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Volume 6, Issue 10
Sister Pimentel speaks
at United Nations
Humanitarian
response on the
border focus of talk
By DEBORAH S. BOYCE
The Valley Catholic
“There is still much to do,”
Sister Norma Pimentel, executive
director of Catholic Charities of
the Rio Grande Valley, recently
told United Nations representatives from across the globe.
“We all have a responsibility
to continue to bring solutions to
this immigration crisis. And it all
starts with us: the women who
provide the core of the family,
and the families who provide the
strength to endure.”
Sister Pimentel, of the Missionaries of Jesus, was invited to
speak at the UN Headquarters in
New York on March 18 by Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See
to the United Nations. He cited
her outstanding leadership in
defending human dignity, fight-
Praying
Serving More Than A Million Catholics in the Diocese of Brownsville
ing the trafficking of women and
girls, and most recently, providing humanitarian assistance to
thousands of immigrants along
the U.S. – Mexico border.
“Women have a special brilliance in fostering the intrinsic
dignity of everyone, especially
the most vulnerable, and for nurturing the gifts of others,” Archbishop Auza said. “They have a
particular wisdom for making
even the most chaotic situations
orderly and for breaking through
the ice of the world’s most alienating and dehumanizing situations
with the warmth of a home.”
This past summer, the Rio
Grande Valley became the point
of entry for thousands of refugees
fleeing violence in their homeland
and seeking asylum in the United
States. Sister Pimentel organized
community resources and set up
humanitarian respite centers in
Brownsville and McAllen.
While the majority of immigrants hail from the Central
American countries of El Salva-
APRIL 2015
PEACE,
JUSTICE
for
» Please see UN Talk p.15
Women’s Conference to address
Joy of the Gospel, feminine genius
Valley-wide gathering
set for May 2 in the
Month of Mary
The Valley Catholic
McALLEN — Women are
invited to a Catholic Women’s
Conference, scheduled during
the Month of Mary on Saturday,
May 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
at Our Lady of Sorrows Church
in McAllen.
The event is being organized
by different ministries of the Diocese of Brownsville, the Catholic
Daughters of the Americas and
other women’s groups. Approximately 500 women are expected
to attend the event.
Keynote speakers include the
Most Rev. Daniel E. Flores, bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville,
and Dr. Carolyn Y. Woo, president and CEO of Catholic Relief
Services (CRS).
CRS is the official
international humani-
tarian agency of the Catholic
community in the United States.
Since it’s founding in 1943, it has
become one of the world’s largest
and most respected international
relief and development agencies,
each year reaching more than
130 million people in nearly 100
countries.
Dr. Woo, representing CRS,
was featured in Foreign Policy
(May/June 2013) as one of the
500 Most Powerful People on the
Planet and one of only 33 in the
category of “a force for good.”
The conference will include
sessions in English and Spanish.
Sessions will reflect the theme:
“Living the Joy of the Gospel &
Celebrating the Feminine Genius.” The first part of the theme
is inspired by Pope Francis’ first
Apostolic Exhortation, “Evengelii
Gaudium.” The second comes
from St. John Paul II’s writings
on women, including his apostolic letter “Mulieris Dignitatem”
(“Dignity of Women”).
Also on the program, Sister
» Please see Women, p.7
YOUTH JAM
Photos by Cesar Riojas, Jr./ The Valley Catholic
Bishops from the frontera of Texas and Mexico consecrated the border to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary during a Mass on March 17 at the Immaculate
Conception Cathedral in Brownsville.
The Valley Catholic
BROWNSVILLE — Ten
bishops from along the Texas-Mexico border celebrated
a Mass for peace and justice
on March 17 at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in
Brownsville and consecrated
the border to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary.
“This is a significant moment here in this Church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. We are here together
and united, praying for the
grace that only God can give
From the prayer: “We commend to your maternal us to lift up our communities,”
said the Most Rev. Daniel E.
protection our families, our children, those born
Flores, bishop of the Diocese of
and those still in the womb; protect also those
Brownsville.
threatened by violence and victims of violence
along the border, both in the United States and in
“We join together as bishMexico; be ever the protectress of the undocument- ops along the border to pray
ed, the elderly and the sick among us.”
INTERFAITH TALK
THOSE WHO SERVE
together, to manifest that we
too, especially we as shepherds
of our Churches, kneel before
the Lord and his glory to ask
for what we need,” he said.
He said the bishops are
aware families are living
through some difficult challenges on both sides of the border. “God is always present,” he
added.
Bishop Flores pointed out
that strong families, families of
faith who instill values in their
children, can overcome the difficulties and dangers that exist
in this world. “As shepherds
we want to make sure people
don’t lose hope.”
“We walk together,” he
said, “each bishop with his
» Please see Mass for Peace p.7
EN
ENESPAÑOL
ESPAÑOL
Articulos sobre la Hermana
Pimentel en el U.N., la Divina
Misericordia y los sueños de
Dios para su pueblo
“VERBUM MITTITUR
SPIRANS AMOREM”
(“The WORD is sent
breathing love.”)
Middle school students
invited to encounter Christ
Page 3
Dialogues help build understanding
Page 6
Father Ignacio Luna
Page 9
Páginas 11-13
2
DIOCESE
The Valley Catholic -
Bishop Flores frames theological
call to be ‘with the immigrant’
By PATRICIA ZAPOR
Catholic News Service
CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn
WASHINGTON — The faith
and social justice considerations
of immigration might be viewed
theologically with an eye not just
toward how migrants change “by
being with us,” said Bishop Daniel
E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, but
also “are we willing to change by being with the immigrant?”
In a lecture Feb. 24 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, Bishop Flores wove together
theology, personal stories from people at various stages of the immigration continuum and philosophical
perspectives of several novelists.
Drawing from material by novelist Walker Percy, Pope Francis,
Pope Benedict XVI and other writers, Bishop Flores also sprinkled
his remarks with references to the
play and movie “Into the Woods.”
He drew a comparison between
the comparatively ordinary lives of
Hobbits and the more exotic existence of other magical creatures of
the “Lord of the Rings” books and
put his thoughts in context of the
work of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Bishop Flores framed a challenge to the church and to all who
believe in Christ’s model of justice,
saying they are called to break free
of “paralysis ... the human affliction of our time,” that keeps people
from acting to protect those most in
need.
Bishop Flores’ talk was the third
annual Hispanic Innovators of the
Faith Lecture at the university. A native of the Mexican border region of
Texas, he heads a diocese that was in
the apex of the surge last summer of
unaccompanied minors and family
immigrants from Central America
that overwhelmed governmental
and social service resources.
He illustrated his more theological and philosophical points
with stories of individuals he met in
immigrant detention centers in the
United States, in a shelter for repatriated youths in Honduras and in
a Guatemalan community of people
determined to make a better life for
themselves amid poverty and violence in their country.
Bishop Flores distinguished between the “economically and technologically advanced West,” or ETA
West as he called it, that defines the
lives of most North Americans, and
the more struggling version of the
West experienced by the poor of
Central America. A feature defining the ETA West is a sort of inertia
brought on by the many distrac-
700 N. Virgen de San Juan Blvd., San Juan, TX 78589-3042
Telephone: 956/781-5323 • Fax: 956/784-5082
Bishop Daniel E. Flores
Publisher
Catholic Diocese of Brownsville
www.cdob.org
Brenda Nettles Riojas
Editor
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Evana A. Zamora
(956) 784-5038
Immigration as a
Theological Paradigm
for Faith and Social Justice
Bishop Daniel E. Flores delivered a
lecture on immigration Feb. 24 on the
campus of The Catholic University of
America in Washington, D.C., urging
the country to breakout of social
“paralysis” on the issue and approach
it with faith.
tions of society.
“As a novelist, Walker Percy
(shows) us modern persons in
motion, or at least attempting to
move. His characters are individuals, flawed, self-consumed at times,
anxious, yet longing to get over
some kind of internal paralysis. Paralysis is for Walker Percy, the human affliction of our time,” Bishop
Flores said. Some of Percy’s characters are severely paralyzed, he
observed, while others are “more or
less paralyzed, depending on how
successful they are in regaining selfpossession of themselves as selves.”
He compared such characters to
the opening chapters of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Evangelii
Gaudium,” “as a call to the church to
overcome a kind of sweet paralysis
not unlike what Walker Percy elucidates. The Holy Father, writing
30 years later, describes the way the
general ailment diagnosed by Percy
as epidemic in the modern West
shows itself in the particular context
of the church’s members.”
The human mind, particularly
the theological mind, is involved
in an immigrant journey, a kind of
itinerant trek in search of something
better, Bishop Flores said. “When
we are honest with ourselves, in
moments of lucid self-awareness,
we know that this is an urgent journey. It is not a vacation journey,
it is more like a hike wherein we
seek signposts in a strange land, in
search for real food. Intelligibility is
the food of the mind, and without
it we wither to listless foraging on
ideas that do not nourish, they only
anesthetize.”
He said that people on a pilgrim
journey of faith and immigrants –
while on distinctly different types of
journeys – both depend upon God
and the people they meet along the
road, he said.
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Gustavo Morales
(956) 266-1527
Gilbert Saenz
(956) 451-5416
Bishop Flores described talking
with many immigrants who told of
having been helped on the road by
someone they believed God put in
their path. Some credit St. Toribio
Romo, considered a patron and
protector of immigrants crossing
into the United States from Mexico.
“A third of the boys I confirmed
in Detroit in the Mexican neighborhoods during my time as an auxiliary bishop there chose the name
Toribio for their confirmation,” he
said. St. Toribio “has appeared to
many, assisting them in small but
decisive ways, often saving their
lives. Word spreads. People have
faith. From the perspective of faith,
heaven is not so far from earth, and
sometimes it is a lot closer than the
United States.”
Yet, he added, “sometimes we
in the church in the ETA West can
smugly ask the immigrant church
to assimilate to the customs and
habits that are our own. We ought
to pause before facilely insisting
upon such a demand. For in doing
so, we may in some way be asking
them to abandon a Christ of flesh
and blood for a gray pragmatism of
indecisive small-mindedness.
“Perhaps we have become too
accustomed to our five-story office
buildings, our myriads of forms to
fill out, our recorded messages on
phone lines and our endless meetings to discuss whether we will actually do something,” he said. “No,
we must take seriously what the
Holy Father says when he urges us
to let ourselves as a Church be evangelized by those whom we are asked
by God to receive hospitably. The
immigrant changes by being with
us. The question is, are we willing
to change because we are with the
immigrant?
APRIL 2015
MOST REVEREND
DANIEL E. FLORES
BISHOP OF BROWNSVILLE
Editor’s Note: The following closing remarks are from a presentation Bishop Flores gave for the
Hispanic Innovators of the Faith
Lecture Series at Catholic University of America in Washington,
D.C. on Feb. 24. To read the
full presentation with complete
footnotes visit http://bishopflores.
blogspot.com.
Seeking the
Forward Path
P
ilgrims and the immigrant depend on God
and the people they meet
on the road. They have nothing
else. I hear a lot of young men
and women in the immigration detention centers I have
visited use phrases like Dios y
la Virgen me estaban cuidando.
I have heard 14-year-old girls
tell me that it was through the
kindness of a man she did not
know, but whom God put in
her path, that a gang of youths
outside a city in Mexico did not
assault, rape and kill her. And a
third of the boys I confirmed in
Detroit in the Mexican neighborhoods, during my time as
an auxiliary bishop there, chose
the name Toribio for their
confirmation. Santo Toribio
Romo has, by popular acclaim,
become the patron and protector of immigrants crossing from
Mexico. The saint has appeared
to many, assisting them in small
but decisive ways, often saving their lives. Word spreads.
People have faith. From the
perspective of faith, heaven
is not so far from earth, and
sometimes it is a lot closer than
the United States.
And yet, sometimes we in
the Church in the ETA West
can smugly ask the immigrant
Church to assimilate to the
customs and habits that are
our own. We ought to pause
before facilely insisting upon
such a demand. For in doing
so, we may in some way be asking them to abandon a Christ
of flesh and blood for a gray
pragmatism of indecisive smallmindedness.
Perhaps we have become
too accustomed to our five
story office buildings, our
myriads of forms to fill out, our
recorded messages on phone
lines and our endless meetings to discuss whether we will
actually do something. No, we
must take seriously what the
Holy Father says when he urges
us to let ourselves as a Church
be evangelized by those whom
we are asked by God to receive
hospitably. The immigrant
changes by being with us. The
question is, are we willing to
change because we are with the
immigrant?
This change can happen
when we humbly recover the
evangelical primacy of the
personal encounter with the
person who walks along our
path, be they on a mountainside
in Guatemala, or seated at a
bus station while we are driving
by, or waiting in a detention
center. This is what it means to
be evangelized by the poor. Any
of these would be good places
for you and me to stop, listen,
see and respond. We might
learn something by lingering in
such places. And if we ask for
it, we might be given the grace
that opens up for us the path of
life, a path we might otherwise
never have the courage to take.
Bishop Flores’ Schedule - April 2015
Apr. 2
7 p.m.
Brownsville
Mass of the Lord’s Supper at Cathedral
Apr. 3
Noon
San Juan
Stations of the Cross at Basilica
Apr. 3
7 p.m.
Brownsville
Liturgical Service at Cathedral
Apr. 4
9 p.m.
Brownsville
Easter Vigil Mass at Cathedral
Apr. 5
11 a.m.
San Juan
Easter Sunday Mass at Basilica
Apr. 7
7 p.m.
Peñitas
Confirmations at St. Anne
Apr. 8
7 p.m.
Mission
Confirmations at Our Lady of St. John of the Fields
Apr. 9
6 p.m.
San Benito
Confirmations at St. Benedict
Apr. 11
8:30 a.m.
Brownsville
Blessing, Rosary and Procession - Hike for Life Campaign
Apr. 11
5 p.m.
Mission
Confirmations at St. Paul
Apr. 12
10 a.m.
San Isidro
Confirmations at St. Isidore
Apr. 12
5:30 p.m.
Brownsville
Confirmations at Mary, Mother of the Church
Apr. 13
7 p.m.
Brownsville
Confirmations at Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Apr. 14
6 p.m.
Santa Rosa
Confirmations at St. Mary
Apr. 16
7 p.m.
Brownsville
Confirmations at St. Joseph
Apr. 18
5 p.m.
Weslaco
Mass for 2015 Youth Jam
Apr. 19
10 a.m.
Pharr
Mass & Blessing of the New Altar at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Apr. 19
4 p.m.
McAllen
Confirmations at Holy Spirit
Apr. 20
7 p.m.
Harlingen
Confirmations at St. Anthony
Apr. 21
6 p.m.
Pharr
Confirmations at St. Anne, Mother of Mary
Apr. 22
6 p.m.
Roma
Confirmations at Our Lady of Refuge
Apr. 23
7 p.m.
San Benito
Confirmations at St. Theresa
Apr. 25
11 a.m.
Rio Hondo
Confirmations at St. Helen
Apr. 25
2 p.m.
Alamo
Talk for Día del Niño
Apr. 26
11 a.m.
McAllen
Confirmations at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Apr. 30
7 p.m.
San Benito
Confirmations at Our Lady, Queen of the Universe
APRIL 2015
DIOCESE
- The Valley Catholic
Editor’s note: Join us each month as we take a glimpse back in time and
review the history of the Diocese of Brownsville.
