SEPT TVC 2016 8.30.indd - Catholic Diocese of Brownsville

Transcripción

Volume 8, Issue 4
Serving More Than A Million Catholics in the Diocese of Brownsville
Moved by the
Holy Spirit
Special Mass set
for lay ecclesial
movements,
apostolates,
asssociations
The Valley Catholic
Bishop Daniel E. Flores will
celebrate a special Mass for all
members of lay ecclesial movements, apostolates and associations at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.
10 at the Basilica of Our Lady
of San Juan del Valle-National
Shrine.
Some of the movements and
apostolates in the diocese include
Knights of Columbus, Catholic Daughters of the Americas,
Cursillos de Cristiandad, ACTS,
Movimiento Familiar Cristiano,
Marriage Encounter, Encuentro Matrimonial, Couples for
Christ, Regnum Christi, Comunidad Catolica AMA, Renovacion Carismatica (Charismatic
Renewal), Talleres de Oracion,
Ministerio de Sanacion Interior,
Apostolado de la Cruz, Apostoles de la Palabra, Evangelizacion
Activa USA, Apostolado Nueva
Evangelizacion, Asociacion de
Mujeres Catolicas de Brownsville, Movimiento de la Llama
de Amor del Inmaculado Corazon de Maria, Legion of Mary,
Schoenstatt Movement, Real
Men Pray the Rosary, RGV
Catholic Men’s Fellowship, Marian Conference, Fountain of
Mercy, Divine Mercy, Pro-Life
Apostolate, Consecration to
Mary, Catholics United for the
Faith, Benedictine Oblates, Third
Order Franciscans, Encuentro
Catolico Musical, Altar & Rosary
Society, Young Adult Ambassadors, Hospital Chaplains, Jail
Ministry Chaplains, and Serra
Clubs of the Rio Grande Valley.
“When we are anointed at
our baptism, we are joined to
Christ to share in his mission as
priest, prophet and king,” said
Deacon Luis Zuniga, director of
the Office for Evangelization for
the Diocese of Brownsville.
“The laity, through the movements and apostolates, answer
their baptismal call,” Deacon
Zuniga added. “Every movement brings something to the
Church. They all have something
to offer and they are all moved by
» Please see Movements p.11
SEPTEMBER 2016
Inspirados
por el Espiritu
ANNUAL DIOCESAN APPEAL
FAITH HOPE CHARITY
Misa para
movimientos
eclesiales,
apostolados y
asociaciones
programada
The Valley Catholic
Everyone called
to participate;
contributions
support work of
the Church
The Valley Catholic
SAN JUAN — The Office of
Stewardship and Development
for the Diocese of Brownsville
launched the Annual Diocesan
Appeal on Aug. 27-28. Participation and contributions support work being done by parishes and partner organizations
in mentoring and educating
young people, feeding the hungry, caring for seniors, working for justice and dealing with
emerging needs.
The appeal, which will continue through 2017, focuses on
the theological virtues of faith,
hope and charity. The extended
period provides parishes autonomy on determining when best
to air the videos and distribute
pledge cards and envelopes.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores said
the appeal supports the works
of teaching the faith. “When
we teach the faith we teach our
adults and young people the
central mystery of how much
God has loved us. …It’s this
faith in the love that God has
for us that then forms the foundation of the whole Christian
life; it allows our young people
and our adults to have a renewed since of hope in life and
WORKS OF MERCY
Courtesy Photos
A series of videos in English and Spanish have been released to promote the
Annual Diocesan Appeal which will continue through this year and all of 2017. The
theme this year is faith, hope and charity. Bishop Daniel E. Flores and Dominican
Sister Margarita Ortiz are among those who appear in the videos.
a renewed since of purpose,” he
said.
“All the works we do in our
parishes and in our diocese to
teach the faith,” he added, “is
an essential work to build up a
community that is more hopeful and more committed to the
works of charity and ultimately
to giving witness to the love that
we have first received.
“I ask you to continue supporting, in whatever way you
can, big or small, the work of
the Church in teaching the faith
to our young people, to our
families, and to our adults.”
As with past campaigns,
every participating parish and
CONVOCATION
school will receive a 30 percent
rebate of funds raised toward
the Annual Diocesan Appeal
for its own use. The 70 percent
retained by the diocese will be
granted out, in its entirety, to
parishes and ministries applying for assistance.
The appeal video is divided into three segments, one
for each virtue, in English and
Spanish. They are available on
the diocese YouTube channel.
Please call the Stewardship
and Development Office at
(956) 787-8571 with any questions regarding the Annual Diocesan Appeal.
El Obispo Daniel E. Flores
celebrará una Misa especial para
todos los miembros de los movimientos eclesiales laicos, apostolados y asociaciones a las 2 p.m
el sábado, 10 de septiembre en la
Basílica del Nuestra Señora del
Valle - Santuario Nacional.
Algunos de los movimientos y
apostolados en la diócesis incluye
a los Caballeros de Colón, las
Hijas Católicas de las Americas,
Cursillos de Cristiandad, ACTS,
Movimiento Familiar Cristiano,
Encuentro Matrimonial, Parejas
por Cristo, Regnum Christi, Comunidad Católica AMA, Renovación Carismática, Talleres de
Oración, Ministerio de Sanación
Interior, Apostolado de la Cruz,
Apóstoles de la Palabra, Evangelización Activa USA, Apostolado Nueva Evangelización, Asociación de Mujeres Católicas de
Brownsville, Movimiento de la
Llama de Amor del Inmaculado,
Corazón de María, Legión de
María, Movimiento Schoenstatt,
Los Hombres de Verdad Rezan el
Rosario, RGV Compañerismo de
Hombres Católicos, Conferencia
Mariana, Fuente de Misericordia,
Divina Misericordia, Apostolado
Pro-Vida, Consagración a María,
Católicos Unidos por la Fe, Oblatos Benedictinos, Tercera Orden de Franciscanos, Encuentro
Católico Musical, Sociedad de
Altar y Rosario, Jóvenes Adultos
Embajadores, Capellanes de Hospital, Capellanes de Ministerio de
Prisión, y Clubs Serra del Valle
del Río Grande.
“Cuando somos ungidos en
nuestro bautismo, nos unimos
a Cristo para compartir su misión como sacerdote, profeta y
rey,” dijo el Diácono Luis Zúñiga, director de la Oficina para la
Evangelización de la Diócesis de
Brownsville.
“El laicado, a través de movimientos y apostolados, responde
su llamado bautismal,” añadió
el Diacono Zúñiga. “Cada mov» Por favor lea Misa p.10
THOSE WHO SERVE
EN
ÑOL
ENESPA
ESPAÑOL
La columna del Señor Obispo
Daniel E. Flores y articulos
sobre la Madre Teresa de
Calcuta y las obras corporales
de misericordia
“VERBUM MITTITUR
SPIRANS AMOREM”
(“The WORD is sent
breathing love.”)
Children with special needs
Event set for Sept. 24
Deacon Benito Saenz
Page 3
Page 4
Page 7
Páginas 2, 9-10
2
DIOCESE
The Valley Catholic - SEPTEMBER 2016
Año de elecciones requiere un discernimiento cuidadoso
El obispo Daniel E. Flores comparte sus opiniones sobre este año
de elecciones en una entrevista reciente para Cruz, un sitio de noticias en línea. El siguiente artículos
son algunas de sus respuestas.
Estamos en el centro de un ciclo
de elecciones absolutamente
absurdo. Asumo que muchas
suposiciones y visiones ofrecidas por las cabezas parlantes en
CNN, Fox News, y MSNBC no
son compartidas por personas
a las que usted atiende. ¿Qué
podemos aprender de sus acercamientos?
