Vincent Morales turns to expert counsel when he has a question about his work on the restoration of historic Mission San Xavier del Bac: his father, Daniel.
Daniel knows where to go when he has a question: his father, Sonny.
Sonny, in turn, got his mission knowledge from - yup - his late father, Apolino.
Apolino, well, he learned some things from his own padre, Ernesto.
Five generations of the Morales family have worked on stabilization and restoration of the 213-year-old mission southwest of Tucson.
"We go way back," says Daniel, who oversees the family's business - Morales Restoration and Builders Inc.
"Without my grandfather's knowledge and my dad's knowledge, I wouldn't be able to do this work," he says. "I keep learning and developing the knowledge - and now I'm passing it on through the family."
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The results show clearly in the venerable, yet vulnerable, walls and towers of San Xavier.
From early stabilization work by Ernesto and Apolino in the 1940s and continuing toils by Sonny in the 1950s, the building has been shored up and beautified by many a Morales hand.
Daniel's eight-member crew, which began extensive repair and replastering of the mission's exterior in 1989, includes his sons, Vincent and D.J.; his wife, Lisa; and, at 76 vigorous years of age, his father, Sonny.
"There is so much historical knowledge about the mission contained within that family, and it really benefits the work," says Vern Lamplot, executive director of the Patronato San Xavier.
The Patronato was formed in 1978 to promote and raise funds for conservation of the mission. The group has employed the Morales crew in recent decades for extensive work - including renovation of the mission's west tower and removal of water-trapping cement plaster applied during earlier renovations. The plaster is being replaced with a lime-and-cactus-juice-mortar like that used by the original builders.
Deep funding cuts have postponed much-needed work on the east tower, but Lamplot noted that the crew is working on a "smaller project" of stabilizing and restoring the sacristy arcade.
"We're making do with what we have" in terms of funding, Daniel Morales says. "I didn't want to fire or lay off anybody, so we just all cut our hours."
If San Xavier is, literally, the Morales clan's mission in life, knowing a little about the grand edifice and its history might help explain a family passion that has endured for generations.
MINDING THE MISSION
Historians trace the beginnings of San Xavier to 1700, when a Jesuit missionary, Father Eusebio Kino, began the foundations of a church that was never built.
Work on the current church, built to replace an earlier nearby structure, began in 1783 and was completed in 1797.
The mission, bolstered and sometimes damaged by repair and stabilization efforts over the centuries, has survived damage from leaking walls, a lightning strike and an earthquake.
Sometimes known as "the White Dove of the Desert" because of its glistening exterior, the mission was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963, and it attracts some 200,000 visitors a year.
Still an active church today, San Xavier is known for its Spanish Colonial architecture and exquisite religious art. An international team of art conservators worked from 1992 to 1997 on a painstaking project to clean and restore the church's paintings and sculptures to their former glory.
"The Patronato deserves so much credit. They have literally saved this place," Daniel says as he warms his hands over a small fire during a work break on a chilly morning.
"They have been the keeper of the mission," he says. "And the tourists, the visitors - they notice. They're in awe of what's here."
Patronato leaders, intent on getting the most out of their planning and fundraising, laud the family - and Daniel in particular - for unrelenting attention to detail.
"Danny seems to be doing research constantly," Lamplot says. "He gets all the old photos of the mission he can find and studies them. He is meticulous about keeping with the history of the place and trusting in what the original builders did. That's why he's so adamant about the use of lime mortar and some of the genuine materials."
ACROSS GENERATIONS
Ernesto and Apolino Morales have passed away, but surviving generations - including Sonny, Daniel and Daniel's sons, Vincent and D.J. - treasure a trove of San Xavier memories. Among their mission musings:
• Sonny Morales
Described by a crew member as "so spry and quick we often have to hold him back," Sonny says his four days of work at the mission each week benefit the building and keep him feeling young.
"I stay active instead of sitting down like an old Farmer John in a rocking chair," Sonny says as he cleans a section of wall in the sacristy arcade.
"My dad (Apolino) was a bricklayer, and he started work here in 1947. His dad worked with him in those days.
"My granddad, Ernesto, told me this: ' "When you get on that scaffolding, put all your mind on that work. And don't worry about the money. You will get paid for what you are worth.' He guided me in my life and how to build things."
The aging mission building has presented scores, hundreds, of challenges for those who would hold it together, Sonny says.
"I look at that and say there's no such thing as impossible," he says. "I think positive and give this work all my time and attention."
• Daniel Morales
Thirty years of work at the mission have given Daniel, 49, an intimate knowledge of the grand towers and the nooks and crannies of the old building.
He moves among the revered spaces quietly, respectfully - paying heed to the spiritual nature of the place.
Perhaps with that customary reverence in mind, he seems slightly embarrassed as he tells of a "memorable moment" with family members about five years ago.
"We all had breakfast on the scaffolding on the high tower on a Saturday morning," he says.
Another special memory, Daniel says, is of working with members of the Tohono O'odham Nation, some of whom live on land around the mission and attend Mass there.
"They would often come around and work with us," Daniel says. He and his family are not members of the San Xavier church congregation.
During breaks from work on the sacristy, Daniel often slips inside the church to observe the work of his wife, Lisa, who is meticulously dusting religious artwork.
"She has done every square inch of the nave - and from the choir loft on up," Daniel says proudly, sweeping an arm at the colorful, freshly cleaned treasures. "It's very delicate work."
He could go on.
"So many memories," he says, peering up at the dazzling west dome of the old White Dove.
• Vincent Morales
"I'm the fifth generation, and I like it that my family has been here so long," says Vincent, 21. "It's great. The entire family has a friendship going on."
Vincent says he sometimes considers expanding his career endeavors beyond San Xavier.
"Maybe I'll venture out and build custom homes someday," he says. "But I want to still be involved in the mission."
• D.J. Morales
With a degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona and a growing interest in performing as a magician, D.J., 23, still finds time to join the crew for work on occasion.
An example: He spent one recent day building a new fire pit for cooking the cactus juice that the crew uses in its lime mortar.
He pauses in his task and utters words that might speak for the whole family:
"I love this. I love doing what I'm doing."
HOW TO HELP
Anyone wishing to contribute to the ongoing restoration work at the mission can send a tax-deductible donation to Patronato San Xavier, P.O. Box 522, Tucson, AZ 85702.
For information, call 407-6130.
There is so much historical knowledge about the mission contained within that family, and it really benefits the work."
Vern Lamplot, executive director of the Patronato San Xavier
DID YOU KNOW
The mission's architectural style features some playful elements such as theatrical curtain displays, faux doors and marbling.
IF YOU GO
• Where: Mission San Xavier del Bac, about nine miles south of downtown Tucson.
• Drive: Take Interstate 19 south, exit at San Xavier Road and follow the signs to the mission.
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
• Cost: Free admission.
Contact reporter Doug Kreutz at dkreutz@azstarnet.com or at 573-4192.