»Fourth Bishop of Brownsville
Bishop Enrique San Pedro
His motto:“Most gladly I will spend myself and be spent
for your sakes.” – 2 Corinthians 12:15
Jesuit remembered as
an educator
‘par excellence’
By TERRY DE LEON
The Valley Catholic
A native of Cuba and a former missionary, Bishop Enrique
San Pedro, S.J. became the fourth
bishop of the Brownsville Diocese,
upon Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick’s
retirement. He had been installed
as Coadjutor of the Diocese on
Sept. 26, 1991.
He was born in Havana, Cuba,
on March 9, 1926, where he lived
until he left in 1946. He entered
the Society of Jesus on Dec. 7,
1941 and was ordained a priest on
March 18, 1957.
Bishop San Pedro was appointed
the first Hispanic auxiliary bishop of
the Diocese of Galveston-Houston
on April 1, 1986. Consecrated as
bishop on June 29, 1986, he served
as auxiliary bishop of GalvestonHouston until 1991. At the time
of his ordination as bishop, he was
only the third Jesuit to be named a
bishop in the United States.
Prior to his ordination as a
priest in 1957, he received a master’s degree in Classical Literature from St. Stanislaus College,
Salamanca, Spain in 1947; and a
Licentiate in philosophy from the
Pontifical University of Comillas,
Santander, Spain in 1950.
Bishop San Pedro continued
his studies earning a Licentiate
in Theology from the LeopoldFranzens University, Innsbruck,
Austria in 1958 and a doctorate
in Sacred Theology from the same
university in 1965. He also did
postgraduate work at the FranzJoseph University in Vienna,
Austria from 1958-1959. From
1960 to 1964 he attended the Pontifical Biblical Institute where he
obtained the Licentiate in Holy
Scripture in 1962 and finished the
following year as a candidate for
the doctorate in Rome.
Bishop San Pedro spoke seven
languages and served as a missionary in the Philippines and China.
Following his studies, San Pedro
taught at various universities until
this appointment as auxiliary bishop
of the Galveston-Houston Diocese.
He was in Vietnam from 1963 to
1975 but left because of the Communist takeover. He also served in
Suva, Fiji, 1978-1980; and Boynton
Beach, Florida, 1981-1985.
At the age of 65 he was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of
Brownsville on Nov. 30, 1991.
Lydia Pesina, director of the
Family Life Office, said Bishop
The Valley Catholic
The Most Rev. Enrique San Pedro served as bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville for
from 1991 to 1994.
San Pedro “was an educator ‘par
excellence.’ In the tradition of the
Jesuits, he believed in education
and formation for all involved in
parish ministries.”
In the 1990s, Pesina, with the
Office of Catechesis, recalls that he
asked them to develop a catechist
formation program locally since
the national “Echoes of Faith” program was just in the initial stages.
Pesina remembers on one occasion she and Bishop San Pedro
drove from Alamo to Brownsville
and he shared that his first teaching experience was at the age of
twelve, when he was in the minor
seminary and was asked to assist
in teaching Latin to some seminarians older than him.
“I believe this exemplifies
his life’s work and service to the
Church,” she said.
Bishop San Pedro had few
possessions other than his books
as he was an avid reader, learner,
and teacher. He said that he read
whenever he had a chance such
as waiting at airports. He quipped
that he gave his day to service to
the Lord, but after his night-time
prayers he would say something
like “ I did what I could today for your
» Please Bishop San Pedro, see p.6
Youth Jam organized for middle schoolers
Franciscan Friar to
keynote event April
18 in Weslaco
Onydia Garza/Special toThe Valley Catholic
Annual event organized for middle
school youth set for Saturday, April
18. To register call (956) 784-5037.
The Valley Catholic
WESLACO — Hundreds of
middle school youth from across
the Rio Grande Valley will gather
for the annual Youth JAM on Saturday, April 18 at B. Garza Middle
School, 1111 W. Sugar Cane Dr. in
Weslaco.
All sixth-, seventh- and eighthgraders from the diocese are invited to attend the event, which
begins at 8 a.m. and ends with a
Vigil Mass celebrated by Bishop
Daniel E. Flores. The cost is $20
and scholarships are available.
The theme of this year’s Youth
JAM is derived from Matthew 5:8,
which reads, “Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they will see God.”
Alamo native Father Agustino
Torres of the Franciscan Friars of
the Renewal will serve as the keynote speaker. Father Torres now
serves in the metro New York City
area.
Growing up in the Rio Grande
Valley, Father Torres admits he
lived “a party lifestyle” until the
Lord helped him to see the emptiness of the life he was living. He
saw friends die in auto accidents,
gang and drug-related violence
and he himself experienced a couple of brushes with death.
The second of five children, Father Torres is the son of Ana Ortiz
Hundreds of Valley youth join together
each year to celebrate their faith.
and Juan Torres.
He graduated from Pharr-San
Juan-Alamo High School where
he was a football player and a
member of the drama club. Father
Torres was ordained to the priesthood in 2008 and has dedicated
much of his ministry to the youth,
young adults and the homeless.
Monica Benitez, associate di-
rector of the Office of Youth Ministry, said, “Youth JAM is going
to be such a great experience for
our middle schoolers of the Rio
Grande Valley.
“Youth JAM actually may be
their first encounter with Christ,
so we want them to feel welcomed
and to embrace the larger Catholic community. We are going to
have music, games, small group
sessions and a fantastic keynote
speaker,” she added.
Father Agustino Torres, CFR
will be the keynote for the day. For
more information on Youth JAM,
email Benitez at mbenitez@cdob.
org or Dora Rodriguez-Rosa at
[email protected] or call (956)
784-5037.
3
4
DIOCESE
Women upholding human dignity
Sister Norma Pimentel, executive
director of Catholic Charities of
the Rio Grande Valley, presented
the following excerpted talk at the
United Nations on March 18.
I am a Religious woman, a
Missionary of Jesus, who has been
chosen to be a voice for those in
our midst who find themselves
dehumanized, suffering atrocities,
and hardships, as they flee their
violent countries in search of a
better life for their children, free of
violence.
I am a woman who is representing Catholic Charities of the
Rio Grande Valley, part of the network of Catholic Charities USA,
a group of compassionate, caring
people dedicated to serving those
on the margins and those most in
need.
Today, I come to share the
stories of the border. It saddens me
to see the human dignity of many
among us, in particular immigrants, who find themselves forced
to leave their own country due to
the violence and fear they face day
after day.
What I find heartbreaking are
the thousands of children we saw
this past summer and continue to
see coming to our borders in much
lesser numbers today. Every person matters, and children require
special consideration.
Last summer, when a tsunami
of immigrant families and children
hit the Rio Grande Valley, the U.S.
Border Patrol facility in McAllen,
Texas, was not equipped to handle
so many people. The children
were classified as unaccompanied
because they came with an uncle,
a grandparent, or an older sibling,
and were separated from them. So
The Valley Catholic
Sister Norma
Pimentel spoke on
a panel addressing
“Women Upholding
Human Dignity,”
which ran concurrently with the
59th session of the
Commission on the
Status of Women.
the children could not be released
until they could be transferred
to a children’s facility, under the
responsibility of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The Border Patrol facility,
built to hold about 300 people,
was forced to hold more than a
thousand children. And they were
seeing thousands of new arrivals
every day.
It became clear, very quickly,
the United States was not prepared
to respond appropriately and humanely to the wave of immigrants,
especially the children.
When I visited the facility for
the first time last summer, something tragically ripped within me.
A profound pain, as if my insides
were being ripped out of me! I
saw mostly children and mothers
crying. They were all totally dirty,
hungry, and scared! They looked
exhausted and frightened.
When I walked into a cell, the
children were packed like little
sardines. They surrounded me,
their faces full of tears. Telling me,
“Saceme de aqui!” Take me out of
here! “No puedo respirar!” I can’t
breath! We prayed together, as we
cried together.
I could see the faces of the
Border Patrol officers through the
large glass windows, and I could
see their hearts were touched by
what they were seeing. As I walked
out, one officer said to me, “Sister,
thank you for helping me to see
they are human! We have become
hardened with the thousands of
children that keep coming.”
After what I saw and experienced in my visit to these
facilities, it is my belief we failed
the children. I say “we” because we
live in the United States and as the
people of this country, we have the
responsibility to uphold the human dignity of ALL! Especially the
human dignity of a child.
I know we are a country of
laws. However, those laws failed
to respond to these children in a
humane way.
I am certain it must not have
been easy for the Border Patrol
agents who went home every day
after experiencing what I experienced. I have met officers like
John Lopez who demonstrate great
respect toward the immigrant
families in the call of duty of doing
their job.
We need to pray for them! Pray
for the Border Patrol officers that
they be strengthened in their faith!
So they stay strong in their efforts
to uphold human dignity as they
do their jobs. It is important they
know we care about them.
Through this response to the
humanitarian crisis, I can say I am
honored to be among the woman
of the border, and truly among
women from all over the United
States. These volunteers have so
generously given of themselves to
uphold the human dignity of the
thousands of immigrant families
passing through the Rio Grande
Valley.
All of these women have been
true champions in responding with
love and compassion. They are the
faces of women upholding human
dignity today, in our time. These
are the women from the border
who lift me up each day with their
example of truly witnessing God’s
presence in their lives!
These women, and thousands
more like them, respond with generosity, not expecting any credit for
their service, only the pleasure of
knowing the families, the children,
are safe and are now in a better
place.
Let me not forget the thousands of youth who took part
and continue to take part in the
humanitarian relief effort. Today’s
youth are getting involved in noble
causes upholding human dignity.
Let us not feel threatened by their
presence and their fresh ideas.
They have so much to offer. Let us
not forget to pray for them, so they
stay strong in living out their faith
values in the midst of peer pressure to do otherwise.
» Please see UN Talk p.14
»Women speak for themselves en la Frontera
I
Behind the scenes, lessons on humility
don’t know why I said yes. I
think fear prompted me to
accept an invitation to turn
some of my poems about my
mother into a short play. The fear
pushed me to try something new.
Panic, however, set in as the date
approached.
Seven months ago when Rita
Conde, one of the members of the
Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts
Center in San Benito, proposed
the idea, I was flattered to be asked
and intrigued with the challenge. I
am not sure what lesson the Holy
Spirit intended from this experience, but the invitation turned into
a lesson in humility and helped
me gain a greater appreciation for
what happens behind the scenes.
Pope Francis in his apostolic
exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium,”
The Joy of the Gospel, speaks about
the face-to-face encounter with
others and about living in community. He also said, “Being a disciple
means being constantly ready to
bring the love of Jesus to others,
and this can happen unexpectedly
and in any place: on the street, in
a city square, during work, on a
journey.” It was a blessing to witness this in the art world.
First, the experience helped
me surrender myself to trying
something that scares me. It made
me vulnerable to the possibility
that my attempt in this form of
storytelling on stage might fail
before a large crowd.
I am thankful for the generosity of the women who nudged
me gently forward. I was blessed
Brenda
Nettles Riojas
Editor of The
Valley Catholic
with friends and strangers, now
new found friends, who shared
their knowledge and coached me.
Dolores Perez was most generous
with her time. She drove from
Brownsville on several occasions
to help me prepare. There is a
grace in allowing others to help us,
and a humility to recognizing our
weaknesses.
I have observed over the past
five years how Rita encourages
women to share their work. But
not everyone sees the attention she
gives to preparing the space where
these women come to display
their paintings and sculptures or
share their story on stage. As I rehearsed, or in my case, paced and
prayed, I saw Rita paint, sweep,
mop, dust, arrange chairs, each
task undertaken with such peace
and joy.
It was inspiring to glimpse her
work from behind the scenes and
to witness how she helps others shine. I was reminded of the
women who take care of the altar
at the parish. They pay attention to
the smallest of the details in which
most people never take notice.
In the same way it was a handful
of women who first noticed the
need of the immigrants this past
summer and responded by offering food and water to the refugees
from Central America who were
being dropped off by immigration officials at the bus station in
McAllen.
There are countless numbers of
women who daily give of themselves helping others – raising
children, taking care of family,
and making other contributions
at work and in the community.
They are women who serve with
generous hearts, women who do
not look for recognition. These
women radiate the joy that comes
from sharing their talents in unassuming ways. Without words, they
bring the love of Jesus to others.
For almost a year now, a
diverse group of women started
meeting for roundtable discussions to share their talents, their
stories, their faith. They are now
organizing a women’s conference
for May 2 so that other women
can join in the conversation.
The theme, “Living the Joy of
the Gospel and Celebrating the
Feminine Genius,” encapsulates
the goal of highlighting the varied
ways in which women “bring
the love of Jesus to others.” The
first part of the theme is inspired
by Pope Francis’ first Apostolic
Exhortation, “Evengelii Gaudium.”
The second comes from Saint
John Paul II’s writings on women,
including his apostolic letter “Mulieris Dignitatem” (“The Dignity of
Women”).
In “Evangelii Gaudium,” Pope
Francis writes, “The Church
acknowledges the indispensable
contribution which women make
to society through the sensitivity,
intuition and other distinctive skill
sets which they, more than men,
tend to possess.”
Saint John Paul II reminded us
of our unique calling more than
25 years ago when he talked about
the “feminine genius” in “Mulieris
Dignitatem.” He continued his reflection in his Letter to Women in
1995. What is the feminine genius?
It is tied to our innate capacity for
self-giving love.
Thanks to the self-giving love
of women like Rita and Dolores,
and lots of prayers, not only did I
have an opportunity to honor my
mother’s memory, I managed to
surprise even myself by performing on stage. They are women who
“seek the good of others,” women
who help others realize their
potential. They remind me, as does
the Holy Father, as we share the
joy of the Gospel, “the important
thing is to not walk alone, but to
rely on each other.”
Attentive to the words of Pope
Francis, “May we never remain
on the sidelines of this march of
living hope!” confident “that the
kingdom of God is already present
in the world and is growing, here
and there, and in different ways…”
And may we too find ways to
bring the love of Jesus to others.
(For those who are curious, a review of the performance is available
online, http://www.theravingpress.
APRIL 2015
What the
Church
says about
blessings?
The Valley Catholic
First of all, what is a blessing?
According to the Catechism of
the Catholic Church, among
sacramentals, blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places)
come first. Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts. In
Christ, Christians are blessed by
God the Father “with every spiritual blessing.” (Eph. 1:3) This is
why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of
Jesus, usually while making the
holy sign of the cross of Christ.
(CCC 1671)
When it comes to blessings,
who can bless what?
“It depends on what kind of
blessing,” said Father Michael
Montoya of the Missionaries of
Jesus, pastor of St. Anne Parish
in Peñitas and its missions Our
Lady of Guadalupe Church in
Sullivan City, St. Michael the
Archangel Church in Los Ebanos and San Juan Diego Church
in El Flaco. “If it is a sacramental
blessing, it is administered by
one in Holy Orders — a priest
or deacon.”
A sacramental blessing
is a ritual act with prayer in
the name and authority of the
Church, such as the blessing of
rosaries, religious medals, holy
water and crucifixes.
The general principle regarding blessings, according to
the Catechism, “Every baptized
person is called to be a ‘blessing’
and to bless. Hence lay people
may preside at certain blessings;
the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the
more its administration is reserved to the ordained ministry
(bishops, priests, or deacons.)”
(CCC 1669)
There are certain blessings
that all the lay faithful, including
children, can perform. These include blessing oneself with holy
water upon entering or leaving a
church and blessing a meal.