Los medios de comunicación tienden a encausar la
discusión alrededor de ganadores
y perdedores, conservadores y
liberales, quién tiene el poder y
quién lo quiere. Las personas en
mi diócesis, como en muchos
lugares del país, están preocupados primeramente en poder
cuidar a su familia y proveer para
sus hijos. Aprendo mucho de
los padres que hacen todo para
proveer un hogar seguro y feliz.
Hay muchas dificultades; veo
mucho heroísmo. Los padres se
preocupan de que sus hijos se
puedan volver aislados, o escojan
un camino equivocado debido al
cinismo. Personas jóvenes están
preocupadas de estar atrapados
en un sistema económico del
cual no tienen control, o de no
poder continuar su educación
debido a restricciones económicas o migratorias. Hay preocupaciones sobre la violencia, no
solamente aquí, pero en México.
Y no solamente porque afecta
a nuestra sociedad de alguna
forma abstracta, o porque los
amenaza, sino porque afecta a
nuestros vecinos.
En mi diócesis, hay una amable y fuerte preocupación por
el bien de la comunidad. Republicanos y Demócratas a menudo
trabajan juntos a nivel local para
mejorar la educación, tratando
de mantener a los niños en la
escuela y conectados, y tratan
de asistir las necesidades de
los pobres. Como ya mencioné
hay mucha generosidad aquí.
También hay un sentido de que
el tejido social se está rompiendo.
Las personas saben instintivamente que la mejor manera de
abordarlo es al ayudarse mutuamente por medio de actos de
bondad y asistencia práctica.
Lo que escucho más a
menudo de las personas con las
que he hablado aquí en el Valle
del Río Grande es lo siguiente:
“¿Por qué es que un partido está
ciego a la dignidad del no nacido
y otro partido está ciego a la
dignidad del inmigrante? ¿Por
qué un partido exalta la libertad
medical incluso más que la vida, y
el otro exalta el poder económico
incluso más que el bien de la
vida familiar?” Dichas preguntas
indican que muchos ven a través
de la retórica de ambos partidos,
y están conscientes de que, en
diversas formas, cada uno promueve una estructura de poder que
deja a los vulnerables e indefensos de lado.
Les digo a los Católicos
locales que tienen influencia en
el Partido Demócrata que sean
una voz fuerte en nombre de la
dignidad y el derecho a la vida
del no nato, dentro de su partido.
Defender al niño no nacido es
la problemática mas decisiva de
justicia social de nuestro tiempo.
Los “altos mandos” en el partido
necesitan escuchar su voz. Les
digo a los Católicos que tienen
influencia en el Partido Republicano que sean una voz para la
reforma migratoria comprensiva,
que favorezca a la familia y que
establezca una norma en la ley
que pueda discernir la diferencia
entre un inmigrante criminal
y un inmigrante huyendo de
criminales. Los “altos mandos”
en el partido necesitan escuchar
sus voces. Puedo dar testimonio
a las estructuras de poder de los
dos partidos principales de que
hay más diversidad dentro de
las filas de su partido de lo que
están dispuestos a admitir. Hay
muchos Demócratas pro-vida.
Hay muchos Republicanos proreforma migratoria.
Los medios pueden representar las cosas en términos de
izquierda o derecha, o ganadores
y perdedores, pero ellos podrían aprender algo de la gente
humilde que ven las cosas en
términos de esperanza para sus
hijos, ayudando a las personas
en problemas, tratando de no
olvidarse de los pequeños, los
ancianos, los enfermos y moribundos, los desempleados y los
pobres.
He escuchado a algunos
Católicos decir que, sí, Donald
Trump tiene una posición sobre
la inmigración que está en
contradicción con la doctrina
de la Iglesia, pero que se basa en
un juicio prudente y no como
uno de los “Cinco Negativas.”
¿Cuál es su respuesta a este tipo
de argumentos?
La prudencia juzga las circunstancias tomando en cuenta
los principios que están justamente clasificadas en términos
de gravedad. Manteniendo esto
en mente, las circunstancias son
diferentes este año. Ahora no es
posible tomar la cuestión de la
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
www.cdob.org
Brenda Nettles Riojas
Editor
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Rose Ybarra
Assistant Editor
The Valley Catholic, a publication of the
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Gustavo Morales
(956) 266-1527
Gilbert Saenz
(956) 451-5416
Michael Kent
(956) 566-7075
MOST REVEREND
DANIEL E. FLORES
BISHOP OF BROWNSVILLE
política migratoria solamente
como una cuestión de tener
posiciones distintas sobre una
reforma altamente necesaria del
sistema. Uno podría argumentar que en elecciones anteriores
hubo una disputa entre partidos
sobre si la reforma era necesaria,
y sobre qué principios guiarían
una posible reforma. Este año,
hay una propuesta sobre la mesa
para proseguir con deportaciones masivas de hombres, mujeres
y niños indocumentados. Uno,
en conciencia, no tolera un programa de deportación masiva. Es
una propuesta brutal. En algunas
instancias, particularmente en
relación con las madres y niños
de Centroamérica, y deportaciones hacia algunas partes de
México, estamos colocándolos
en peligro inmediato de muerte.
Considero que apoyar el mandar
a un adulto o niño de regreso al
lugar a donde él o ella está marcado por la muerte, a donde no
hay ley y la sociedad colapsa, es
estar en cooperación directa con
un mal intrínseco. No sin semejanza con llevar a alguien a una
oficina de aborto. Así que, incluso como un Católico encuentra
la plataforma pro-aborto del otro
partido más que deplorable, no
hay consuelo para la conciencia
del Católico en el lado del programa radical de deportaciones
masivas. Ambas posiciones son
asaltos a la dignidad de la vida,
y en el caso de las deportaciones
masivas, pueden ligarse al no.23
de Formando la conciencia para
ser ciudadanos fieles (Ciudadanos
Fieles): “tratar a los pobres como
objetos desechables.” En general,
pienso que debemos de ver los
nos. 35-38 de Ciudadanos Fieles
cuidadosamente. Todos debemos
de leerlo y pensar en sus implicaciones desde ahora hasta el día
de elecciones.
Pienso que es digno de citar
particularmente el número 36:
Cuando todos los candidatos
tienen una posición que favorece
un mal intrínseco, el votante concienzudo afronta un dilema. El
votante puede decidir tomar el extraordinario paso de no votar por
ningún candidato o, tras deliberar
cuidadosamente, puede decidir
votar por el candidato que piense
que sea quien probablemente
menos promueva tal posición
moralmente defectuosa y que sea
quien probablemente más apoye
otros bienes humanos auténticos.
Parece que si un Católico
vota por cualquiera de los mayores candidatos, él o ella deben
de hacerlo con la convicción
de que el mal que el candidato
apoya puede ser opuesto exitosamente, y que otros aspectos
de su propuesta política son
suficientemente buenos para
merecer el voto. Así que si un
Católico vota por un candidato
pro-aborto o por un candidato
pro-deportación masiva, por lo
que Ciudadanos Fieles llama “razones moralmente graves,” porque
puede decidir votar por el candidato que piense que sea quien
probablemente menos promueva
tal posición moralmente defectuosa y que sea quien probablemente
más apoye otros bienes humanos
auténticos.
Sin embargo debe de haber
un compromiso consciente
por el votante para oponerse
contundentemente a la agenda
pro-aborto o la agenda pro-deportación masiva. También hay
otros factores que Ciudadanos
Fieles acertadamente nos pide
que consideremos, incluyendo
los compromisos, el carácter, la
integridad y la habilidad que tiene
un candidato de influenciar en un
asunto específico.
