On Friday, August 8, a celebration takes place in Nacogdoches for Franciscan Father Antonio Margil de Jesus who established a Spanish mission in Nacogdoches and discovered two springs of life-saving water during a long-term drought. According to some reports, this discovery in 1718 is one of the few occasions in the United States noted as a miracle by the Catholic Church and the organization is in the process of recognizing Father Margil for sainthood.
Following a 6 p.m. bilingual “Holy Souls” mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a reenactment of the events in 1718 that led to the discovery of the springs that saved the town. A community potluck dinner and family water fun activities takes place after the show. Get more information on the event on www.catholicnac.org or call (936) 564-7807.
Local actors portray the scene in Nacogdoches leading up to the “miracle of the springs” during an annual celebration. Photo courtesy of Fr. George Elliott/Sacred Heart Catholic Parish
According to the East Texas Historical Association, Father Margil was already a man of legendary proportions when he came to Nacogdoches from Spain in the summer of 1716 and founded Mission Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Nacogdoches. The miracle of the springs legend had its beginning during the drought of 1717-1718, when the Indians’ crops failed and Lanana and Banita creeks dried up. Stephen F. Austin, in a journal entry for December 16, 1833, furnishes one of the earliest recorded versions of the legend of the Holy Spring of Father Margil:
“This monk [Father Margil) is very famous for he has been a second Moses. At Nacogdoches all the springs went dry, and he went out with images of the saints and necessary apparatus to perform miracles. He struck a blow with a rod of iron on a rock, which stands on the bank of the creek La Nana, in Nacogdoches, and immediately a stream of water gushed out, sufficient to supply the inhabitants with water to drink. This miracle was canonized in Rome. and a print or engraving of the fact was made in order to perpetuate it. All this is true because several old women told it to me in Nacogdoches and Bexar (San Antonio), and we ought not to suppose that Rome would order an engraving to be made of a miracle of the water, only to deceive credulous people.”
Visitors can see “The Eyes of Father Margil” as the springs are known along the Lanana Creek Trail, a walking and cycling path that was once the pathway for the Caddo Indians that lived between the creeks, and the Spanish colonials who started coming to Nacogdoches in the eighteenth century, and the Anglos who staked their claims to East Texas in the nineteenth century. Just south of Liberty Hall, 800 East Main Street, is interpretive signage for springs near a lily pond in Margil Park not far from the Main Street trailhead.
Father Margil is honored in other locations in Nacogdoches including a bronze statue sculpted by artist Antonio Mendoza on the ground of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
“The Eyes of Father Margil” mural was painted by local artist JD Cole last year on the Johnson Furniture building at Main and South streets not far from the path to the springs.
Those planning a trip to the area find a wealth of information on www.VisitNacogdoches.org and their visitors’ center located downtown at 200 East Main Street or call (936) 564-7351.
Related content:
- Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus (1657-1726)
- Locating the Eyes of Father Margil by East Texas Historical Association