A personal blessing is not
sacramental or administered in
the Church’s name but rather it
is a prayer to invoke God’s protection and blessing.
Father Montoya encourages
his flock – especially those who
are parents and grandparents –
to bless their loved ones.
“We’re encouraging families,
at least in my parish and especially during Baptism time, to
keep that tradition of blessing
their children as they grow older – the first time they walk, the
first time they go out and play
outside, the first time they go
to school, the first time they go
out on a date … to keep reminding them of their identity, that
they belong to Christ as well,”
he said. “So that’s what blessing
is and in the Mexican-American
tradition, that is a very important aspect of our religiosity as
a people.”
APRIL 2015
FAITH
»Sunday
Readings
The Word of God in the Life
and Mission of the Church
APRIL 5
( Second Sunday of Easter
Sunday of Divine Mercy)
Reading 1
ACTS 10:34A, 37-43
Responsorial Psalm
PS 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Reading 2
COL 3:1-4 OR 1 COR 5:6B-8
Alleluia
CF. 1 COR 5:7
Gospel
JN 20:1-9
APRIL 12
(The Resurrection of the Lord
The Mass of Easter Day)
Reading 1
ACTS 4:32-35
Responsorial Psalm
PS 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Reading 2
1 JN 5:1-6
Alleluia
JN 20:29
Gospel
JN 20:1-31
APRIL 19
(Third Sunday of Easter)
Reading 1
ACTS 3:13-15, 17-19
Responsorial Psalm
PS 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9
Reading 2
1 JN 2:1-5A
Alleluia
CF. LK 24:32
Gospel
LK 24:35-48
APRIL 26
»Making Sense of Bioethics
I
Undoing a chemical abortion
n 1978, Charles E. Rice, a
former Professor of Law at
Notre Dame Law School made
this prediction in his book Beyond
Abortion: The Theory and Practice:
“The abortion of the future will
be by pill, suppository, or some
other do-it-yourself method. At that
point the killing of a baby will be
wholly elective and private. We have,
finally, caught up with the pagan Romans who endowed the father, the
pater familias, with the right to kill
his child at his discretion. We give
that right to the mother. But it is all
the same to the victim.”
His prediction was prescient,
given that “chemical abortions” are
now widely available in the form of
the French abortion pill, RU-486.
The abortion pill has been available
in the U.S. since 2000. By 2008, approximately 25 percent of abortions
prior to 9 weeks relied on RU-486,
also known as mifepristone. A 2010
scientific review on RU-486 noted
that chemical abortion “has been
used successfully in the medical termination of pregnancy for over 25
years, and the method is registered
in 35 countries.”
In recent years, there has been
a small but important glimmer of
light piercing through this dark
backdrop of widespread RU486 utilization, namely, that it is
sometimes possible to reverse a
chemical abortion if a woman
comes to regret her decision soon
after taking the abortion pill.
Carrying out a chemical abortion actually requires two different pills to be taken sequentially.
RU-486 is administered prior to
reaching the 10th week of pregnancy, and about two days later,
a hormone called misoprostol is
given that causes contractions and
expels the unborn child. Reversal
may be possible when the second
pill has not yet been taken.
RU-486 itself is often described
as a “progesterone antago-
Tadeusz
Pacholczyk
Priest of the
Diocese of Fall
River
nist” or as an “antiprogesterone.”
These names indicate the extent
of its hostility towards the vital
hormone, progesterone. What
this means is that RU-486 blocks
progesterone, a hormone needed
to build and maintain the uterine
wall during pregnancy. Thus, RU486 can either prevent a developing human embryo from implanting in the uterus, or it can kill an
implanted embryo by essentially
starving her or him to death.
The reversal technique relies
on using progesterone itself to
counteract the effects of the abortion pill. In a study published in
the Annals of Pharmacotherapy
in December, 2012, successful reversal was reported for four of six
women who took RU-486; these
women were able to carry their
pregnancies to term after receiving an intramuscular injection of
progesterone. Since 2012, dozens
of other women have successfully
reversed their chemical abortions.
Thus far, no side effects or complications associated with reversal
of the abortion pill have been
reported. On the other hand, the
abortion pill itself has notable side
effects and risks associated with its
use. Common side effects include:
uterine cramps, high blood pressure, bleeding not related to the
menstrual period, overgrowth
of the uterine lining, stomach
cramps, dizziness, reduced blood
potassium, and nausea. Some
women also experience fever, chills
and infection.
Among the more serious possible side effects would be death of
both mother and child arising from
endomyometritis (infection of the
uterine lining) and septic shock.
A December, 2005 article in the
New England Journal of Medicine
indicated that women are about
ten times more likely to die from
RU-486 abortions than surgical
abortions in early pregnancy, partly
because of the risk of infection.
Another complication of using
RU-486 is incomplete abortion,
with embryonic/fetal parts remaining. In the first six years of RU-486
availability in Australia, for example,
there were 792 reports of adverse
effects, 579 of which pertained to
parts of the embryo/fetus remaining,
and 126 of these required follow-up
surgical abortion.
Time is clearly of the essence:
the longer a woman waits after
taking RU-486 before attempting
a reversal, the lower the likelihood
of success. Health care professionals should become informed
about the possibility of using
progesterone to reverse the effects
of RU-486 in women who have begun the chemical abortion process
and then changed their minds.
The website for the Abortion Pill
Reversal Program, a national effort
to encourage and support abortion pill reversal, can be found at:
http://abortionpillreversal.com/.
As noted on the site, “The Abortion Pill Reversal Program has a
network of over 200 physicians
worldwide that assist the women
that call our hot line. This hotline
is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week by one of our Registered
Nurses... if you’ve taken the abortion pill, it may not be too late.
Call 877-558-0333 right away.”
This remarkable initiative has
already saved the lives of many
children, and has brought the blessing of motherhood to fruition for
many women who recognized the
mistake they had made in taking
the abortion pill.
(Fourth Sunday of Easter)
Reading 1
ACTS 4:8-12
Responsorial Psalm
PS 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
Reading 2
1 JN 3:1-2
Alleluia
JN 10:14
Gospel
JN 10:11-18
The word of the Lord abides forever.
This word is the Gospel which was
preached to you” (1 Pet 1:25; cf. Is
40:8).
Marian Conference
is set for April 25
The Valley Catholic
A Marian Conference is
scheduled for Saturday, April
25, at Holy Spirit Catholic
Church, 2201 Martin Ave.,
McAllen, Texas.
The conference is for
everyone. It starts at 8:30 a.m.
for registration and continental
breakfast. Conference includes
speakers from the Diocese of
Brownsville, silent auctions,
vendors and candles. A $10
donation will include lunch.
For information call Holy
Spirit Church at (956) 6315295 or Chair Nellie Guerra at
(956) 971-9872.
5
»Family Life
T
Two become One
he fourth of 10 themes of
the Preparatory Catechesis
for the World Meeting of
Families which will take place in
Philadelphia Sept. 22-25, is “Two
Become One.” In this document
titled “Love is Our Mission: The
Family Fully Alive”, the authors
remind us “We are not made to
be alone. Human beings need and
complete each other. Friendship
and community satisfy that longing with bonds of common interest and love. Marriage is a uniquely
intimate form of friendship that
calls a man and a woman to love
each other in the manner of God’s
covenant. Marriage is a Sacrament.
Married love is fruitful and offered
without reservation. This love is in
the image of Jesus’ faithfulness to
the Church.”
St. Paul in his epistles often
compared the relationship of man
and wife to the relationship of
Jesus as the bridegroom with his
bride, the Church (all of humanity; all made in the image and
likeness of God the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit). I often refer to
the text in one of his letters to the
Ephesians as the “elbow scripture”
because whenever it is proclaimed
in the Sunday liturgy, inevitably I
see someone elbow their wife or
fiancé.”
Ephesians 5:22 “Wives should
Lydia Pesina
Director, Family
Life Office
be subordinate to their husbands
as to the Lord.” However, they
don’t wait for the coming verse
which states, “Husbands, love
your wives, even as Christ loved
the church.” And we know Christ
died for us, so I facetiously quip,
we wives just have to be subordinate, but our husbands have to die
for us! In reality, we know Jesus
teaches us “self-emptying love”
which we are all called to, especially in marriage where we need
to give one another all of who we
are: 100/100 not 50/50.
The Catechism of the Catholic
Church, paragraph 1603, “The
intimate community of life and
love which constitutes the married state has been established by
the Creator and endowed by him
with its own proper laws … God
himself is the author of marriage.”
If God is the author of marriage,
then as a society it is important
to keep the author’s definition
of marriage as the union of one
man and one woman. Paragraph
1605 affirms man and woman
were created for one another: “It is
not good that the man should be
alone.” The woman, “flesh of his
flesh,” his equal, his nearest in all
things, is given to him by God as
a “helpmate;” she thus represents
God from whom comes our help.”
There is a humorous story of
this Genesis account in which
Adam is portrayed as being alone
and sad but God tells him he is
creating for him a helpmate that
shall be called “woman” and she
will be beautiful, helpful, always
the first to say she’s sorry, never
ask him to tend to the children at
night, and so on but that it will be
costly; an arm and a leg. So Adam
asks him, “What can I get for one
rib?” and thus man got what he
paid for!
Matrimony is a beautiful
covenantal relationship where a
man and a woman vow to work on
building their marriage throughout every life cycle stage keeping
this three-sided (like a triangle)
relationship growing in (1) emotional and spiritual intimacy, (2)
physical intimacy, and (3) lifelong
commitment with God at the center of that triangle granting them
the grace to grow through the ups
» Please see Two Become One, p.7
Courtesy photo
Saint Anselm, the 11th and 12th Century Benedictine monk and archbishop
best known for his writings on Christ’s
atonement and the existence of God.
»Feast Day
April 21
Spotlight
on
St. Anselm
The Valley Catholic
In a general audience given
on Sept. 23, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI remembered St. Anselm as “a monk with an intense
spiritual life, an excellent teacher of the young, a theologian
with an extraordinary capacity
for speculation, a wise man of
governance and an intransigent
defender of the Church’s freedom.”
Anselm was born in Aosta,
part of the Piedmont region of
present-day Italy, around 1033.
He felt a profound religious
calling during his school years,
spurred in part by a dream in
which he met and conversed
with God. His father, however,
prevented him from becoming
a monk at age 15. This disappointment was followed by a
period of severe illness, as well
as his mother’s early death.
Unable to join the monks,
and tired of mistreatment by his
father, Anselm left home and
wandered throughout parts of
France and Italy for three years.
His life regained its direction in
Normandy, where he met the
Benedictine prior Lanfranc of
Pavia and became his disciple.
Lanfranc recognized his
pupil’s intellectual gifts and
encouraged his vocation to religious life. Accepted into the
order and ordained a priest at
age 27, Anselm succeeded his
teacher as prior in 1063 when
Lanfranc was called to become
abbot of another monastery.
Anselm became abbot of his
own monastery in 1079. Lanfranc became Archbishop of
Canterbury and asked Anselm
to come and assist him.
In 1093, the king allowed
Anselm to become Archbishop
of Canterbury. But the monk
was extremely reluctant to accept the charge, which would
involve him in further struggles
with the English crown in subsequent years.
In his last years, Anselm
worked to reform the Church
and continued his theological
investigations, following the
motto of “faith seeking understanding.” After his death in
1109, his influence on the subsequent course of theology led
Pope Clement XI to name him
a Doctor of the Church in 1720.
6
DIOCESE
APRIL 2015
Coming together to dialogue, learn
Bishop, imams,
rabbi participate in
interfaith gathering
The Valley Catholic
Left, a group of 19 people gathered for an
interfaith dialogue and luncheon on Feb.
19 in McAllen.
Bottom left, Bishop Daniel E. Flores and
Imam Noor Ahmad serve plates of dessert.
By BRENDA NETTLES RIOJAS
The Valley Catholic
MCALLEN – At a time when
conflicts have been associated with
religious tensions in different corners
of the world, religious leaders in the
Rio Grande Valley are engaging in interfaith dialogues for peace and creating opportunities to listen and understand each other’s faiths and cultures.
“I have my hopes these dialogues can be of great good for
the local community,” said Bishop
Daniel E. Flores during an interfaith luncheon with the imams and
the rabbi from McAllen, and other
representatives on Feb. 19.
“There is no substitute for getting to know and appreciate each
other as individuals. And that takes
time,” he said.
Bishop Flores said one of the
challenges faced in today’s “microwave culture” is the tendency to
want fast solutions for everything.
He added to that challenge, the reality that religion is a subject rarely
talked about in today’s culture.
“We need to be aware of a secular agenda that does not view religion as important to people’s lives,”
he said. Adding, “I would hope we
can give witness to the fact religion
is very important to people’s lives.
It continues to be one of the most
fundamental ways by which people
orient their whole understanding of
themselves, their community, and
their families, and we can be true to
one’s vision without being a source of
contention about it.”
Bishop Flores said, “We need
to better understand what it means
to have an interpersonal conversation. It’s not about who wins and
who loses. It’s about the good of a
common understanding, the good
of religion in public life, the good
of religion in culture, the good of
a dialogue that’s not about who
Bottom middle, Imam Osama Saad,
Bishop Daniel E. Flores, Imam Noor
Ahmad and Rabbi Claudio Kogan.
wins and who loses. Everyone wins
when we understand each other
better.”
Sister Fatima Santiago, a Missionary sister of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, helped organize
the initial meeting on Feb. 19. Her
interest in interfaith dialogues for
peace grew during a year sabbatical
in which she studied the subject.
“We know what is happening in
the world,” she said, and “dialogues
help build understanding.”
Inspired by dialogues a year
ago between Bishop Flores and
Rabbi Claudio Kogan from Temple
Emanuel in McAllen, Sister Santiago wanted to reach out to other
faith communities. With the Bishop’s blessing, she began to meet
informally with different religious
leaders and community members.
“There is a lot of interest,” she
said, to come together to dialogue
and learn. “We are not here to convert one another,” she added. “We
are here to acknowledge the different faiths in our community.
What motivates us to come together? We want our children and
our youth and young adults to be
aware we are all God’s children,
and we want to live in harmony
and peace.”
Imam Osama Saad said working with young adults and youth
are of utmost importance in today’s
culture to build understanding and
for them to know they are valued
in their families and communities.
Imam Noor Ahmad added,
“What we need is space in the heart.”
Prior to the first meeting, young
adults from the Catholic and the
Muslim community started meeting as well.
Since the initial meeting, some
of the participants have formed a
committee to organize an interfaith
field day on May 17 in McAllen for
children between the ages of five
to 12, with the theme, “We Are All
God’s Children.”
Sister Santiago is also working with
the Hindu community which will be
participating in future gatherings.
Prior to the luncheon, Bishop
Flores hosted a private meeting for
coffee and tea with Imam Osama
Saad and Imam Noor Ahmad.
Bishop San
Pedro,
continued from pg. 3
people, but now I leave them in your
hands, Lord; I am going to bed.”
In March 1993, Bishop San
Pedro was part of a bishop’s delegation to address the United
Nations on the plight of refugees,
many of whom had been sent
from south Florida to his diocese.
Bishop San Pedro, age 68,
died of cancer on July 17, 1994,
in Miami Beach, Fla. He was
buried in a section reserved
for bishops and priests in the
Catholic cemetery “Our Lady
of Mercy” in Miami.