Y nótese que ni siquiera he
abordado la cuestión de atacar
a inocentes (quienes pueden ser
parientes de maleantes) en acciones militares, o uso indiscriminado de drones en la guerra. Ni he
mencionado una gran cantidad
de cuestiones abordadas en Ciudadanos Fieles y las que debemos
de tener en cuenta.
Otro tipo de respuesta de los
Católicos es negarse a participar. He escuchado llamados a
“abstenerse de votar.” El filosofo
MacIntyre insistió en el 2004
que cuando se nos dan dos
malas opciones no debemos
escoger ninguna. ¿Qué piensa
de este acercamiento?
Bueno pues, Ciudadanos
Fieles no. 36 reconoce esa posibilidad. MacIntyre tenía en mente
la amplia percepción de que
los dos partidos políticos están
entrelazados en diferentes formas
a posiciones que infringen con el
bien común.
Puede ser que un Católico
juzga conscientemente que es
probable que los dos candidatos
principales tengan éxito llevando
a cabo políticas intrínsecamente
malvadas. Aquí, el votante toma
la decisión de que el efecto de
votar por tal candidato ofende
la justicia divina- incluso si uno
se compromete a oponer el mal
que el candidato apoya- a tal
grado que mancha su conciencia
delante de Dios. Conozco a un
numero de personas ordinarias
que están contemplando seriamente la opción de no votar en
la carrera presidencial. Otros
piensan apoyar a un candidato de
un tercer partido o un candidatode nominación directa. Puedo
entender tal posición, pero debo
añadir que aún estamos ligados
de alguna forma a participar en
el proceso político, en este caso
para votar en las carreras del
congreso, y carreras por candidatos estatales y locales que
de hecho apoyan la protección
de los no natos, que trabajarían
para la justicia económica y
racial, justicia para inmigrantes, y cuidarían de los pobres
y marginalizados. Entonces, la
decisión de no apoyar al candidato presidencial principal no es
una decisión para abstenerse del
proceso político totalmente, sino
una decisión de registrar una
voz que dice que las dos opcio-
nes principales para presidente
son inaceptables, mientras que
al mismo tiempo se vota con
conciencia bien fundada en otras
carreras.
No hay duda que muchos
católicos de hecho van a votar
en la elección presidencial. Rezo
para que lo hagan con gran seriedad, y con una mente clara sobre
lo que sea digno de apoyar de las
posiciones de cada candidato,
y qué en su posición debe de
ser seriamente opuesto de ser
elegidos.
Cuando MacIntyre dice “¿Por
qué deberíamos de rechazar
a ambos? No principalmente
porque ellos nos dan respuestas equivocadas, pero porque
responden a preguntas equivocadas,”
Tengo mucha simpatía por su
perspectiva. El hecho es que para
un Católico la actual dinámica
de posicionamiento que gobierna
el sistema partidario es precisamente inadecuado porque no
fluye desde una reflexión considerada sobre lo que de hecho es
bueno en y para la vida humana.
En ese sentido, ambos partidos
políticos a menudo dan respuestas a preguntas equivocadas.
Un Católico siente esto fuertemente cuando se enfrenta con la
estridente retorica que emana de
ambas esquinas del rin.
Aún así, el Catolicismo
es realista sobre la dinámica
política en la historia. Nosotros
no esperamos que con la política
entremos en un nuevo escatón,
pero tampoco lo consideramos
inútil. Tratamos de trabajar con
la política, participar, promover
su progreso, y oponer las propuestas que dañen el bien común.
En su mejor momento, la política
es una expresión imperfecta
de seres humanos tratando de
organizar una sociedad más
justa. El peligro histórico ha sido
siempre que la dinámica política
se convierta, ante todo, en una
batalla cínica de poder y control.
Esto es veneno en una republica
democrática.
Finalmente, mientras tratamos
de hacer nuestro paso a través
de este fango de elección, ¿tiene
alguna práctica espiritual u
oraciones que recomendar?
Además de repasar los mayores principios de las Enseñanzas
Sociales Católicas y Ciudadanos
Fieles, yo recomendaría meditar
el Sermón del Monte cuidadosa y
frecuentemente, a partir de aquí
y hasta el día de elecciones. Y recomendaría rezar el Rosario para
el bienestar del país, para que los
vulnerables sean protegidos, y
que el bien provenga del juicio
general del electorado. Y recomendaría meditar la Pasión del
Señor, reconociendo que Él se
hizo carne y padeció la Cruz para
recordarnos que lo que hagamos
al más pequeño de nuestros hermanos y hermanas, lo hacemos a
Él. Esa enseñanza nos sigue hacia
la casilla electoral, nos demos
cuenta o no; es mejor que nos
demos cuenta y votemos con una
conciencia que vea la cara del
Señor en las consecuencias de
nuestras decisiones.
Bishop Flores’ Schedule - SEPTEMBER 2016
Sept. 6
7 p.m.
Weslaco
Confirmations at San Martin de Porres
Sept. 10
2 p.m.
San Juan
Mass for Lay Movements at Basilica
Sept. 11
5 p.m.
Brownsville
Mass for Conferencia Manda El Fuego Events Center
Sept. 15
6 p.m.
McAllen
Mass, 75th Anniversary Our Lady of of Sorrows Parish
Sept. 22
7 p.m.
McAllen
San Juan Nursing Home Gala at Valencia Event Center
Sept. 24
10 a.m.
Pharr
Confirmations at St. Jude Thaddeus
Sept. 24
2 p.m.
McAllen
Catechetical Convocation at Convention Center
SEPTEMBER 2016
DIOCESE
- The Valley Catholic
3
‘They can be who they are’
Church offers Mass
for children with
special needs
The Valley Catholic
Father Jorge Gomez
greets parents
and children after
the monthly Mass
for children with
special needs at
Holy Family Church
in Brownsville.
Editor’s note: Join us as we
witness mercy in action each
month during the Year of Mercy
By JESSICA CARLOS
The Valley Catholic
BROWNSVILLE – “If they
cry, let them cry,” said Father
Jorge Gomez, pastor of Holy
Family Parish in Brownsville. “If
they scream, let them scream.
That’s probably the way they pray
to God, and he listens to them.”
For more than two years Father Gomez has been celebrating
a Mass on the first Sunday of every month for children with special needs. He said parents have
shared with him that people from
other parishes often don’t understand the needs of their children.
Sometimes the children
need to move or need to make
noise, he said, and their parents
get looks from other people as
if they should be shushing their
children, as if their children are a
distraction.
Holy Family parishioner Sergio Zarate, a parent of a daughter
with special needs, said, “Now
our kids can be themselves, we
don’t have to hush them or shush
them. They can be who they are
and express themselves the way
they are.”
When 7-year-old Diego attends Mass, he responds to the
priest’s “The Lord be with you”
by shouting to the heavens, “And
with your spirit!” Father Gomez
said all of Diego’s honorary aunts
and uncles, the parishioners of
Holy Family who have embraced
him as a member of their family, love the way Diego prays. He
prays with the enthusiasm that
he wishes all parishioners would
share.
The Mass for children with
special needs was initiated after
Zarate along with Leonel Lopez
and other members of the Order
of Alhambra approached Father
Gomez with a request for such a
Mass.
“As long as you get 10 people,
I’ll do the Mass,” he said. Much
to Father Gomez’ surprise, about
fifty attended the first Mass. Now
Families travel from as far as La
Feria and Weslaco to attend.
Mass is Mass, said Father Gomez. It doesn’t change. The only
difference is that he preaches to
the needs of the children and their
parents. “I just love it,” he said.
A year ago, Holy Family
Church celebrated the sacrament
of first communion for the first
time for children with special
needs. “That was one of the most
fulfilling things in my ministry,
in my 12 years as a priest,” Father
Gomez said, “to see the Church
packed because 14 of them were
going to receive their first communion, but parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, relatives,
friends—they came to be with
them on that special day.”
