marquette special collections about native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

• Search the Collections (sidebar)

• Guides to Catholic-Related Records about Native Americans in the United States: Over 1,000 repository entries in PDF format to help genealogists and historical researchers find the records they need on American Indians and Alaskan Natives. The entries provide contact information on the repositories, brief descriptions about the records, the Native groups served, and the associated Catholic organizations. Many of the entries include institutional chronologies to explain the history of the records.

Black and Indian Mission Office Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions

Tekakwitha Conference National Center

U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops > Cultural Diversity in the Church