Pilgrimage tour visits historical sites in RGV
Organized in honor
of the diocese’s
50th anniversary
Courtesy Photos
To mark the 50th anniversary of the
Diocese of Brownsville, pilgrimage tours
to different historical churches in the Rio
Grande Valley are scheduled. The next tour
is set for Saturday, June 13.
The Valley Catholic
“Just as we are called to go out
and share the Gospel, I feel called
to tell others about this pilgrimage,”
said Diana Enriquez, secretary of
Our Lady of Mercy Church in Mercedes and a retired director of religious education. “It is something
every Catholic in the Valley needs
to experience. After this pilgrimage, you will be more knowledgeable and appreciative of our faith.”
Enriquez is one of 50 people
who attended the first of four pilgrimages of the historic sites of the
Diocese of Brownsville, including
the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville, La Lomita
in Mission and Our Lady of Refuge
Church in Roma.
The one-day pilgrimages are
being held in honor of the diocese’s
50th anniversary. The diocese was
established on July 10, 1965 by
Pope Paul VI. Although the diocese
is young, a rich and deep tradition
of the Catholic faith has endured in
the Valley for almost 500 years.
Pilgrimages are scheduled for
June 13, Aug. 1 and Oct. 24. The
tours are led by either Father Amador Garza, rector of the Basilica of
Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine or Father Roy Snipes
of the Missionary Oblates of Mary
Immaculate, pastor of Our Lady of
Guadalupe Church in Mission.
“We come from a long line of
love and those who have gone before us are still praying for us and
with us,” Father Snipes said. “We
share the journey with those who
have gone before us, even though
we might not be aware of it – and it’s
important to stay aware of it. Their
memories live in our hearts and in
our minds and in our stories.”
The motor coach tours, which
are bilingual, begin at 8 a.m. and
end at 6 p.m. The cost to attend is
$35 and includes meals and snacks.
Enriquez has long been inter-
ested in the history of the diocese,
thanks to her late mother, Socorro.
“My mother always liked to visit the churches in the Valley, especially the historical ones,” Enriquez
recalled. “After Mass on Sundays,
she would pack an ice chest with
sodas and sandwiches and we
would take a drive and stop at different churches.
“Although I had visited many of
them already, I didn’t know a lot of
the history until the pilgrimage.”
Enriquez said she noticed many
of the altars from the churches built
in the 1800s were strikingly similar in design and style. She learned
through the pilgrimage that many
of the early churches in the Valley
were planned by Father Peter Keralum of the Missionary Oblates of
Mary Immaculate, a French architect and missionary priest.
Sister Maureen Crosby of the
Sisters of St. Dorothy, coordinator
of the diocese’s Media Resource
Center, also attended the pilgrimage, along with the other sisters
from her convent.
“It’s well worth it to find out what
is in the diocese,” she said. “I had an
idea of the history, but I learned a lot
of new information, a lot of things
you don’t find in the history books,
a lot of interesting trivia.
“Our history is very rich.”
For more information or to
register for an upcoming pilgrimage, contact Lydia Pesina at (956)
784-5012 or [email protected] or
Miguel Santos at (956) 784-5093 or
[email protected].
APRIL 2015
DIOCESE
Young Life invites teens to conversion
7
State Champions
Bridge builders
needed for movement
that helps youth find
their way to Jesus
Special to The Valley Catholic
What do you get when you
combine over 300 middle school
students, 80 volunteers, water
balloon launchers, costumes,
crazy fun and Jesus? We call
it the Young Life “Wyldebeast
Weekend!”
On Valentine’s Day weekend,
a group of laity and clergy, youth
and adults, journeyed from the
Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan
del Valle – National Shrine to
Camp Buckner in Burnet, Texas to
experience a weekend of spiritual
renewal with several hundred
middle school students from the
State of Texas.
Organizers said adolescents,
especially those of middle school
age, are most open to accepting
a personal relationship with God
than those who have reached
adulthood. Hence, they see the
wisdom to get the message of
Christ to all especially when they
are young.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores shares
this view when he shares how
those early teens share a special
place in his heart. The mandate
to evangelize all teens, especially
adolescents who seem furthest
from the Church, is a prime
concentration of Pope Francis,
Bishop Flores, and Young Life.
Young Life is an ecumenical
organization
founded
by
Jim Rayburn in the 1940s in
Gainesville, Texas whose goal is to
give every kid the opportunity to
hear the good news of Jesus and
have the right to freely respond to
our Lord’s invitation to a personal
Courtesy Photo
Campus and
Young Adult
Ministry is collaborating with
Young Life, an
ecumenical
organization,
to invite teens
to know Jesus
Christ.
relationship with their Creator.
Since Young Life is not a
church, there is a great need for a
bridge to be created which allows
teens who have responded to
the Kerygma to enter fully into
communion with the Church
and continue to grow in their
relationship with God. After
conversion, they need a place
which then introduces formal
catechesis and an introduction to
the sacramental life. This is where
the Catholic Church and Young
Life intersect.
Young Life has a particular
charism for reaching the
disconnected, the disinterested,
and helping them walk personally
and passionately with Jesus. Yet
the need is great to lead these
teens back into their local parish.
Teens learn about Jesus and follow
him most effectively in the context
of relationships.
Organizers explain the most
effective bridge to the Church is
one of meaningful relationships.
“Are you a bridge-builder?
Are you passionate about Christ,
teenagers and the Catholic
Church? The local Young Life
movement in Harlingen, in
partnership with the Diocese of
Brownsville, needs you!” said
Miguel Santos with the Diocesan
Office for Campus and Young
Adult Ministry. He added, “While
90 percent of our youth come
from a Catholic background, less
than 20 percent of these teens are
actively engaged in their faith and
the Church.”
To join this collaborative
effort between Young Life and
the diocese and help youth
find their way to Jesus, please
contact Miguel Santos at (956)
784-5093 or Stephen Robinson,
Coordinator for Young Life in the
RGV at (956) 536-6000.
Hike, retreat promote culture of life
People of all ages
prepare to walk from
park to courthouse
Courtesy photo
Dulce Payan and
her son Matias
received help at
the Gift of Life
Pregnancy Center
in Brownsville.
The Valley Catholic
BROWNSVILLE — The third
annual Pro-Life Youth Retreat is
set for Friday, April 10 at Dean
Porter Park in Brownsville. The
free, all-night event, which promotes chastity and pro-life values,
is designed for middle school and
high school students.
The event begins at 6 p.m. and
ends the following day at the conclusion of the Hike for Like.
Those interested in attending
must register through their parish or Catholic school. For more
information, call Alejandro Solis
at (956) 466-6865.
The fifth annual Brownsville
Hike for Life is set for Saturday,
Mass for peace,
responsibilities and worries, but
each proclaiming and professing
the same faith. We walk with Jesus
Christ, who always accompanies
his people; and we are always accompanied by the Virgin Mary
who intercedes on our behalf before her son.”
The bishops meet twice a year,
April 11 at Dean Porter Park in
Brownsville.
Registration will start at 7:30
a.m. and the opening ceremonies
will begin at 8:15 a.m.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores will
serve as the keynote speaker. Hikers will walk from the park to the
Federal Courthouse. The purpose
of the hike is to create awareness
of the dignity and value of human
life and to raise funds for the Gift
of Life Pregnancy Center, a prolife facility in Brownsville that
primarily serves women in crisis
pregnancy.
Church groups and organizations are invited and encouraged
to participate in this event. For
more information, contact Martin
Leal at (956) 459-2926.
alternating locations between the
two sides of the border, to continue their work centered on the
pastoral realities affecting the
dioceses in Texas and northern
Mexico, including immigration
and migration issues.
Bishops in attendance include:
Most Rev. Daniel E. Flores, Bishop
of Brownsville; Most Rev. Raymundo J. Peña, Bishop Emeritus
of Brownsville; Most Rev. Mark
J. Seitz, Bishop of El Paso; Most
Rev. James A. Tamayo, Bishop of
Laredo; Most Rev. Michael J. Sis,
Bishop of San Angelo; Most Rev.
Michael D. Pfeifer, OMI, Bishop
Emeritus of San Angelo; Most
Rev. Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS,
Archbishop of San Antonio;
Mons. Gustavo Rodriguez Vega,
Bishop of Nuevo Laredo; Mons.
Ruy Rendon Leal, Bishop of Matamoros; Mons. Rogelio Cabrera
Lopez, Arzobispo De Monterrey;
and Mons. Alonso Gerardo Garza
Treviño, Bishop of Piedras Negras.
Courtesy photo
The Pharr Oratory Athenaeum for University Preparation soccer team earned the state
championship after playing their final game on Feb. 28 in Waco against the then undefeated Austin Hill Country Christian Academy under cold conditions. The final score was
2-0.
The team was one of the 538 registered members of the Texas Association of Private and
Parochial Schools (TAPPS) in Division III.
The administration, teacher and staff, parents and alumni all attended the game. It was
also televised on Time Warner Cable and can be seen on Video on Demand under sports.
In an interview with News Channel 5, the coaches and headmaster expressed their joy
and appreciation for the team’s victory and the support they received from all involved.
Protecting God’s people;
report suspected misconduct
As God’s people, we are called
to celebrate, promote, and when
necessary, to defend the life and
dignity of every person. We must
treat everyone with respect, and do
what we can to protect others from
harm.
Suspected misconduct with
minors by lay church personnel
should be reported to the pastor
of the parish, the principal of the
school, or the head of the Catholic
institution involved.
Suspected misconduct with
minors by a priest, deacon, or religious should be reported directly
to the Bishop or Vicar General
(P. O. Box 2279, Brownsville, TX
78522-2279; 956-542-2501).
A form for a Confidential No-
tice of Concern, may be used, and
obtained on request from the local
pastor, school principal, institution head, or Diocese, or it may be
downloaded from the Brownsville
Diocese website (www.cdob.org)
Please be aware it is state law
that anyone who suspects abuse or
neglect of a minor must report it to
local law enforcement officials or
to the Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services at 1(800)
252-5400. Our faith assures us, we
will not be overcome by evil but
will overcome evil with good (cf.
Rm 12:21).
Contact: Walter Lukaszek,
LMSW-IP Victim Assistance and
Safe Environment Coordinator at
(956) 457-0010.
Women,
personal healing and the resurrection.
A panel discussion on Saint
John Paul II’s Letter to Women and
Theology of the Body will include
Lydia Pesina, director for the Family Life Office and Olga Lydia Mendez with Natural Family Planning.
The $30 registration fee includes breakfast and lunch. For
additional information call (956)
536-4866. To register to be an exhibitor or vendor at the conference,
contact Maria Luisa Guerra at (956)
648-0233.
Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio
Grande Valley, will talk about saying “yes” to God’s call; Father Andy
Gutierrez, associate pastor at St.
Luke Parish in Brownsville will give
a reflection on the Blessed Mother
Mary; and Ofelia de los Santos,
director for Immigration and Jail
Ministry, will lead a session about
Two become One
and downs of married life. They
are each called to help one another
become a saint by helping their
spouse grow to be the person God
has uniquely created them to be.
Recently, at our Diocesan
World Marriage Day Celebration
Mass, we had the honor to have
eight couples attending married 70
or more years. Mr. and Mrs. Clemente Cuellar, celebrating their 76th
wedding anniversary, were asked
by the TV news reporter what the
secret was for a long and strong
marriage and they responded “Respeto”- Respect. They are a great
witness that long lasting marriages
can be “alive”/ not dead marriages.
When asked by the reporter what
he would say to married couples,
Bishop Flores responded: “Take
care of each other.” Pope Francis in
his address to engaged couples on
Feb. 14, 2014, stated “We must not
allow ourselves to be conquered
by a ‘throwaway culture.’ This fear
of ‘forever’ is cured by entrusting oneself day by day to the Lord
Jesus in a life that becomes a daily
spiritual path of common growth,
step by step.”
May we remember the 5 F’s of
Marriage: Free, Faithful, Fruitful,
Forever, and Fun! I invite married
couples to consider blessing one
another daily by facing each other
and saying: “I love you; I accept
you. If I have hurt you in any way,
please forgive me. Lord Jesus,
guide us with your Spirit and bless
our marriage now and always.”
Amen.
8
DIOCESE
APRIL 2015
»Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley
50 years of providing help, creating hope
The Valley Catholic
Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV) hosted its 5th Annual Gala, “Celebrating 50 Years of Providing Help, Creating
Hope,” on March 14 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance.
Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of CCRGV, presented Herminia Forshage with the 2015 Hope Award for her service as a
dedicated volunteer and philanthropist. Sister Pimentel also recognized key volunteers who have assisted at the Humanitarian Respite Center at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen. To date, volunteers have helped more than 16,000 refugees from Central America
and 10 other countries. Father Larry Snyder, former president of Catholic Charities USA, delivered the keynote address.
Each year, more than 100,000 Valley residents receive assistance from Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. All proceeds
from the gala support Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in its mission to assist individuals and families experiencing a crisis
in their lives, regardless of religion.
Year of Consecrated Life
Religious communities serving in our diocese
Congregation of St. Basil
Founder: Father Joseph Lapierre
Community founded: In 1822 in SaintSymphorien-de-Mahun, France
How long has your community served the
diocese? Since July 2012.
Charism(s): Teaching and preaching.
The community’s motto is derived from
Psalm 119: “Teach me goodness, discipline
and knowledge.”
Apostolate(s): Immaculate Conception
Parish and School in Rio Grande City. The
The Valley Catholic community serves in Colombia, Canada,
Mexico and in several cities in the United
Father Thomas Sepulveda
States.
celebrates Mass at Immaculate
Conception parish in Rio Grande City Contact information: Vocations Director,
Father Norm Tanck, CSB (416) 925-4368 ext.
237; Father Thomas Sepulveda (956) 4872317 Email: [email protected]; Website:
www.basilian.org
School Sisters of Notre Dame
The Valley Catholic
From left to right, Sister
Gayle Hurban and Sister
Colette Kraus from the
School Sisters of Notre
Dame.
Founder: Blessed Theresa Gerhardinger
When and where was the community founded? October 24, 1833, in Neunburg
vorm Wald, Bavaria
How long has your community served the diocese? The School Sisters of Notre
Dame arrived in 1985
Charism(s): Transforming the world through education
Apostolate (s): Sister Gayle Hurban teaches pre-kindergarten at Immaculate
Conception School, Rio Grande City and Sister Colette Kraus teaches third
grade at Our Lady of Guadalupe School, Mission
Contact information: Email: [email protected] ; Website: www.ssnd.org
We will feature religious communities serving
in our diocese every month throughout the Year of Consecrated Life.
APRIL 2015
DIOCESE
Those Who Serve:
Father Ignacio Luna
Priest, poet, missionary
San Benito pastor
to celebrate golden
anniversary
Courtesy photo
Father Ignacio Luna, pastor
of St. Benedict Church in
San Benito, is celebrating
his 50th anniversary as a
priest on Aug. 28.
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
SAN BENITO — When Father Ignacio Luna was so young
he could barely talk, he already
knew what he wanted to be when
he grew up.
I used to tell everyone, “voy a
ser pale (padre),” (I’m going to be
a priest),” said Father Luna, who
has served as pastor of St. Benedict
Church in San Benito for more
than 16 years. “I believe my vocation has been a gift from God. It
was in my heart since I was a very
small child.”
Father Luna was born on
Christmas Day 1939 in Celaya in
the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
He was the third of 12 children
born to Jose Luna Reyes and Margarita Trujillo Lopez.
“We were a deeply religious
family,” Father Luna said. “We attended Mass daily.”
He attended a high school
seminary in Puebla, Mexico. It was
there that he discovered a new talent – writing poetry.
“I kept a notebook of my work
from that time in my life, but I
thought it was silly and I destroyed
it,” said Father Luna, who refuses
to call himself a poet, even though
he has composed hundreds of po-
Manos Consagradas
By Father Ignacio Luna T.
50 años ha me llamaste,
y yo te respondí:
aquí estoy Señor!
50 años ejerciendo
el poder que me diste
de hacerte presente
entre nosotros
por medio de tus palabras
y mis manos consagradas.
50 años de acariciarte
y tenerte entre mis manos
mi amado Señor.
ems. “All but one is gone. I found
the one piece that survived in a
canon law book.
“I consider myself an informal
writer who puts his thoughts on
paper.”
Father Luna joined the religious community Orden de la
Merced (Our Lady of Mercy Order) in 1953 and was ordained to
the priesthood on Sept. 1, 1965.
“I envisioned a life as a missionary in Africa,” Father Luna
said. “God had other plans for me
and that was fine with me. I have
been blessed with the gift of adaptability, which has opened new horizons for me.”
For 10 years, he served in the
field of education at schools in
Puebla and Guanajuato before being sent to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to serve as an
educator and pastor for eight-anda-half years.
“I was finally a missionary
priest,” Father Luna said. “God
called me to be his hands, his feet
and his messenger in the Third
World. It was there that I really understood what poverty and misery
was.”
On March 30, 1984, he began
an assignment as pastor of St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus Church in
Edcouch and has served in the
Diocese of Brownsville since then.
“I did not want to come to the
United States,” he said. “I was used
to serving in the Third World and
I enjoyed it. I was obedient, but
there was some discussion with
my superiors. My plan was to stay
in the Valley for one year and then
move back to Mexico.
“But I liked it here. I love the
people and the culture.”
Deacon Hugo De la Cruz, who
was recently assigned to St. Joseph
Parish in Donna, has been friends
with Father Luna for 30 years.
“Father Luna is a great priest in
every sense of the word: he’s humble, he’s obedient, dedicated to his
9
50 años de llevarte
al sano y al enfermo
por igual,
sin distinción social.
50 años dando consuelo
al necesitado
como palabras de aliento
al desalentado.
50 años bendiciendo
en tu nombre,
tanto al pobre como al rico
necesitados de Ti.
flock and committed to God and
His service everywhere he goes.”
Father Luna is also a regular guest on Deacon De la Cruz’s
popular radio show, “The Football
Scoreboard,” which airs every Friday night during the high school
football season on the radio station
Super Tejano 102.1 FM.
He was pastor of St. Theresa of
the Infant Jesus Parish in Edcouch
and its mission Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in La Villa.
50 años caminando a tu lado
entre días amargos
como felices por igual.
50 años hablando en tu nombre,
a veces aceptado
y otras rechazado
por este mundo material.
50 años realizando
el milagro de transformar
el vino y el pan
en tu Cuerpo y Sangre real.
Acaso habrá dicha
más grande, Señor?
Gracias mi Cristo
por compartir tu poder
con el poder
de mis manos consagradas
en mi Orden Sacerdotal.
Por último te pido
mi Buen Dios,
que no dejes que me
envanezca
de ser lo que soy,
pues sin tu bondad
de consagrarme a ti.
Nada sería sin Ti.
50 años, Señor . . . ¡
“High school football fans in
the Valley know Father Nacho and
love him,” Deacon De la Cruz said.
“For him, being on the show is a
form of evangelization.”
Father Luna will celebrate 50
years as a priest at a celebration on
Aug. 28 with a Mass at St. Benedict
Church in San Benito, followed by
a reception at the Knights of Columbus Hall. He plans to release a
book of his poetry in honor of his
Golden Jubilee.
10
IN THE NEWS
‘Who, me? Yes, you.’ Fess up to sins,
stop judging others, pope says
»Birthday & Anniversary Wishes
The list of birthdays and ordination anniversaries is provided so that
parishioners may remember the priests, deacons and religious in their
prayers and send them a note or a card.
Christians should
recognize own
faults, failings
April
» Birthdays
1 Rev. Francois Tsanga, SCJ
2 Rev. Kumar Nayak, ss.cc.
5 Rev. Jaime Torres
15 Rev. Carlos Zuniga
20 Msgr. Arturo Cardenas
23 Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ
25 Rev. Samuel Arizpe
By CAROL GLATZ
VATICAN CITY — Drop the
innocent look and the habit of
judging others, Pope Francis said;
recognizing one’s own faults and
failings is the first requirement of
being a good Christian.
In fact, paradoxically, one
finds peace and relief in judging
one’s own sins, being merciful toward others and saying, “Who am
I to judge?” he said March 2 during his homily at a morning Mass
celebrated in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he
lives.
The pope’s homily was based
on the day’s reading from the
Book of Daniel, which laments,
“We have sinned, been wicked
and done evil,” and expresses the
shame of having rebelled against
God who is so full of compassion
and mercy. It also focused on the
Gospel reading according to St.
Luke, in which Jesus tells his disciples to stop judging and condemning, but to “be merciful, just
as your Father is merciful.”
Pope Francis said it is so easy
to shift the blame.
“We are all experts, we have
Ph.D.s in justifying ourselves: ‘But
it wasn’t me, no, it’s not my fault.
Well, OK, but it wasn’t that bad,
you know. That’s not how it went.’
We all have an alibi to explain away
our failings, our sins,” he said.
“So often we are able to make
that face that says, ‘Who, me?’ that
face that says, ‘Well, I didn’t do it,
maybe it was someone else,’ play-
Paul Haring/Catholic News Service
Pope Francis speaks during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
ing innocent,” he said. “But one
doesn’t progress in Christian life
this way.”
While it is easier to blame others, “when we begin to look at the
things we are capable of,” the evil
that one is tempted to commit, he
said at first “we feel bad, we feel
disgust,” but then “something a bit
strange happens,” the self-critical
approach then “gives us peace and
well-being.”
By directly, honestly and quietly confronting the evil within,
such as feeling envy and knowing
how it can lead to putting people
down and “killing them morally,”
he said, one discovers “the wisdom of accusing oneself.”
“If we do not learn this first
step in life, we will never, ever
make progress on the path of
Christian life, spiritual life,” he
said, according to Vatican Radio.
Another Christian virtue is
being able to feel ashamed before
God, he said. Christians should
engage in a kind of dialogue with
the Lord, not being afraid to feel
that shame expressed in the Book
of Daniel.
When people can see their
own faults, he said, it is easier to
ask God for mercy and to be merciful toward others.
“When someone learns to accuse oneself, one is merciful toward others: ‘Yes, but who am I
to judge if I am capable of doing
worse things?’”
The phrase, “Who am I to
judge,” he said, comes from listening to Jesus telling his disciples to
“Stop judging and you will not be
judged. Stop condemning and you
will not be condemned. Forgive
and you will be forgiven.”
The day before, after praying
the Angelus with visitors gathered
in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis
urged people to listen to Jesus and
follow him because only he brings
true happiness.
“Jesus’ path always brings us
happiness, don’t forget it,” he said
March 1.
While following Jesus will always mean carrying some kind
of cross and enduring some hardship, the pope said, “in the end he
always brings us happiness. Jesus
does not deceive, he promised
happiness and he will give it if we
follow his ways.”
Holy Father focuses on care of the elderly
Biblical exhortations
to respect the old
are being ignored
Paul Haring/Catholic News
Service
Pope Francis listens
to a woman while
greeting the disabled
during his general audience in St. Peter’s
Square at the Vatican
March 11.
By CINDY WOODEN
VATICAN CITY — Seeing the
elderly only as a burden “is ugly.
It’s a sin,” Pope Francis said at his
weekly general audience.
“We must reawaken our collective sense of gratitude, appreciation and hospitality, helping
the elderly know they are a living
part of their communities” and
sources of wisdom for the younger
generations, the 78-year-old pope
said March 4 at his weekly general
audience.
Continuing a series of audience talks about the family, Pope
Francis said he would dedicate two
talks to the elderly, looking at how
they are treated in modern societies and at their vocation within the
family.
“An elderly person is not an
alien,” he said. “The elderly person
is us. Soon, or many years from
now — inevitably anyway — we
will be old, even if we don’t think
about it.”
“If we do not learn to treat the
elderly well,” the pope said, “we
won’t be treated well either” when
the time comes.
In a talk punctuated with references to his own family life, his
grandmother and his experience
visiting homes for the elderly in
Buenos Aires, Pope Francis said
even Christians are being influenced by cultures so focused on
production and profit, that the
biblical exhortations to respect the
aged and draw upon their wisdom
are being ignored. “We
elderly
are all a bit fragile,” the pope said,
changing his prepared text to include himself among the aged.
The elderly he visited in Buenos Aires, he said, would often
tell him that they had many children and that their children visited them. “And when was the last
time they came?” the pope said he
asked one woman. “She said,‘Well,
at Christmas.’ It was August. Eight
months without a visit from her
children. Eight months of being
abandoned. This is called a mortal
sin. Understand?”
“It is so easy to put our consciences to sleep when there is no
love,” he said.
“While we are young we are
tempted to ignore old age as if it
were an illness to hold at bay,” he
APRIL 2015
said. “But when we become old,
especially if we are poor, sick and
alone, we experience the failures of
a society programmed for efficiency, which consequently ignores the
elderly.”
“We want to remove our growing fear of weakness and vulnerability, but doing so we increase
the anguish of the elderly,” Pope
Francis said.
The aged are the “reserve of
the wisdom of our people,” they
have experienced and survived
the struggles to raise a family and
provide them with a dignified life,
he said. Tossing them aside means
tossing aside their experience and
the way that experience can contribute to making life better today.
A society that cannot show
gratitude and affection to the elderly “is a perverse society,” the
pope said. “The church, faithful to
the word of God, cannot tolerate
such degeneration.”
“Where the elderly are not
honred,” he said, “there is no future for the young.”
4 Sister Tuila Giraldo, OP
5 Sister Irma Gonzalez, IWBS
8 Sister Francisca Okwara, DDL
3 Deacon Benito Flores
6 Deacon Javier A. Garcia
12 Deacon Julio Castilleja
12 Deacon Irineo Gonzalez Jr.
15 Deacon Luis Zuñiga
18 Deacon Louis Oden
20 Deacon Jose A. Solis
21 Deacon Jose Guerra
24 Deacon Alejandro Gamboa
» Anniversaries
20 Rev. Roche Thiruchiluvai, ss.cc.
22 Rev. George Kerketta
26 Rev. Jose R. Torres III, OMI
28 Rev. Lee Dacosta
30 Rev. Jaime Torres
12 Deacon Inocencio Diaz
27 Deacon Antonio Osorio
May
» Birthdays
2 Rev. Msgr. Luis J. Garcia, JCL
5 Rev. Jose Villalon, Jr.
7 Rev. Hector Cruz, SM
7 Rev. Juan Manuel Salazar
14 Rev. Jorge A. Gomez
23 Rev. Roy Lee Snipes, OMI
24 Rev. Gregory Kuczmanski
25 Rev. Michael Amesse, OMI
27 Rev. Francisco J. Solis
7 Deacon Antonio Osorio
10 Deacon Juan Pablo Navarro
14 Deacon Roberto Cantu
21 Deacon Juan M. Delgado
5 Brother Orlando Rivera, MSC
7 Sister Therese Cunnigham, SHSp
8 Brother Mario Nagg,OFM
10 Sister Emily Perez, O.P
21 Sister Juliana Garcia, MJ
» Anniversaries
2 Rev. Carlos Zuniga
5 Rev. Msgr. Gustavo Barrera
7 Rev. Francois Tsanga, SCJ
10 Rev. Michael Amesse, OMI
10 Rev. Timothy Paulsen, OMI
11 Rev. Msgr. Louis Brum
11 Rev. Tomas Sepulveda, CSB
12 Rev. Raju Antonisamy, OMI
15 Rev. Paul Roman, FSSP
16 Rev. Thomas Luczak, OFM
17 Rev. Porfirio Garcia, OMI
23 Rev. Alejandro Flores
23 Rev. George Gonzalez
23 Rev. Miguel Angel Ortega
24 Rev. Gregory Kuczmanski
25 Rev. Arturo Castillo
25 Rev. Eduardo Gomez
25 Rev. Juan Manuel Salazar
25 Rev. Juan Pablo Davalos
25 Rev. Juan Rogelio Gutierrez
25 Bishop Emertius Raymundo J.
Peña - retired
26 Rev. Andres Gutierrez
26 Rev. A. Oliver Angel, JCL
26 Rev. Jesus Paredes
26 Rev. Luis Roberto Tinajero
26 Rev. Martin De La Cruz
26 Rev. Ruben Delgado
26 Rev. Tomas Mateos – Retired
27 Rev. Aglayde Rafael Vega
27 Rev. Eduardo Ortega
27 Rev. Francisco J. Solis
27 Rev. Gerald Frank
27 Rev. Gregory Labus
27 Rev. Mario A. Castro
27 Rev. Oscar O. Siordia
28 Rev. Alfonso Guevara
29 Rev. Ignacio Tapia
29 Rev. Jorge A. Gomez
29 Rev. Luis Fernando Sanchez
29 Rev. Salvador Ramirez
31 Rev. Amador Garza
31 Rev. Ernesto Magallon
31 Rev. Mishael Koday
31 Rev. Terrence Gorski, OFM
5 Dcn. Roberto V. Cano
5 Dcn. Bruno Cedillo
5 Dcn. Juan M. Delgado
5 Dcn. John P. Kinch
5 Dcn. Alvino Olvera
12 Dcn. Agapito Cantu
12 Dcn. Roberto Cantu
12 Dcn. Julio Castilleja
12 Dcn. Alberto X. Chapa
12 Dcn. Augusto Chapa Jr.
12 Dcn. Hugo De la Cruz
12 Dcn. Jesus P. Galvan
12 Dcn. Alejandro Gamboa
12 Dcn. Jose G. Garza
12 Dcn. Irineo Gonzalez Jr.
12 Dcn. Roberto Ledesma
12 Dcn. Gilberto Lopez
12 Dcn. Ruben Lopez
12 Dcn. Juan P. Navarro
12 Dcn. Hector Perez
12 Dcn. Peter Requeñez
12 Dcn. Eduardo Reyna
12 Dcn. Salvador Rojas
12 Dcn. Manuel Sanchez
12 Dcn. Pedro F. Sanchez
12 Dcn. Carlos Treviño
12 Dcn. Rene Villalon
12 Dcn. Daniel Zamora
17 Dcn. Jesus E. Aguayo
17 Dcn. Benito Flores
17 Dcn. Alvin H. Gerbermann
17 Dcn. Juan Francisco Gonzalez
17 Dcn. Jose Guerra
17 Dcn. Benito Saenz Jr.
17 Dcn. Israel Sagredo
17 Dcn. Rodolfo C. Salinas
17 Dcn. Jose A. Solis
18 Dcn. Genaro Ibarra
21 Dcn. Eduardo Ovalle
Abril 2015
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL 11
»Hermana Pimentel en el U.N.
Comparte historias de la frontera
Arzobispo señaló
liderazgo por defender
la dignidad humana
Por DEBORAH S. BOYCE
The Valley Catholic
“Todavía hay mucho que
hacer,” dijo recientemente la Hermana Norma Pimentel, directora
ejecutiva de Caridades Católicas
del Valle del Río Grande, a los
representantes de las Naciones
Unidas de alrededor del mundo.
“Tenemos la responsabilidad
de continuar aportando soluciones a la crisis de inmigración. Y
todo empieza con nosotras: las
mujeres que somos el centro de
la familia, y las familias proporcionan la fuerza para seguir adelante.”
La Hermana Pimentel, de las
Misioneras de Jesús, fue invitada
a hablar en las Naciones Unidas
en Nueva York por el Arzobispo
Bernardito Auza, Observador
Permanente de la Santa Sede en
los Estados Unidos. El arzobispo
señaló su liderazgo excepcional
por defender la dignidad humana,
su lucha contra el tráfico de mujeres y niñas, y más reciente aún,
proveyendo asistencia humanitaria a miles de inmigrantes en
la frontera de Estados Unidos y
México.
“Las mujeres tienen un don
especial para fomentar la dignidad
intrínseca de todos, especialmente
de los más vulnerables, y para desarrollar los dones de otros,” dijo
el Arzobispo Auza. Ellas tienen
una sabiduría particular para dar
orden a las situaciones más caóticas y para quebrar el hielo en las
situaciones más marginales y deshumanizantes con el calor de un
hogar.”
Este verano pasado, el Valle
del Río Grande se convirtió en un
punto de entrada para miles de
refugiados huyendo de la violencia en su país y buscando asilo en
Estados Unidos. La Hermana Pimentel organizó recursos de la comunidad y formó centros humanitarios en Brownsville y McAllen.
Mientras que la mayoría de inmigrantes proceden de los países
centroamericanos como El Salvador, Honduras y Guatemala, la
patrulla fronteriza de los Estados
The Valley Catholic
La Hermana Pimentel, de las Misioneras de Jesús, fue invitada a hablar en las Naciones
Unidas en Nueva York el 18 de marzo por el Arzobispo Bernardito Auza, Observador
Permanente de la Santa Sede en los Estados Unidos.
Unidos informa que se han procesado inmigrantes de 69 países,
algunos tan lejanos como China y
Ucrania.
“La Hermana Norma y su
agencia estuvieron al frente
proveyendo una respuesta compasiva en plena crisis humanitaria,”
dijo María J. Vorel, Vice Presidenta de Operaciones de Desastres para Caridades Católicas en
Estados Unidos. “Varios expertos
han dicho que este verano podría
llegar nuevamente un influjo de
niños y familias buscando una
mejor vida.”
Durante su discurso, la Hermana Pimentel compartió historias horrorosas sobre la violencia
que pasan los refugiados en su
jornada a los Estados Unidos y las
condiciones abismales en las que
se encuentran al ser detenidos al
principio de la crisis humanitaria.
“Cuando visité el centro de detención por primera vez el verano
pasado, algo trágico se rompió
dentro de mí,” comentó, describiendo las condiciones de aglomeración de personas en el centro
de detención fronterizo. “Estos
niños, quienes habían viajado por
semanas o meses, estaban apachurrados en las celdas como
sardinas, con muy poco espacio
para sentarse, mucho menos para
acostarse. ¡No podía creer mis
ojos! ¡Estos eran niños! ¡Chiquititos!
“Oramos juntos, y lloramos
juntos.”
La Hermana Pimentel expresó
su profunda apreciación y gratitud
a los miles de voluntarios que llegaron de todo alrededor del país,
representando comunidades de
distintas creencias, y que siguen
viajando a McAllen para servir
a las familias de refugiados en el
Centro Humanitario de Caridades
Católicas en la Iglesia del Sagrado
Corazón.
“Se ofrecen de manera generosa, con amor y compasión, a
dar la bienvenida extraños,” ella
comentó. “Me han conmovido
profundamente.”
Varias mujeres del Valle
fueron elogiadas por la Hermana Pimentel por ser “verdaderas
campeonas” al responder a las
necesidades de las familias de
refugiados: Esperanza Gelman,
Alma Revesz, Bárbara Valdez y
su hija Mónica Valdez Freeman,
Carmen Garza, Sylvia Cárdenas,
Vanessa Quintanilla, Herminia
Forshage y Galilea González.
“¡Estas mujeres fronterizas me
animan cada día con su ejemplo
al ver verdaderamente la presencia de Dios en sus vidas!” dijo la
Hermana Pimentel. “Estas mujeres, y miles como ellas, respondieron con generosidad, sin esperar
algún tipo de crédito por su servicio, sólo el placer de saber que
los niños y familias están a salvo,
y ahora están en un lugar mejor.”
Sus esfuerzos humanitarios
recibieron atención de los medios
nacionales e internacionales, y su
liderazgo compasivo es elogiado
por figuras como el Senador Ted
Cruz y la representante Nancy
Pelosi. Nombrada una “líder indispensable” por la revista Texas
Monthly, la Hermana Pimentel
fue nominada “Texana del Año” y
recibió el premio “Mantén el Sueño Vivo 2015” de las Caridades
Católicas en Estados Unidos.
El panel del 18 de marzo, con
el tema “Las Mujeres Sosteniendo
la Dignidad Humana,” se llevó a
cabo se simultáneamente con la
sesión número 59 de la Comisión
del Estatus de la Mujer (CSW),
una organización global intergubernamental exclusivamente
dedicada a la promoción de la
igualdad de género y fortalecimiento de la mujer.
Otras ponentes incluidas fueron la Profesora Carolyn Woo de
la Universidad de Notre Dame, la
Presidenta los Servicios Católicos
de asistencia; la profesora Michele
Pierre-Louis de Harvard, la ex
primer ministra de Haití; y la Sra.
Magalie Dresse una empresaria
Haitiana galardonada.
La Hermana Pimentel y la
profesora Woo estarán presentándose en la Conferencia de Mujeres
Católicas que se llevará a cabo el
sábado, 2º de mayo en la Iglesia
Católica Nuestra Sra. de los Dolores en McAllen.
»Noticias Breves
Conferencia de
Mujeres organizada
para el 2 de mayo
Se invita a las mujeres a la
Conferencia de Mujeres Católicas,
programada durante el Mes de
María el sábado 2 de mayo, de 8:30
a.m. a 4:30 p.m. en la Iglesia Nuestra Sra. de los Dolores en McAllen.
El evento es organizado
por diferentes ministerios de la
Diócesis de Brownsville, las Hijas
Católicas de las Américas y otros
grupos de mujeres. Se espera que
asistan al evento aproximadamente
500 mujeres.
Los oradores principales
incluyen el Monseñor Daniel E.
Flores, Obispo de la Diócesis de
Brownsville, y la Dra. Carolyn
Y. Woo, presidenta y CEO de los
Servicios Católicos de Ayuda.
La conferencia incluirá sesiones en inglés y en español. Sesiones
que reflejarán el tema: “Viviendo la
Dicha del Evangelio y Celebrando
al Genio Femenino.” La primer
parte del tema es inspirado por la
Exhortación Apostólica del Papa
Francisco, “Evengelii Gaudium.”
El segundo tema viene de los
escritos de San Juan Pablo II sobre
las mujeres, incluyendo su carta
apostólica “Mulieris Dignitatem”
sobre la dignidad y vocación de las
mujeres.
Para mayor información llame
al (956) 536-4866 o para registrarse para ser un(a) expositor o
vendedor(a) en la conferencia,
contacte a María Luisa Guerra al
(956) 648-0233.
Youth Jam:
Evento de jovenes
el 18 de abril
Cientos de jóvenes de secundaria en todo el Valle del Río
Grande se reunirán para la sesión
anual de jóvenes el sábado, 18
de abril en la B. Garza Middle
School, 1111 W. Sugar Cane Dr. en
Weslaco.
Todos los estudiantes de sexto,
séptimo y octavo grado de la
diócesis están invitados al evento,
el cual empieza a las 8 a.m. y
termina con una Misa de Vigilia
celebrada por el Obispo Daniel
E. Flores. El costo es de $20 y hay
becas disponibles.
Para más información sobre la
sesión de jóvenes, envíe un correo
electrónico a Monica Benítez a
[email protected] o a Dora Rodríguez-Rosa a drodriguez@cdob.
org o llame al (956) 784-5037.
12
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL
Abril 2015
Un laico comprometido con la fe La Divina Misericordia
Hace casi 39 años de
le dijo ‘Si’ al Señor
The Valley Catholic
Pedro Hugo comparte
su tiempo ayudando en
La Misión Holy Trinity en
Falcon Heights y en Iglesia de Nuestra Señora
del Refugio en Roma.
Por JOSE S. CUESTAS
The Valley Catholic
ROMA — “Cuando tomes las
manceras del arado no voltees
para atrás.” Estas son las palabras
con que Pedro Hugo Castillo quiso definir su ministerio de compromiso con la iglesia, con la fe
y con los Católicos de La Misión
Holy Trinity en Falcon Heights,
donde por nueve años consecutivos ha desempeñado la labor del
“Servicio de la Palabra” en apoyo
a los sacerdotes Oblatos que han
estado al frente de la Iglesia de
Nuestra Señora del Refugio en
Roma, Texas. Hoy da su apoyo al
personal religioso asignado a ese
templo.
“Fueron los primeros años de
estancia en la Iglesia de Roma
Texas del Padre Ricardo Philion,”
dijo Castillo. “Domingo a domingo yo acudía a la Iglesia San Jose y
San Judas en Salineño, Texas sirviendo en el ministerio de catequesis. Dieciséis años pasé realizando
esta labor que me gustaba mucho
y me sigue gustando porque es
ahí donde tienes ese encuentro de
enseñanza en tu fe; en la fe de la
niñez y la juventud de tu comunidad.”
Ahí fue donde el Padre Philion
en su necesidad de tener atendida
a la comunidad católica de Falcon Heights (un sector pequeño
al norte del Condado Starr, en
donde termina la Diócesis de
Brownsville) y ante lo difícil de
dar cumplimiento por el número
de misiones que tenía que pastorear y aparte su iglesia, le dio la
oportunidad a Castillo. Dijo, esta
era la oportunidad “para la cual
años antes me había estado preparando el Señor la de dominicalmente convivir con mis hermanos
en la fe, atender el servicio de la
palabra”.
Su fe comenzó a crecer cuando
Castillo estaba viviendo en Ohio y
trabajando en una fundidora. Dice
Castillo, “que fue en esos años cuando el Papa Juan Pablo II recién
había tomado su pontificado cuando comencé a involucrarme
más profundamente en la fe y en la
iglesia y comencé a prepararme en
la renovación carismática. Tenía
40 años de edad y nunca creí que
fuera tarde para empezar a reforzar mi fe Católica.”
“Nueve años de estudio consecutivo, tres horas a la semana,
después de mi trabajo en la fundidora en Ohio, me estaban forjando para el compromiso que
me tenía preparado el Señor para
después de mi jubilación y regreso
a Texas.”
“Ya en mi ‘terruño,’ dice Castillo, quise continuar recibiendo
más y más instrucción religiosa y
carismática y atendí un curso de
Estudio Bíblico con unas hermanas religiosas; quienes bajo el auspicio del Padre Roy nos instruían
en la religión en nuestra Iglesia de
Salineño, Texas.”
“El Padre Roy y el Padre
Hugo me tuvieron la confianza
para catequizar los niños, instruirlos en la fe. Y fue en el periódo de
trabajo del Padre Ricardo Philion
cuando mi ministerio como laico
comprometido, se definió para
apoyo de mis hermanos en la fe
de Falcon Heights.”
Entre la comunidad, algunos
feligreses están muy apegados
y allegados a la acción de esta
misión de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Refugio de Roma, Texas.
Confirmaron el arduo trabajo que
ha realizado Castillo para que no
decayera la fe de los feligreses de
este sector.
Entré ellos se encuentran
Aracely Talamantes,
Eufemia
Maldonado, Olga Barrera y su esposo Juan Isidro Barrera. Dijeron,
“Somos una comunidad católica
no muy numerosa quienes acudimos domingo a domingo al servicio religiosa y quienes estamos
involucrados con la promulgación
de nuestra fe. Castillo ha sido una
parte esencial en esta labor, ha desempeñado su trabajo con acierto,
con rectitud, con humildad, y aun
cuando es un laico como nosotros,
le damos respeto y él nos devuelve
respeto y enseñanza. Estamos
contentos de que Dios le haya encomendado esta tarea, a nosotros
nos ha servido de mucho.”
El Papa anuncia un Año
Santo de Misericordia
By CINDY WOODEN
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
— El papa Francisco ha anunciado un extraordinario jubileo, un
Año Santo de Misericordia, para
enfatizar “la misión de la Iglesia
católica de ser testiga de misericordia”.
“Nadie puede ser excluído de
la misericordia de Dios”, dijo el
papa el 13 de marzo, al celebrar su
segundo año de pontificado presidiendo un servicio de penitencia
de Cuaresma en la basílica de San
Pedro.
“Con frecuencia he meditado
cómo la iglesia puede hacer más
evidente su misión de ser testiga
de misericordia”, dijo durante su
homilía. Es por eso que decidió
declarar un Año Santo especial,
que será celebrado a partir del 8
de diciembre del 2015 hasta el 20
de noviembre del 2016.
El tema bíblico del año será,
dijo, “Sean ustedes misericordiosos, como su Padre (Celestial) es
misericordioso”, advertencia que
se aplica “especialmente a los confesores”, dijo el Papa, acompañado
de una sonrisa.
Tradicionalmente, cada 25
años los papas han proclamado
un año santo, que se distingue por
celebraciones especiales y peregrinaciones, firmes llamados hacia
Stefano Spaziani/Catholic News Service
El papa Francisco se confiesa durante un
servicio de la penitencia cuaresmal en
la Basílica de San Pedro en el Vaticano
marzo 13. Durante el servicio, el Papa
anunció un jubileo extraordinario,
un Año Santo de la Misericordia, a
celebrarse del 08 de diciembre 2015 ,
hasta noviembre 20, 2016.
la conversión y arrepentimiento y
el ofrecimiento de oportunidades
especiales para sentir la gracia de
Dios por medio de los sacramentos, especialmente la confesión.
Los años santos extraordinarios,
como este Año Santo de Misericordia, son menos frecuentes,
pero en ellos se ofrecen las mismas
oportunidades de crecimiento espiritual.
Las puertas de la iglesia “están abiertas de par en par para
que las personas que son tocadas
por la gracia puedan encontrar la
certidumbre del perdón”, dijo el
papa Francisco en el servicio de
penitencia, en el que hubo confesiones individuales. Y eso fue
parte de una celebración mundial
de “24 horas del Señor”, durante
las cuales los templos católicos
permanecieron abiertos para que
los fieles pudieran orar, hacer
adoración eucarística y confesarse.
En cada uno de los confesonarios de la basílica de San Pedro,
como también en simples sillas distribuidas a lo largo de los
muros, los sacerdotes les daban
la bienvenida a los fieles que se
acercaban a confesarse, y el papa,
después de despojarse de las vestiduras sacramentales se presentó
para confesarse él primero con
otro ministro y para después, portando una estola de color morado,
se ofreció para confesar a otras
personas que se acercaban al sacramento de la penitencia.
“Dios nunca cesa de demostrar la riqueza de su misericordia a través de los siglos”, dijo el
Papa en su homilía, la cual pronunció antes de las confesiones.
Dios toca el corazón de las personas con su gracia, llenándolas de
arrepentimiento y de un deseo de
“sentir su amor”.
CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec
La Fiesta de la Divina Misericordia tiene como fin principal hacer llegar a los corazones
de cada persona el siguiente mensaje: Dios es Misericordioso y nos ama a todos ... “y
cuanto más grande es el pecador, tanto más grande es el derecho que tiene a Mi misericordia” (Diario, 723). En este mensaje, que Nuestro Señor nos ha hecho llegar por medio
de Santa Faustina, se nos pide que tengamos plena confianza en la Misericordia de Dios,
y que seamos siempre misericordiosos con el prójimo a través de nuestras palabras, acciones y oraciones... “porque la fe sin obras, por fuerte que sea, es inútil” (Diario, 742).
Con el fin de celebrar apropiadamente esta festividad, se recomienda rezar la Coronilla
y la Novena a la Divina Misericordia; confesarse -para la cual es indispensable realizar
primero un buen examen de conciencia-, y recibir la Santa Comunión el día de la Fiesta
de la Divina Misericordia.
Dios nos ama, tiene sueños
para nosotros, dice el papa
By CINDY WOODEN
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO Los sueños de Dios para su pueblo
son los sueños de un amante para
su amada; son sueños de edificar
un futuro juntos que esté lleno de
alegría, dijo el papa Francisco.
“¿Alguna vez han pensado
esto?” ‘El Señor sueña conmigo. Él
piensa en mí. Estoy en la mente y el
corazón del Señor’”, dijo el papa el
16 de marzo durante su Misa matutina en la capilla de la Casa Santa
Marta, donde vive.
El Señor no solamente sueña
con sus criaturas, dijo el papa. “Él
hace planes:” Vamos a construir
casas, plantar viñas, comer juntos’”.
Enfocándose en la primera lectura del día -- un relato de Isaías sobre Dios prometiéndole a su pueblo que haría un nuevo cielo y una
nueva tierra, un lugar donde siempre habría regocijo y felicidad -- el
papa dijo que la lectura muestra
cómo “el Señor sueña. Él tiene sus
sueños, sus sueños para nosotros”.
El lenguaje es marcadamente
similar a cómo una pareja comprometida sueña su futuro: “Cuando
estemos juntos, cuando seamos
casados ...”, dijo el papa Francisco.
Los planes de Dios, él dijo, son
aquellos que “solamente un enamorado haría”.
El hecho de que Dios “esté enamorado de nosotros”, él dijo, es
algo que “creo que ningún teólogo
podría explicar. No se puede explicar. Uno solamente puede pensarlo,
escucharlo y llorar de alegría”.
Creer en Dios, tener fe, “es hac-
er espacio para el amor y el poder
de Dios”, él dijo. El poder de Dios
no es un poder destructivo, sino
“el poder de alguien que me ama,
que está enamorado de mí y quiere
alegrarse conmigo. Esto es fe. Esto
es lo que significa creer: hacer espacio para que el Señor venga y me
cambie”.
El Papa Francisco también
habló sobre el amor de Dios el 15
de marzo, cuando lideró la recitación del Ángelus de mediodía con
los visitantes en la Plaza de San Pedro.
Él se enfocó en el pasaje del
Evangelio de Juan 3:16: “Sí, Dios
amó tanto al mundo, que entregó a
su Hijo único para que todo el que
cree en él no muera, sino que tenga
vida eterna”.
“Esta es la expresión más simple
que resume el Evangelio completo,
toda la fe (y) toda la teología”, dijo el
papa. “Dios nos ama con un amor
libre y sin límites”.
La cruz de Cristo, él dijo, es la
prueba suprema del amor de Dios,
un amor que abarca la misericordia
y se la ofrece a todos.
En la lectura dominical de la
Carta de San Pablo a los Efesios,
el papa señaló, el apóstol le dice al
pueblo que Dios “es ‘rico en misericordia’”, nunca olviden esto, él es
rico en misericordia”.
“En la pasión y muerte de su
hijo, él nos ha dado la comprobación de todas las comprobaciones: él
vino a sufrir y morir por nosotros.
¡Tan grande es la misericordia de
Dios! Él nos ama, él nos perdona.
Dios perdona a todos y perdona
siempre”.
Abril 2015
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL 13
»La Alegría de Vivir
E
Morir por Cristo
l trágico evento que sucedió
hace unas semanas, las
imágenes de 20 cristianos
cópticos de Egipto siendo decapitados por unos barbaros radicales
que tratan de imponer un estado
islámico (ISIS por sus siglas en
ingles) en ciertas regiones de Irak,
Libia y otros estados vecinos en
medio oriente, nos deja muy claro
que la persecución de cristianos
que llevaba a cabo el emperador
romano Nerón, cuando seguidores
de Marcos el Evangelista formaron
esta comunidad cóptica de egipcios cristianos en el siglo primero
de la existencia de nuestra fe, sigue
sucediendo ¡veinte siglos después!
La muerte de las víctimas
anteriores recientes, una de ellas
inmolada en una jaula, fueron
eventos chocantes y devastadores,
pero hacerlo de una forma masiva,
y por el simple hecho de que estas
personas no renunciaron a su fe y
hasta el último momento lo único
que dijeron fue: “Jesús ayúdame!”
nos deja claro lo desquiciado que
están estos individuos que tratan
de convencerse que estas atrocidades las llevan a cabo en nombre
de Ala, los mismos líderes musulmanes los han denunciado, pues
desacreditan al Islam como religión, al tratar de imponerlo como
»Vida Familiar
Msgr. Juan
Nicolau
Sacerdote jubilado
de la Diócesis de
Brownsville
un estado político y barbárico.
El Papa Francisco expresó que
todos los cristianos, sin importar su denominación, ya sean
católicos, ortodoxos, o reformistas
protestantes, debemos sentirnos
agredidos por este horrible suceso,
y pidió oración por que la persecución de cristianos termine.
Ahora que con el miércoles de
ceniza, iniciamos los cuarenta días
de preparación antes de conmemorar el calvario, muerte y resurrección de Jesús, practiquemos
la cuaresma como un tiempo de
verdadero cambio y renovación,
para restablecer diálogos rotos con
nuestros semejantes, y sobre todo,
con Dios. Prestemos oídos atentos
a la palabra de Dios en estos
cuarenta días, en intensa oración
y ayuno.
La práctica del ayuno, para
todo católico entre 17 y 59 años de
edad es obligatoria cada uno de los
viernes de cuaresma, además de la
semana mayor. Una persona que
ayuna puede tener una comida
completa al día y dos pequeñas
raciones de alimento que le permitan continuar sus actividades diarias. El abstenerse de carne de res,
pollo, puerco, y cordero es lo más
común, pero cada individuo puede
abstenerse además de aquello que
más le causa tentación, como una
forma de penitencia para abandonar los malos pasos y empezar a
seguir los pasos de Jesús.
¿Serias tu capaz de morir por
Cristo como el murió por nosotros
y nuestra salvación? Y me refiero
aquí no a una muerte física y
en martirio como la padecieron
nuestros hermanos cópticos cristianos de Egipto, sino a tomar la
decisión de entregar a Jesucristo tu
vida de ahora en adelante, dejando
al pecador atrás, como muerto
por sus pecados y en un pasado
enterrado.
Practicar la oración, la caridad
y el ayuno nos ayudaran a lograr
una verdadera conversión durante
esta cuaresma. Todos necesitamos
reflexionar sobre nuestros actos
y tomar la decisión de cambiar
para bien, podemos con humildad
reconocer nuestras fallas y comenzar a enmendarlas... Y recuerda
que Dios te ama y yo también.
Dos se vuelven uno
El cuarto de diez temas para la
Catequesis Preparatoria para la Reunión Mundial de Familias, la cual
tendrá lugar en Philadelphia del
22-25 de sept. es “Dos se vuelven
uno.” En este documento titulado
“El amor es nuestra misión: La
familia totalmente viva”, los autores
nos recuerdan que “No fuimos
hechos para estar solos. Los seres
humanos necesitan complementarse. Las amistades y comunidad
satisfacen ese anhelo con lazos
de intereses en común y amor. El
matrimonio es una forma única e
íntima de la amistad que llama a
un hombre y una mujer a amarse
en la manera del Pacto de Dios. El
matrimonio es un Sacramento. El
amor matrimonial es fructuoso y
se ofrece sin reserva. Este amor es
a imagen de la fidelidad de Jesús
hacia la Iglesia.”
San Pablo en sus epístolas
comparó a menudo la relación
entre hombre y esposa a la relación
de Jesús como esposo con su
esposa, la Iglesia (toda la humanidad; todos hechos a imagen
y semejanza de Dios, Padre, Hijo
y Espíritu Santo). A menudo me
refiero al texto en una de las cartas
de los Efesios como “la escritura
del codo” porque cuando es proclamada en la liturgia del Domingo,
inevitablemente veo a alguien
codeando a su esposa o prometida.
Efesios 5:22 “Las mujeres deben de respetar a su marido como
al Señor.” Sin embargo, no esperan
el siguiente verso en donde dice,
“Esposos, amen a sus esposas,
como Cristo amó a la Iglesia…”
Y sabemos que Cristo murió por
nosotros, la Iglesia, así que bromeo
diciendo que las esposas tenemos
que subordinarnos, ¡pero nuestros
esposos tienen que morir por
nosotras! En realidad, sabemos
que Jesús nos enseña “el amor sacrificado” al cual somos llamados,
especialmente en el matrimonio
en donde necesitamos dar al otro
todo lo que somos: 100/100 no
Lydia Pesina
Directora, Oficina
de Vida Familiar
50/50.
El Catecismo de la Iglesia
Católica, párrafo1603 “La comunión íntima de vida y amor que
constituye el matrimonio ha sido
establecido por el creador y dotado
por él con sus propias leyes… Dios
mismo es el autor del matrimonio.”
Si Dios es el autor del matrimonio, entonces como sociedad es
importante mantener la definición
del autor como la unión entre un
hombre y una mujer. El párrafo
1605 de la Sagrada Escritura
afirma que el hombre y la mujer
fueron creados el uno para el
otro: “No es bueno que el hombre
esté solo.” La mujer, “carne de su
carne,” su igual, su más cercana en
todas las cosas, es dada al él por
Dios como una “ayudante,” ella,
entonces, representa a Dios de
quien viene nuestra ayuda.”
Hay una simpática historia de
lo ocurrido en Génesis en la cual
Adán se encuentra solo y triste
pero Dios le dice que Él está creando una ayudante para él y que
se llamará “mujer” y ella será hermosa, servicial, siempre la primera
en pedir perdón, nunca le pedirá
cuidar a los niños en la noche, y
demás pero que será costoso: un
brazo y una pierna. Así que Adán
le pregunta “¿Qué puedo obtener
por una costilla?” ¡y así que el
hombre recibió por lo que pagó!
El matrimonio es una hermosa
relación de convenio en la cual un
hombre y una mujer juran trabajar
para construir su matrimonio a
través de cada etapa y ciclo de la
vida, manteniendo estos tres lados
(como un triángulo) creciendo en
la relación (1) intimidad emocional y espiritual (2) intimidad física,
y (3) compromiso de vida con
Dios en el centro de este triángulo
dotándolos de la gracia para crecer
a través de las altas y bajas de la
vida matrimonial. Ambos son
llamados a ayudarse mutuamente
para convertirse en un santo al
ayudar a su cónyugue a crecer
para ser la persona que Dios ha
creado.
Recientemente, en la Misa de
la Celebración Diocesana del Día
Mundial del Matrimonio, tuvimos
el honor de tener a ocho parejas
asistentes casadas por 70 años o
más. Sr. and Sra. Clemente Cuellar,
celebraban su aniversario matrimonial 76, un reportero de noticias en TV les preguntó cuál era el
secreto para un matrimonio largo
y fuerte, y ellos respondieron “Respeto”. Ellos son grandes testigos
de que los matrimonios duraderos
pueden ser matrimonios “vivos”
no muertos. Cuando el reportero
preguntó qué le diría a parejas
casadas, el Obispo Flores respondió: “Cuídense mutuamente.”
El Papa Francisco en su discurso
a las personas comprometidas el
14 de feb. del 2014, señaló “No
debemos permitirnos ser conquistados por la “cultura desechable.”
Este miedo al “por siempre” se
cura al confiar nuestro ser día a día
al Señor Jesús en una vida que se
convierte en un camino espiritual
diario de crecimiento en común,
paso a paso.”
Que podamos recordar las 5
F’s del matrimonio “Free, Faithful,
Fruitful, Forever, and Fun” (Libres,
fieles, fructuosos, por siempre y
divertidos) Invito a las parejas
casadas a considerar la bendición
de uno con el otro diariamente
al mirarse y decirse: “Te amo; te
acepto. Si te he lastimado, por
favor perdóname. Señor Jesús
guíanos con tu espíritu y bendice
nuestro matrimonio hoy y siempre. Amén.
14
DIOCESE
APRIL 2015
Priest, sisters among community heroes honored
Trading cards
highlight work
of local leaders
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
Three of the eight individuals
from the Rio Grande Valley honored by a secular nonprofit organization are Catholic, religious
figures.
The Dallas-based Building
Community Workshop recognized Sister Phyllis Peters of the
Daughters of Charity, the late
Father Armand Mathew of the
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the late Sister Gerrie
Naughton of the Sisters of Mercy
with trading cards featuring their
photographs on one side and a
summary of their achievements
on the other.
The Building Community
Heroes trading cards, which are
released annually, “recognize the
people working tirelessly, but often without acknowledgment, to
make Dallas, Houston, and the
Rio Grande Valley better and
more just places for all,” according
to the organization’s website.
Proyecto Juan Diego, a nonprofit organization based in Cameron Park, was established in 2003
by Sister Peters. She came to the
Brownsville area after spending
UN Talk,
It is this response that upholds
the dignity of humanity. And the
world needs to be challenged to
come forward and do likewise!
Through it all, I am not sure
what has touched me the most.
The many families who were
totally dehumanized when they
arrived at our center, yet left
refreshed, empowered, and feeling
wonderful. Or maybe their arrival.
As soon as they walk through the
doors of the Humanitarian Respite
Center at Sacred Heart Church,
volunteers greet them with applause, saying, “Bienvenidos!”
Welcome! And those mom’s faces
break into tears of joy.
In that moment I capture a
glimpse of all they suffered in their
journey. And then experience the
loving presence of a merciful and
loving God through volunteers’
responses.
Or maybe the thousands of
volunteers who so generously give
of themselves, with love and compassion, to welcome the strangers
in our midst. They have touched
me so profoundly.
That it is possible to unite with
others of different faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds, in a spirit
of sisterhood, caring for others
and upholding human dignity of
those who need our help, brings
great hope and enthusiasm in our
efforts to bring about change in
our countries.
Early on in my religious life a
dear woman took me under her
wing, mentored me, and led me
close to Jesus. A woman, who before she left us this past Nov. 17 to
Courtesy
The Building Community Heroes trading cards, released annually, featured Sister Phyllis Peters of the Daughters of Charity, the
late Father Armand Mathew of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the late Sister Gerrie Naughton of the Sisters
of Mercy.
10 years in ministry in Ethiopia.
The mission of Proyecto Juan
Diego is to educate and empower low-income families to make
healthy choices and become socially responsible members of
society.
More than 500 have received
U.S. citizenship through Proyecto
Juan Diego, just to name one of
the organization’s many programs.
Sister Peters credited the staff
at Proyecto Juan Diego for her
success. “I don’t think it’s me,”
said Sister Peters, a native of West
Bend, Wisc. “I think it’s all the
staff here. They have been doing
a wonderful job and I think that
is the most important thing. We
go back to her Father in Heaven,
blessed me and said, “Stay close
to Jesus! Always turn to him for
everything!”
Sister Juliana Garcia told me,
“We should always stand for what
we say we believe.” Especially
when it becomes challenging and
difficult to understand others
who disagree with what we do.
Responding and keeping ourselves
true to what we believe, as we
carry out our work, is morally the
right thing to do.
Never did I imagine that
responding to the immigration
humanitarian crisis would bring
me to the United Nations!
I pray this opportunity makes
present the hundreds of thousands
of families who have migrated to
the United States and other places
in the world.
And the thousands of volunteers who responded and are
responding throughout the world,
united with a single purpose: To
uphold the dignity and respect of
ALL!
And to make known what has
been done is not enough. There
is still much to do. We all have a
responsibility to continue to bring
solutions to this immigration
crisis.
We must go back to our communities, our governments, our
churches, our families and challenge them to say yes to a response
that upholds the dignity of ALL!
This is what we are called upon to
do. To find those families, women,
children who need us. And let us
continue to respond with compassionate hearts and move others
to do the same! Remember, “We
should always stand for what we
say we believe!”
Courage Ministry
Homosexuality and Hope
Llame al (956) 455-8286, en confianza
Please call (956) 686-7711, confidentiality assured
www.couragerc.net
are only successful because of our
staff.”
Sister Peter said she was
honored to be recognized along
with Sister Naughton and Father
Mathew.
“That’s kind of awesome, because I think that Sister Gerrie
and Father Armand are really
both saints in my opinion,” she
said.
A champion for social justice causes, Father Mathew cofounded Center for Civic Engagement at the University of Texas at
Brownsville in 2001 and was one
of the founders of the Kids Voting
Brownsville initiative, which educates children and young adults
on the importance of voting.
In an interview with The Valley Catholic (Oct. 2010), Father
Mathew said many didn’t understand how his work encouraging citizens to vote tied in to his
priestly ministry.
“It may seem like a secular activity, but the poor will never be
lifted out of poverty until their
voices are heard at the polls,” said
Father Mathew, a native of Wolcott, Ind., who was in ministry in
the Rio Grande Valley for more
than 36 years.
Father Mathew died in
Brownsville on June 22, 2013 at
the age of 90.
A native of Ireland, Sister
Naughton began her ministry in
the community of Las Milpas in
South Pharr in 1987. At that time,
the community was comprised
mostly of undocumented immigrants and lacked basic services
and infrastructure.
Sister Naughton founded
Project ARISE (A Resource in
Serving Equality), providing English as a Second Language classes
in Las Milpas. From there, the
project expanded, providing programs and resources to give immigrants, especially women, the
tools to successfully navigate life
in the United States. Today, there
are four Project ARISE centers,
with two locations in Alamo, one
in Edinburg and the original site
in Las Milpas.
Sister Naughton died of cancer on Oct. 29, 2009 at the age of
67, spending the vast majority of
her life – 50 years – in religious
life.
“I think it is a beautiful tribute to Sister Gerrie and all the
wonderful people who were recognized,” said Sister Rose Weidenbenner of the Sisters of Mercy, who is in ministry at Project
ARISE in Alamo.
Other individuals from the
Rio Grande Valley honored by
the Building Community Workshop included Narciso Martinez,
who is regarded as the father of
conjunto music and Dr. Juliet V.
Garcia, who served as president of
Texas Southmost College and the
University of Texas at Brownsville
from 1986 to 2014.
APRIL 2015
DIOCESE 15
»Media
Resource
Center
Good Friday focus: passion, death
» Calendar of
Events
April
Recommended by SISTER
MAUREEN CROSBY, SSD
Coordinator of the Media Resource
Center - Diocese of Brownsville
»From the
Bookshelf
An Arkful of
Animal Stories
2
Holy Thursday
Diocesan Offices close at
noon
3
Good Friday
Diocesan Offices Closed
5
Easter Sunday
5
Mass for Children with
Special Needs (Holy Family,
Brownsville)
12 Divine Mercy
Sunday
Format: Paperback Length: 29 pgs
Audience: Ages 3-7
Author: John Goodwin & Tina
MacNaughton
Publication: 2006 Pauline Books and
Media
What must it have been like for the
animals on board the ark? Here are 10
stories – filled with mischief and humor
– that prove a little cooperation goes a
long way.
The Lectionary:
A Treasure for
Liturgy and
Prayer
Format: Audio Books Length: 7 cds
Audience: Adults
Author: Father Felix Just, S.J. Ph.D
Publication: Now You Know Me Media2010
This 18-lecture program will not only
deepen your understanding and
appreciation for the Catholic Lectionary for
Mass, but also greatly increase your ability
to use it more regularly and more fully
throughout the liturgical year.
»Worth Watching
Kids and The
Sacraments:
Baptism,
Reconciliation,
Communion &
Confirmation
Format: DVD Length: 50 mins
Audience: Ages 5-10
Author: Reverend Kenneth C. Overbeck
Director: Paraclete Press - 2013
Father Ken uses interviews with kids,
on-screen storyboard Bible teaching,
images from around the world, and
“on the road” field trips to explore in
depth where certain things come from,
like Baptism’s water, the altar bread
of Communion, and the oil used at
Confirmation.
San Agustin /
San Pedro
Format: DVD Length: 200 minutes
Audience: Adults
Espanol, Italiano/ subtitlulos: Espanol
Production: Clasification B
Una tropa del ejercito romano logra
atravesar las lineas enemigas y llega
hasta Hipona. El joven jefe de la tropa,
Fabius, se queda prendada de Lucilla,
la sobrina de Augustin. El Tribuno
Imperial, Valerius, decide enfrentarse a
los vandalos, en contra de la opinion de
Augustin…su conversion al cristianismo
y su actividad episcopal hasta su retorno
a Hiponia.
13 Theology Class
(Office of Catechesis)
Mobile Journalist Rigoberto Ramirez/The Valley Catholic
14 Clase de Teologia
On Good Friday, the Church focuses on Jesus’ passion and death. It is the anniversary of the death of Jesus on the cross. As a sign of
mourning, no Masses are celebrated on Good Friday. Instead, Catholics gather for a special service. The cross, the most powerful of
all signs of Jesus’ love for humanity and of salvation, dominates this liturgy.
16 In-Service Program Statistic
Many parishes also lead a prayer of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Also known as the Way of the Cross, Via Crucis, and Via
Dolorosa, the 14 stations draw the faithful into prayerful reflection on Jesus’ journey though the streets of Jerusalem, weighed down
by his cross, to the mount of Calvary outside the city gates, where he was crucified.
18-19 ForBetter ForEver
(Family Life Office)
UN Talk,
dor, Honduras and Guatemala,
the U.S. Border Patrol reports immigrants from 69 countries have
been processed, from as far away
as China and the Ukraine.
“Sister Norma and her agency
were on the front lines providing
a compassionate response in the
midst of a humanitarian crisis,”
said Maria J. Vorel, Catholic Charities USA’s Sr. Vice President of
Disaster Operations. “Multiple experts have said this summer may
bring another influx of children
and families seeking a better life.”
In her address, Sister Pimentel
shared harrowing stories of the violence refugees face on their journey to the United States and the
abysmal conditions they initially
faced as detainees early on in the
humanitarian crisis.
“When I visited the facility for
the first time last summer, something tragically ripped within
me,” she said, describing the overcrowded conditions of the Border
Patrol processing center. “These
children, who had traveled for
weeks or months, were packed
into little cells like sardines, with
very little space to sit, much less
lie down. I could not believe my
eyes! These were children! Tiny
little ones!
“We prayed together, as we
cried together.”
Sister Pimentel expressed deep
appreciation and gratitude for the
thousands of volunteers who came
from across the country, representing all faith communities, and
who continue to travel to McAllen to serve the refugee families
at Catholic Charities’ Humanitarian Respite Center at Sacred Heart
Church.
“They generously give of
themselves, with love and compassion, to welcome the strangers
in our midst,” she said. “They have
touched me so profoundly.”
Several women from the Valley were lauded by Sister Pimentel for being “true champions” in
responding to refugee families’
needs: Esperanza Gelman, Alma
Revesz, Barbara Valdez and her
daughter Monica Valdez Freeman,
Carmen Garza, Sylvia Cardenas,
Vanessa Quintanilla, Herminia
Forshage and Galilea Gonzalez.
“These women from the border lift me up each day with their
example of truly witnessing God’s
presence in their lives!” Sister Pimentel said. “These women, and
thousands more like them, respond with generosity, not expecting any credit for their service,
only the pleasure of knowing the
families, the children, are safe and
are now in a better place.”
Her humanitarian efforts received national and international
media attention, and her compassionate leadership is praised by
figures ranging from Senator Ted
Cruz to Representative Nancy
Pelosi. Named an “indispensable
leader” by Texas Monthly magazine, Sister Pimentel was nominated for “Texan of the Year” and received the “2015 Keep the Dream
Alive” award from Catholic Charities USA.
The March 18th panel, addressing “Women Upholding Human Dignity,” ran concurrently
with the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women
(CSW), the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively
dedicated to the promotion of
gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Other panel speakers included
University of Notre Dame Professor Carolyn Woo, President of
Catholic Relief Services; Harvard
Professor Michele Pierre-Louis,
the former Prime Minister of
Haiti; and Mrs. Magalie Dresse an
award-winning Haitian entrepreneur.
Both Sister Pimentel and Professor Woo will be speaking at the
Catholic Women’s Conference to
be held Saturday, May 2 at Our
Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church
in McAllen.
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J. Peña’s Calendar
April 2 7 p.m.
April 3 3 p.m.
April 11 9 a.m.
10 a.m.
April 17-19
April 22 6:30 p.m.
April 25 10 a.m.
Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Liturgy of the Passion
Staff Retreat
Sacraments @ Evins
All Day-Bronc Awakening 22 @ Camp Loma de Vida
Evins Ministry
Mass @ Marian Conference @ Holy Spirit
Confirmations @ St. Francis Xavier
Alamo
Alamo
Edinburg
Edinburg
Edinburg
Edinburg
McAllen
La Feria
On going:
8 a.m. Mass Monday - Saturday at St. Joseph Chapel of
Perpetual Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo
2nd: Intention to the Permanent Diaconate the deacons
(permanent and transitional) of the diocese and their
families
3 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual Adoration,
727 Bowie St., Alamo
3rd : Intention to Married Life: for the welfare and
sanctification of all the families in the diocese and for
building up the Kingdom in our domestic churches
7 p.m. Holy Hour Weekly every Thursday at 727 Bowie
St., Alamo
1st: Intention to the Consecrated Life (active and
contemplative) and for the Sisters and Brothers in our
diocese and the success of their mission
4th: Intention to the priesthood and the priests of the
diocese for the success of their ministry
5th: Intention to Pope Francis
18 YouthJam (Youth Ministry)
30-3 Cursillo in Christianty of
the Diocese of
Brownsville (Holy Family,
Edinburg)
May
1-3 Catholic Engaged Encounter
2
Convalidation Conference
2
Women’s Conference
(Diocese of Brownsville)
10 Mother’s Day
11 Theology Class
12 Clase de Teologia
16-17 Retiro Pre-Matrimonial
17 Solemnity of the
Ascension
the Diocese of
Brownsville (St. Eugene
de Mazenod Renewal
Center)
24 Pentecost
25 Memorial Day
(Diocesan Offices Closed)
the Diocese of
Brownsville (Holy Family,
Edinburg)
Please submit your schedule to be published
in The Valley Catholic by the first Friday of
each month by email at [email protected]
or fax: (956) 784-5082.
Divine Mercy
Novena
The Divine Mercy Novena
begins on Good Friday and goes
until Divine Mercy Saturday.
The Divine Mercy Novena
prayers were given to St.
Faustina through an apparition
of our Lord Jesus. Each day has
a new petition that seeks God’s
mercy for different purposes.
The message of Divine
Mercy is a powerful and moving
way to grow closer to Christ.
His Mercy is central to our
lives, and we must continually
depend on it and ask for it daily.
16
DIOCESE
Our Catholic Family
Volunteer committed to his faith
Nearly 39 years ago,
He said ‘Yes’ to God
By JOSE S. CUESTAS
The Valley Catholic
ROMA — “When you take
the plow by the handles don’t
look back.” Pedro Hugo Castillo used these words to define
his ministry in commitment to
the Church, his faith, and all
Catholics from Holy Trinity
Mission in Falcon Heights, the
place where for nine consecutive years he has carried out the
work of “Servicio de la Palabra”
in support of the Oblate priests
who have been at the head of
Our Lady of Refuge Church in
Roma, Texas.
“They were the first years
of Father Ricardo Philion’s
stay,” Castillo said. “Sunday
after Sunday I would visit the
Church of St. Joseph and St.
Jude in Salinero, Texas, serving
in the ministry of catechesis. I
The Valley Catholic
Pedro Hugo Castillo has volunteered in parish work for 39 years.
spent 16 years doing this work,
which I enjoyed very much and
continue to enjoy because you
have an educational encounter
with your faith, with the faith
of children and the youth of
your community.”
It was there Father Philion,
in his need to attend to the
Catholic community of Falcon
Heights (a small sector north
of Starr County where the Diocese of Brownsville ends) and
the number of missions he had
to minister aside from his parish, gave Castillo the opportunity to serve.
“This was the opportunity
which God had been preparing
me for years before,” Castillo
said, “the opportunity to live
every Sunday with my brothers
in the faith, sharing the Gospel.”
Castillo was living in Ohio,
working in a steel foundry,
when his Catholic faith began
to deepen. “It was in those
years when Pope John Paul II
had just begun his pontificate,
when I began to become deeply
involved in my faith and in the
Church. I began to prepare myself through the charismatic renewal movement. I was 40 years
old and I never believed it was
too late to begin to strengthen
my Catholic faith.
“After my retirement and
my return to Texas, I attended
a Bible study with religious sisters who, under Father Roy’s
guidance, instructed us in religion at our church in Salineño,
Texas.
APRIL 2015
“Father Roy and Father
Hugo put their trust in me to
catechize the children, to instruct them in the faith. It was
during Father Ricardo Philion’s tenure that my ministry as a committed lay person
was established as support for
my brothers in faith at Falcon
Heights.”
Parishioners confirm the
hard work Castillo put in so
the faith of parishioners would
not decline. Among them are
Aracely Talamantes, Eufemia
Maldonado, and Olga Barrera
and her husband Juan Isidro
Barrera who said, “We are a
small Catholic community who
come Sunday after Sunday and
are involved in sharing our
faith. Castillo has fulfilled his
duties with wisdom, honesty
and humility. Even though he
is a lay person just like us, we
treat him with much respect,
and he shares with us that same
respect and teaching. We are
delighted that God has entrusted him with this task. He has
helped us very much.”

View - Catholic Diocese of Brownsville

Transcription

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