Holy Family Church also offers catechism classes once a
month for children and young
adults with special needs. One
student, a 27-year-old woman
with Down syndrome named
Rocio, has made a life-lasting impression on Father Gomez. Every
month, he said, she would run up
to him and say, “Father, I’m getting married,” and every month
he’d respond, “Oh yes, Rocio,
The corporal
works of mercy:
Feed the hungry;
Give drink to the thirsty;
Clothe the naked;
Shelter the homeless;
Visit the sick;
Visit the prisoners
Bury the dead
that’s good. Congratulations.”
One day, after her regular
remark, his curiosity prompted
him to ask, “Really, and who’s
your boyfriend?” She answered,
“Jesus.” Her response astounded
him – This special girl, he said,
could understand what some
of his parishioners struggled to.
Special indeed. On the day of her
first communion, Rocio’s self-
proclaimed wedding day, Father
Gomez offered her “The body
of Christ,” and she responded,
“That’s my boyfriend. Amen.” Father Gomez couldn’t help but let
his tears fall.
Each month, the Mass receives a generous turnout, but Zarate, also the grand commander
of the Order of Alhambra’s Alva
Caravan, hopes more families
will join them in celebrating the
Mass and that whoever needs a
peaceful place of rest and prayer,
Catholic or not, can find a home
at Holy Family Church and parishes like it.
The community has already
begun reaching out in support.
On July 31, Driscoll Health Plan
in partnership with “Down” by
the Border, an organization cofounded by Zarate geared towards
helping children with special
needs, distributed backpacks to
the children after Mass and invited them to A Day at the Movies
on Aug. 13 and October Fest for
Children with Special Needs.
Father Gomez encourages
other pastors to celebrate a Mass
for children with special needs,
with the hope that someday there
will be such a Mass at one parish
in each county.
“I really would like that other
priests would open their hearts
to receive these children and be
open to learn from them. It’s not
what you can teach them but
what you can learn from them,
as I have. I’ve learned a lot from
them,” he said.
For more information, contact Holy Family Parish at (956)
546-6975.
Annual gala supports mission of Catholic nursing home
Photos by The Valley
Catholic
Daily pastoral care
sets facility apart
from others
Left photo: Msgr.
Pat Doherty, a
retired priest of the
diocese, celebrates
Mass at 10:30 a.m.
every Sunday for
the residents of San
Juan Nursing Home
and their loved
ones. Right photo:
Joel Ramirez, an
assistant chaplain
at San Juan Nursing
Home, gives the
Body of Christ to
a resident of the
Catholic facility.
The Valley Catholic
SAN JUAN — Four rows of
wheelchairs line the St. Francis of
Assisi Chapel at San Juan Nursing
Home where Mass is celebrated at
10:30 a.m. every Sunday morning.
The residents and their loved
ones listen intently to the Word of
God and the homily from Msgr.
Pat Doherty, who celebrates the
Mass each week. They sing along
– and clap, when appropriate –
with the cantos or songs of praise
during the bilingual liturgy.
More importantly, the residents receive the Body of Christ.
Armed with her rosary and
prayer books, Juanita Flores, 98,
parks her wheelchair in the first
row for every Sunday Mass and
prayer service.
For her family, the Catholic pastoral care was the deciding factor for choosing San Juan
Nursing Home.
The facility has a full-time
pastoral care team that includes
Fina Suarez, director of pastoral services, Sister Maria Elena
Reyes, chaplain and assistant
chaplain Joel Ramirez.
In addition to Sunday Mass,
the nursing home provides daily
chapel services with the readings
of the day, they pray the Rosary,
say grace before each meal and
receive the anointing of the sick
on a regular basis. They also attend the Mass for the Elderly at
10 a.m. on the last Tuesday of every month at the nearby Basilica
of Our Lady of San Juan del ValleNational Shrine.
“We visited many different
nursing homes and they all provided physical care but only this
facility provides the spiritual care
that Mom needs,” said her daugh-
ter Yolanda Hernandez of McAllen. “Her Catholic faith is a big
part of who she is, it’s in her heart
– she was in the Legion of Mary,
a Rosary prayer group and in the
church choir, just very active in
the church.”
San Juan Nursing Home,
which operates under the guidance of the diocese, is the only
Catholic long-term care facility
in the Rio Grande Valley.
The non-profit, 122-bed facility is hosting its annual gala, “The
Golden Years: Decorating Life’s
Moments” from 6:30 p.m. to 10
p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the
Memorial Events Center, 208
E. Canton in Edinburg. Bishop
Daniel E. Flores will serve as the
keynote speaker.
Assistant chaplain Ramirez
said that when Catholic families
tour the facility, they are enamored by the chapel.
“The pastoral care we provide makes all the difference in
the world for the residents and
their families,” said Ramirez, who
previously worked as a music
minister and enjoys singing for
the residents. “They start the day
off right with prayer, praise and
worship. We meet them where
they are spiritually and help them
grow.”
The nursing home is located
on the grounds of the basilica in
San Juan. For more information,
call (956) 787-1771.
DIOCESE
»Women en la Frontera
4
»Convocation
What death brings with our goodbyes
M
y father died a year
ago at 79 and most
recently my father-inlaw who was 89 died on Aug.
20. Several co-workers have also
suffered the loss of a loved one
this past year. We have become
too familiar with one of the
seven corporal works of mercy,
that of burying the dead.
Each of us is walking a
different grief journey, but we
do not walk alone. With each
funeral I attend I become more
cognizant of the graces that
come from each part of the
funeral ritual. I have come to
understand the beauty inherent in each funeral. I confess I
was surprised when I first heard
someone describe a funeral as
beautiful. How could an occasion tied to death and grieving
be beautiful? Is it the flowers, the
music, the readings, the eulogies? It is and so much more.
Death comes entwined with
multifaceted layers as we grieve
the loss of someone we loved,
a mother, father, grandmother,
grandfather, child. It is a good
bye to the person we loved
as they “leave the body and
go home to the Lord” (2 Cor
5:8). Tears flood us, memories
emerge, and in the midst of our
grief, some of us still shocked
and numb, we are surrounded
by family and friends who
help us find space to celebrate.
Together we celebrate life, the
Brenda
Nettles Riojas
Editor of The
Valley Catholic
gift of the one we loved in our
lives and the life God has given
to each of us.
In preparation for my fatherin-law’s funeral, we gathered
photos for a slideshow. The photos streamed forth with images
of a life well lived. As the patriarch, his legacy is marked by a
strong work ethic and unwavering love and commitment to his
wife of 64 years, his five children
(all adults and married now), 12
grandchildren and seven great
grandchildren. From teaching
his grandchildren how to ride
a bike or keeping them busy
with wood projects, he devoted
countless hours making sure not
to miss any milestones. Even
those of us who married into
the family came to see him as a
second father. He was a constant
presence in each of our lives. So
as we cried, we also celebrated
what he gave to the world.
Additionally, death makes
us pause, reminds us of our
pilgrim status. It is a reminder
of our mortality, our “memento
mori,” Latin for “remember that
you have to die.” More than a
reminder, it should shake us to
ask ourselves “how we are living
our own life. What will be our
legacy?”
After my father died, I was
overwhelmed by the number
of people who took the time to
accompany our family for the
funeral services. To this day I am
most thankful for each person
who was present in some way
– each hug, prayer, condolence
card, meal, flowers, phone call.
Your kindness will always be
remembered.
As the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops notes, “Funerals give us the opportunity to
grieve and show others support
during difficult times. Through
our prayers and actions during
these times we show our respect
for life, which is always a gift
from God, and comfort to those
who mourn.”
How beautiful that we do
not walk alone. God is present
every step of the way. Family
and friends too give us strength
as we deal with death. The presence of the people in our lives
who pause from their own dayto-day commitments to accompany us on our journey brings
light to darkness. This as well is
cause for celebration, as it gives
us hope for the days ahead.
Lydia Pesina from our
Family Life Office gave me a
journal a year ago, “The New
Day Journal: A journey from
grief to healing” by Mauryeen
O’Brian, which has been most
helpful. After the loss of Lydia’s
mother, and later her brother, we
met together over the course of a
year with another friend to work
through what the book refers to
as the “four tasks of mourning.”
While we know that death is not
the end and we have hope in the
resurrection, death for those of
us who remain is painful.
Death can also be a transformative experience. My mother’s
death more than 20 years ago
instilled in me the urgency of
living each moment as a gift.
Each death that has followed
emphasizes the lesson. Each
life we celebrate at each funeral
reminds us life is a gift, a gift we
have to honor by living it the
best we can. Pope Francis, in this
Year of Mercy, prompts us to live
it the best we can serving others.
Death brings us bitter-sweet
moments. I have found it is most
helpful to count my blessings
daily. It is important as well to be
there for family and friends who
experience a loss. As we journey
togehter, I know in time, grief
and darkness will loosen its grip
and light will fill our days.
St. Augustine prayed, “There
are days…when our lives have
no music in them and our hearts
are lonely, and our souls have
lost their courage. Flood the
path with light, we beseech thee
Lord. Turn our eyes to where the
heavens are full of promise.”
»Family Life
Family rituals we cultivate can enrich daily life
F
amily Rituals are an
important element in
family life and each family
has their own special rituals
which can range from how we
say “goodbye” to one another
when we leave home for work
or school to how we gather for
meals or say “good night.”
Some rituals are passed on
generation to generation and
others arise from that particular
family’s experience. Growing up
next door to my grandparents,
my siblings and I would say
“Hasta mañana Mamagrande”
to our grandmother at bedtime
and she would say “Que Dios sea
servido” and would trace a sign
of the cross on our forehead.
When our daughter Liana
was growing up, we continued that ritual. When she was
about five or six years old I was
attending a conference out of
town and called her from a pay
phone at a restaurant. At the
end of the conversation, she told
me “Mom, put the telephone on
your forehead” and I asked her
what for; and she said, “So that I
can give you a blessing.” To this
day, anytime either of us is out
of town, we say “Who goes first”
and place the cell phone on our
forehead for the blessing.
Lydia Pesina
Director, Family
Life Office
In the past several years, one
of the rituals which our extended family has enjoyed is having
the school-age children in the
family read a blessing prayer for
the birthday celebrants from the
prayer book by Father Ed Hayes,
“Prayers for the Domestic
Church” and then we as adults
add to it. Praying and eating
together are always great ways to
celebrate special days.
Our daughter and threeyear-old grandson Elian are
living with us and our family
time and meal time is doubly
blessed! In the past year, Elian’s
“job” at dinner time has been
to shake a little basket we have
with names of people to pray for
and select a name. (His favorite is selecting his Uncle Art’s
name!). On the first Sunday of
Advent last year I did not put
the basket on the table because
we were going to light the first
candle of the Advent wreath
and do the Advent prayer and
reflection and he cried because
he wanted to pick a name from
the basket so we did both. At the
end of Advent, he insisted on
lighting a candle still so to this
day, we light a candle at dinner
time every night along with the
prayer basket.
Now I don’t know about
your family, but in our household things are not always nice
and neat or calm: sometimes
someone is hurried or in a bad
mood or too quiet or the little
one is fussy; but I believe having
the consistency of these rituals bonds us in a special way.
St. John Paul II stated in his
Apostolic Exhortation “Familiaris Consortio” that the family
is the “domestic church” and
that the sacredness of life lies
in the ordinary things in family
life such as cooking, cleaning,
changing diapers, sharing a
meal, or washing dishes. I often
say that family life is “messy”
but nonetheless “sacred.”
Elian is blessed to have
wonderful godparents. Mike
and Audrey Guerra have made
it a point to come see Elian on
the first of every month (his
birthday is March 1) since they
baptized him. We either share
a meal or have cupcakes and
coffee and then say a blessing
prayer that we adapted from a
Joyce Rupp prayer book.
A few lines from this prayer:
“Elian, May the miracle of
your birth always be a source
of joy for you. Elian, may you
be blessed with wise, caring
people who will guide you and
protect you. Elian, may you be
aware of the tremendous love
that the Creator has for you.
Eternal parent, our child is your
child. Guide and direct us as we
nurture Elian with the qualities
he needs to live life to the fullest.
Thank you for the wonderful
gift of Elian. We know we are
richly blessed. Amen.”
Regardless of our family’s
size, shape, age, or form, family
life is sacred and the rituals that
we can cultivate can enrich our
daily life. Rituals such as daily
meals around the dinner table
(without electronics) as often
as is possible with varied work
schedules, have the potential to
nurture happy, healthy and holy
families. Life presents many
challenges (financial, health,
relationships, and faith) but our
loving God accompanies us and
guides us with his Holy Spirit
always and in All Ways.
Mass for Lay Ecclesial Movements,
Apostolates & Associations
Videos available on Diocese of
Brownsville YouTube channel.
Join Bishop Daniel E. Flores
2 p.m., Saturday, September 10, 2016
Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle
Catechists
invited to ‘get
on fire’ for
new year
The Valley Catholic
Catechists, please mark your
calendars for the annual Catechetical Convocation, which is
set for Saturday, Sept. 24 at the
McAllen Convention Center.
Doors open at 11:30 a.m.
The Convocation offers an
afternoon of prayer, fellowship
and reflection for those who have
dedicated their time and talents to the ministry of religious
education at the 71 parishes and
44 mission churches in the Rio
Grande Valley. All catechists
are
invited and
encouraged
to attend.
Presentations at the
Convocation
Bishop Flores
will be available
in both English and Spanish.
There will also be exhibit booths
featuring
religious resources and
goods.
Speakers
include Bishop Daniel E.
Flores
and
Sister
GuadaSister Ramirez
lupe Ramirez of
the Missionary
Catechists of Divine Providence.
Bishop Flores will celebrate
Mass and award service pins to
catechists who have completed
10, 20, 25 and 30-plus years of
faith formation ministry.
Sister Ramirez, who has been
in religious life for almost 50
years, has served as a workshop
presenter at numerous events
throughout the country. She
earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in adult spiritual formation
from the Catholic University of
America in 2013 and provides
leadership formation for pastoral ministers, especially Hispanics. She also facilitates retreats,
provides catechist formation and
RCIA team development.
For Luis Espinoza, director
of the Office of Catechesis and
the Office of Liturgy and Worship, the goal of the convocation
is to give the catechists an opportunity to network with their
brothers and sisters from other
parishes and celebrate the vocation of the catechist.
“I dare use the word pep
rally,” Espinoza said. “Our hope
is that the catechists will gather,
get on fire and get energized.
They’ll hear from the bishop
what the expectations are and
then go, fully inspired and ready
to spread the gospel.”
Please register for the Convocation by Tuesday, Sept. 6. For
more information, call the Office
of Catechesis at (956) 784-5013.
The Convocation is held in
honor of Catechetical Sunday,
which is celebrated every year
in September by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to
recognize catechists and the important role they play in handing
on the faith to others. The theme
of the nationwide Catechetical
Sunday celebration is, “Prayer:
The Faith Prayed.”
SEPTEMBER 2016
FAITH
»Sunday
Readings
5
Consecration to Jesus through Mary
The Word of God in the Life
and Mission of the Church
SEPTEMBER 4
(Twenty-third Sunday in
Ordinary Time)
Courtesy photo
A painting of St. Jerome by artist Philippe
de Champaigne, (1602-1674) is housed
in the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Reading 1
WIS 9:13-18B
Responsorial Psalm
PS 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
»Feast Day
Reading 2
PHMN 9-10, 12-17
Sept. 30
Alleluia
PS 119:135
Spotlight on
St. Jerome
Gospel
LK 14:25-33
SEPTEMBER 11
(Twenty-fourth Sunday in
Ordinary Time)
Catholic News Agency/
EWTN News
Reading 1
EX 32:7-11, 13-14
Responsorial Psalm
PS 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19
Reading 2
1 TM 1:12-17
Alleluia
2 COR 5:19
Gospel
LK 15:1-32 OR LK 15:1-10
SEPTEMBER 18
(Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary
Time)
Reading 1
AM 8:4-7
Responsorial Psalm
PS 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8
Reading 2
1 TM 2:1-8
Alleluia
CF. 2 COR 8:9
Gospel
LK 16:1-13 Or LK 16:10-13
Derek Janik/The Valley Catholic
A Mass of Total Consecration was held on Aug. 22, on the Feast Day of the Queenship of Mary, at the Basilica of Our Lady of San
Juan del Valle. Montfort priest Father Hugh Gillespie of New York, who served as the principal celebrant, was joined at the altar
by eight priests from the diocese. The Mass, which was organized by the Real Men Pray the Rosary apostolate, was celebrated for
those who made the Act of Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary over a 33-day period.
»Making Sense of Bioethics
Talking to kids about porn
SEPTEMBER 25
(Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary
Time)
Reading 1
AM 6:1A, 4-7
Responsorial Psalm
PS 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
Reading 2
1 TM 6:11-16
Alleluia
CF. 2 COR 8:9
Gospel
LK 16:19-31
The word of the Lord abides for ever.
This word is the Gospel which was
preached to you. (1 Pet 1:25; cf. Is
40:8).
With this assertion from the First
Letter of Saint Peter, which takes up
the words of the Prophet Isaiah, we
find ourselves before the mystery of
God, who has made himself known
through the gift of his word.
This word, which abides for ever,
entered into time. God spoke his
eternal Word humanly; his Word
“became flesh.” (Jn 1:14).
This is the good news. This is the
proclamation which has come down
the centuries to us day.
Foster parents
needed
If interested
please call
(956)233-1811
A
growing concern today
involves the role of
pornography as the
next generation’s instructor
in human sexuality. For many
young people, pornography
has become the only guide to
sexuality they have ever known.
For Catholic parents, this raises
the critical challenge of how best
to approach these matters with
their children, given that kids
as young as 8 or 9 may already
be acquiring information and
viewpoints about human sexual
behaviors from internet pornography. I would like to present six
practical suggestions for parents,
culled from parental testimonies
and insights, from other experts
in the field, and from ex-users of
pornography.
First, steer away from “The
Talk” towards a more integrated
approach. Having “The Talk” relies on the misguided notion that
parents have educational content
or factual knowledge that they
are duty-bound to try to deposit
into their children’s brains. This
approach is not only awkward
and paternalistic, but can convey
a sense that sexual education
is a one-time, get-it-over-with
ordeal. Kids require ongoing
guidance and support from their
parents — an expressed willingness to enter into these important discussions that stress the
beauty of sexuality in marriage
and what it is really for, rather
than just telling them what not
to do or scaring them away from
sexually transmitted diseases.
Second, be attentive to
opportune moments to share
wisdom and stories. Because
Tadeusz
Pacholczyk
Priest of the
Diocese of Fall
River, Mass.
we live in a highly pornified
culture, opportunities for parents
to share and discuss important
value assessments regarding
human sexuality with their
children arise often. Driving by a
billboard with a risqué picture or
seeing something on TV might,
for example, serve as an opportunity to note how it’s against the
love of women to use them as sex
objects. Passing through a part
of town where prostitutes are
plying their trade might spark
a discussion about how many
women involved in prostitution
are victims of human trafficking
and the vast majority wish they
could break free of it, etc.
Third, avoid internet access
in the bedroom. Sometimes
parents will say, “The kids have
access at school and everywhere else, so I let them have
unrestricted access at home
— they’ve got to learn how to
handle it anyway.” But the home
setting needs to differ from the
outside world, serving as an oasis
and a protected environment
for children. If someone offered
to install a pipe into your child’s
bedroom that could be turned
on to pump in raw sewage, you
would not agree to it. Yet many
parents fail to restrict what is entering their children’s bedrooms
through the internet and TV.
Fourth, be wary of internet
access on cell phones. “Due
diligence” with cell phones for
children might mean looking for
handsets that function strictly
as phones without internet access, or maybe the kids should
be given a phone only at those
times when they are dropped off
at events like piano practice, soccer, etc. As children grow older
and show signs of maturing,
restrictions and limitations can
be scaled back.
Fifth, monitor internet
usage. Check browser history,
and make use of monitoring
software, even though a particular child may be an angel.
Keep the family computer in a
shared space like the living room
with the screen visible so family
members can be aware of each
other’s online activities. Laptops
and tablets can pose an inadvertent temptation in this respect
as teens sit cuddled up on the
couch with screens not visible
to others. In family life, we are
called to serve as our brother’s
keeper. Set limits on “screen
time” for children, and maintain
password/access control over
devices. Have the neighbor’s kids
deposit their electronic devices
on the kitchen table during visits
to diminish the temptation to
slip away to a private part of the
house and surf the net, perhaps
with younger siblings in tow.
Such practices may also serve
to indirectly evangelize other
families in the neighborhood regarding the serious threats from
internet porn.
Sixth, set appropriate rules
» Please see Talking p.11
St. Jerome, the priest, monk
and Doctor of the Church renowned for his extraordinary
depth of learning and translations of the Bible into Latin in
the Vulgate, is celebrated by the
Church on Sept. 30.
In order to be able to do such
work, Jerome prepared himself
well. He was a master of Latin,
Greek, Hebrew and Chaldaic.
He began his studies at his birthplace, present-day Croatia. He
was born around 340 as Eusebius
Hieronymous Sophronius
After his preliminary education he went to Rome, the center of learning at that time, and
thence to Trier, Germany, where
the scholar was very much in evidence. He spent several years in
each place, always trying to find
the very best teachers. He once
served as private secretary of
Pope Damasus.
After these preparatory studies he traveled extensively in
Palestine, marking each spot of
Christ’s life with an outpouring
of devotion. Mystic that he was,
he spent five years in the desert
of Chalcis so that he might give
himself up to prayer, penance
and study.
Finally, he settled in Bethlehem, where he lived in the cave
believed to have been the birthplace of Christ.
On Sept. 30 in the year 420,
Jerome died in Bethlehem. The
remains of his body now lie buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
Besides his contributions as a
Church Father and patronage of
subsequent Catholic scholarship,
Jerome is also regarded as a patron of people with difficult personalities—owing to the sometimes extreme approach which
he took in articulating his scholarly opinions and the teaching of
the Church.
It is true that he had a very
bad temper and could use a vitriolic pen, but his love for God
and his Son Jesus Christ was
extraordinarily intense; anyone
who taught error was an enemy
of God and truth, and St. Jerome
went after him or her with his
mighty and sometimes sarcastic
pen.
While his great work was
the Vulgate, his achievements in
other fields are valuable; to him
we owe the distinction between
canonical and apocryphal writings; he was a pioneer in the field
of Biblical archeology. He is also
notable for his devotion to the ascetic life, and for his insistence on
the importance of Hebrew scholarship for Christians.
6
DIOCESE
Sacred
Hearts
Missions
45-713 POOKELA STREET
P. O. BOX 1365
KANEOHE, HI 96744
(808) 247-5035 E XT. 111
WWW.SSCC.ORG
Good Mother Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie
Good Father Pierre Joseph Marie Coudrin
Founders of the Congregation
of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Saint Damien of Molokai, pray for us!
St. Damien DeVeuster, ss.cc.
1840-1889
“Father Damien of Molokai” by Peggy Chun
*used with permission
A PROVINCIAL APPEAL
Dear Friends of the Sacred Hearts,
Serving the poor and marginalized…
Formation of men for Religious Life…Care of our Elderly Brothers…
The mission of the Brothers of the Congregation of
the Sacred Hearts in the United States Province is to
commit ourselves to contemplate, live, and proclaim
the Love of God to the world through the Sacred
Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Father Damien De
Veuster, ss.cc., 1840-1889, our brother priest and first
saint of our religious community, continues to
serve as our model of serving God through serving
humanity. Through the intercession of Saint Damien
and as a result of your continued prayers, involvement
Temporarily professed Brothers and financial support, our Sacred Hearts (SS.CC.)
Brothers are bringing Christ to people and people to
John and Daniel
Christ. We do this through the formation of men for
with Fr. Richard Lifrak, ss.cc. religious life; serving the poor and the marginalized in
the missions of India and Tonga; building and
strengthening the youth and young adults of the province in their faith and commitment
to the Church and the Lord; and serving the spiritual needs of the people entrusted to
our care, especially in parishes, schools, retreat programs and chaplaincies.
Our 98 Sacred Hearts (SS.CC.) Brothers throughout the province serve God's people
in Hawaii, Massachusetts, California, Rome, Belgium, the Kingdom of Tonga, Fiji and
right here in the Diocese of Brownsville at Queen of Peace Parish in Harlingen, Sacred
Heart Church in Edinburg and Capilla San Jose in Lull. In each of their ministries, they
work and pray to heal the broken and bring hope to those in despair.
In the Region of India, we administer
tribal schools, clinics and provide social work where there would otherwise
be little or no educational, medical or
community services available especially for the weak and the poor.
Very Reverend Johnathan Hurrell, ss.cc.
Provincial Superior
Sacred Hearts Seminarians, Suva, Fiji
TOGETHER,
let us build God's Kingdom
and proclaim His redeeming Love
to the world!
To the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
HONOR & GLORY!
In the Kingdom of Tonga, our Brothers build and repair homes for the poor
and those living in the swamp areas of
the low-lying islands. Our Brothers
also educate a population of young
people in this developing country that
struggles desperately to meet its own
needs.
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SS.CC.) in the U. S. Province continues to be blessed with men discerning religious life with the SS.CC. There
are seven temporarily professed Brothers preparing for their ordination to priesthood
through their education at Pacific Regional Seminary of Saint Peter Chanel in Suva, Fiji. There are four men preparing to make their initial vows of chastity, poverty and obedience to the Congregation in Hawai'i. There are 15 men in formation for religious life
in the Region of India and four men in the Kingdom of Tonga.
We invite you to be a part of our venture - our mission - especially for our missions, the
solid formation of men for religious life with the SS.CC. and for the proper care of our
elderly Brothers.
SEPTEMBER 2016
DIOCESE
7
Those Who Serve: Deacon Benito Saenz
Discovering the many gifts of the diaconate
Deacon serves
people of God in
his hometown
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
GARCIASVILLE — For
Deacon Benito Saenz of Holy
Family Parish in La Grulla his
journey to the permanent diaconate was a natural progression
of his faith beginning with the
first, ‘yes’ to be an altar server at
his church as a boy.
“We lived right across the
street from the church,” Deacon
Saenz said. “Desde chiquito (since
I was little) I was at the church
helping out.”
Parishioners and friends
alike said that Deacon Saenz has
a willingness to help wherever he
is needed. Over the years, he has
served as a catechist, led prayer
groups, organized fundraisers,
helped parishioners prepare for
marriage and other sacraments
and so much more.
“He has been a great gift to
the community in Starr County,”
said Sister Nancy Boushey, prioress of the Benedictine Monastery
of the Good Shepherd in Rio
Grande City. “Every time he has
helped with a retreat here at the
monastery, I would see him very
zealous and concerned about the
welfare of our people.”
Deacon Saenz, 71, was born
in La Grulla, a small community
in Starr County, on Nov. 20, 1944
and grew up there.
“Back then, doctors delivered
babies in the home,” said Deacon
Saenz, the third of five children.
Deacon Saenz said his family
was poor, but that he had a solid
upbringing in La Grulla. Most
of the area’s residents worked in
agriculture, harvesting cotton,
Eric Sánchez/The Valley Catholic
Deacon Benito Saenz has served Holy Family Parish in La Grulla and its missions,
Our Lady of Peace Church in Garciasville and Cristo Rey Church in La Victoria
since 1985.
watermelon and tomatoes.
“It was a close-knit community where everyone knew
each other,” he said. “Everybody
worked hard and we were raised
to respect our elders. The worst
insult to a parent was to hear that
their child was disrespectful.
“And though La Grulla has
grown, there’s still some vestige
of that left.”
As a teenager, Deacon Saenz
earned $12.50 a week picking
cotton, money he used to buy
school clothes.
He was the first in his family to go to college, attending the
University of Texas at Austin to
study mathematics. He survived
on $10 a week, which was all his
parents could afford to send.
Deacon Saenz earned his
bachelor’s degree in three years
and returned to Starr County
to work as a teacher for the Rio
Grande City school district.
He had work opportunities
outside of the Rio Grande Valley
but came back to take care of his
mother and father and to make a
difference in his own communi-
»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.
September
» Birthdays
3 Rev. Msgr. Juan Nicolau
4 Rev. Raymond Nwachukwu
7 Rev. Leonel Rodriguez Bazan
9 Rev. Jesus G.Garza
10 Rev. Jose E. Losoya, CO
13 Rev. Richard Lifrak, ss.cc.
16 Rev. Mario A. Aviles, CO
17 Rev. Rafael Jaime Cabañas
19 Rev. Thomas Luczak, OFM
22 Rev. George A. Gonzalez
23 Rev. Jose Rene Angel, JCL
26 Rev. Martin De La Cruz
30 Rev. Juan Rogelio Gutierrez
19 Deacon Ramiro Davila, Jr.
20 Deacon Agapito Cantu
22 Deacon Michael Myers
29 Deacon Roberto Ledesma
6 Sister Colette Kraus, SSND
21 Sister Nancy Boushey, OSB
27 Sister Mmachimerem O.
Onyemelikwe, DDL
» Anniversaries
1 Rev. Ignacio Luna
7 Rev. Paul Wilhelm, OMI
8 Rev. Rafael Jaime Cabañas
8 Rev. Richard Philion, OMI
9 Rev. Vicente Azcoiti
19 Rev. Esteban Hernandez
30 Deacon Martin Jaques, Jr.
ty. “I wanted to help my parents,
that was important to me,” Deacon Saenz said.
Upon returning to the area,
Deacon Saenz also organized
and led the CYO (Catholic Youth
Organization) at Holy Family
Church in La Grulla.
In 1980, Deacon Saenz participated in the diocesan lay
ministry program. By the second year of the three-year program, Mercy Sister Cecilia Casas
(1934-2013), who led the classes
in Starr County, was asking him
if he was interested in becoming
a deacon. He was ordained to the
permanent diaconate in 1985.
“It has been a very good experience,” said Deacon Saenz,
who recently retired after 50
years as an educator. He was a
teacher in Rio Grande City for
14 years and an administrator
for the La Joya school district
for 36 years. “I am grateful to be
able to serve the people because I
am a people person. I thank the
Lord for giving me the patience
to work with people of all backgrounds and situations. I believe
the temperament required as an
educator has helped me in my
ministry as a deacon.”
Holy Family Parish in La
Grulla has two missions, Cristo
Rey Church in La Victoria and
Our Lady of Peace Church in
Garciasville and Deacon Saenz
serves all three churches. He
delivers the homily at the three
Masses every other Sunday.
“I enjoy preparing the homily and the reading and research
it entails,” he said. “Through a lot
prayer and reading, one of the
many gifts of the diaconate is to
better discern the Word of God.”
Now that he is retired from
the school district, Deacon
Saenz will be volunteering with
the diocesan jail ministry and
at Catholic radio station KSGS
99.9, Good News in addition to
his responsibilities at the parish.
“I’m very happy to have him
join the jail ministry because I
know that he is a religious, committed man,” said Ofelia De los
Santos, director of the Jail Ministry and Immigration Services
for the diocese, who has known
Deacon Saenz for years. “I have
always admired his enthusiasm
as an educator and for this reason, I try to recruit retired educators who have worked as teachers
because like Deacon Saenz, they
have the compassion, the care
and the knowledge that is needed
in jail ministry.”
“He is ‘onboard’ as a volunteer for our radio station,” Sister
Boushey said. “He will be a wonderful advisor for the team and
also a participant doing much
needed hands-on work. “I thank
the Lord for this man of God and
my friend, who has served the
diocese for the long haul.”
Deacon Saenz and his wife,
Adoracion, have been married
for 43 years and have four children and six grandchildren.
CDA Court earns national honors
5 Deacon Jesus P. Galvan
5 Deacon Sergio Garcia
6 Deacon Bruno Cedillo
6 Deacon Francisco R. Flores
15 Deacon Eduardo Reyna
17 Deacon Guillermo Castañeda Jr.
20 Deacon David Espinoza
22 Deacon Oscar Garcia
23 Deacon Alvin H. Gerbermann
Courtesy photo
Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Living Rosary
Court #2540 Newsletter Committee from Holy Spirit Church in McAllen, received
first place in Category I Division I of the National Newsletter Contest. This
national honor was presented at the 58th Biennial National Convention held in
Pittsburgh on July 24.
DIOCESAN MASS FOR LAY
ECCLESIAL MOVEMENTS,
APOSTOLATES AND
ASSOCIATIONS…
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10,
2016 BASILICA OF OUR
LADY OF SAN JUAN AT 2PM
10 Brother Moises A. Lopez, MSC
20 Sister Jane F. Ambrose, SHSp
25 Sister Elizabeth Iruka, DMMM
27 Sister Gayle Hurban, SSND
» Anniversaries
17 Rev. Roy Lee Snipes, OMI
11 Deacon Sergio Gonzalez
11 Deacon Michael Myers
Sister who served
the diocese dies
The Valley Catholic
HOUSTON — Sister Ann
Margaret Savant of the Houstonbased Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word died on Aug. 23 at
the age of 76.
Sister Savant was born in Fenton, La. and entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of
the Incarnate Word on February
13, 1959 at Villa de Matel.
Sister Savant dedicated her
ministry to serving the poor and
infirmed in Texas, California and
Louisiana.
In her biography on her religious community’s website, Sister
Savant stated that the most memorable moments in her life as a
religious were ministering to the
Central American refugees in the
Diocese of Brownsville.
She was well-known for her
ministry in Harlingen, serving
as the refugee ministry administrator at Refugio del Rio Grande;
pastoral and administrative assistant at St. Anthony Parish and as
the business manager of Loaves &
Fishes. In 2005, Sister Savant was
recognized by the City of Harlingen for her contributions to
the city. Later, she also served at
Monica’s House, a child advocacy
center in Brownsville.
Sister Savant was laid to rest
on August 27 at Villa de Matel
Cemetery in Houston.
Flame of Love event
promotes Marian
devotion, families
The Valley Catholic
October
» Birthdays
2 Rev. Anthony O’Connor, SM
2 Rev. Marco Antonio Reynoso
4 Rev. Francisco Acosta
8 Rev. Robert DeLong, MSF
10 Rev. Cesar Uriel Partida
11 Rev. Paul H. Roman, FSSP
13 Rev. Eduardo Villa
14 Rev. Eka Yuantoro, MSF
16 Rev. Msgr. Heberto M. Diaz, Jr.
18 Rev. Jean Olivier M. Sambu
30 Rev. Rene Gaytan
31 Rev. Tomas Mateos
Sister Ann Margaret Savant, CCVI
Oct. 16, 1939 - Aug. 23, 2016
Bishop Daniel E. Flores invites all members of the
Lay Ecclesial Movements, Apostolates, Associations,
Organizations, Communities and Ministries in the Diocese
to participate and give witness on this day.
Please bring banners and wear respective shirts.
For more information please contact: Deacon Luis Zuniga, Office for Evangelization ([email protected])
Local organizers of the
Catholic Marian movement, the
Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, are hosting
a conference about the devotion
in September at three parishes in
the Diocese of Brownsville.
Anthony Mullen, the national coordinator for the Flame
of Love movement in the United
States, will lead each conference
and provide more insight on the
movement and its effectiveness in
evangelizing to families and setting hearts of fire.
The first conference is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Immaculate
Conception Cathedral, 1218 E.
Jefferson St., Brownsville. The
second will follow on from 6 to
9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 at Holy
Spirit Catholic Church, 2201
Martin Ave., McAllen. The final session is set from 9 a.m. to
12 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 at St.
Francis Xavier Catholic Church,
500 South Canal St., La Feria.
There is no cost to attend
and translations in Spanish will
be provided. For more information contact Edna Urias, a local
coordinator of the movement, at
(956) 739-8383 or via email at [email protected].
8
NEWS
WORLD YOUTH DAY
Dallas bishop appointed
to Vatican post
Don’t be afraid to say
By CINDY WOODEN
Catholic News Service
“Yes”
Photos for The Valley Catholic
Three groups from the diocese recently returned from Poland, where they attended World Youth Day in Krakow. The pilgrims,
which included a group from the diocese and groups from Holy Family Parish in La Grulla and St. Joseph Parish in Donna, visited
historic and religious sites in addition to participating in the World Youth Day festivities.
Pope Francis delivered the homily at the closing Mass on July 31 for a crowd of more than a million. The theme of the Holy
Father’s remarks focused on how to overcome obstacles to building a real relationship with Jesus, whether they be obstacles
that arise in one’s own soul or obstacles one will inevitably encounter in the world and in society. “Dear young friends, don’t be
ashamed to bring everything to the Lord in confession, especially your weaknesses, your struggles and your sins,” Pope Francis
said. “He will surprise you with his forgiveness and his peace. Don’t be afraid to say ‘yes’ to him with all your heart, to respond
generously and to follow him! Don’t let your soul grow numb, but aim for the goal of a beautiful love which also demands
sacrifice. Say a firm ‘no’ to the narcotic of success at any cost and the sedative of worrying only about yourself and your own
comfort.”
VATICAN CITY — Pope
Francis has named Bishop Kevin J. Farrell of Dallas to head
the Vatican’s new office for laity,
family and life.
The Dublin-born bishop will
celebrate his 69th birthday Sept.
2, the day after the new Vatican
office officially begins its
work.
In a statement a few
hours
after
his appointment was anBishop Farrell
nounced in
Rome, Bishop
Farrell said he was “extremely
humbled” Pope Francis chose
him to lead the new office.
“I look forward to being part
of the important work of the
universal church in the promotion of the laity and the apostolate of the laity and for the
pastoral care of the family in accordance with the pope’s recent
apostolic exhortation, ