Among a number of holy men and women declared venerable by Pope Francis on July 10 was a Jesuit scholar and founder of more than 20 missions during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Eusebio Francesco Chini, S.J.

In Mexico and the southwestern United States, he is best known as Padre Kino, an adaptation of his surname that he personally introduced. The pope’s decree puts Padre Kino on the path toward beatification and then, presumably, canonization.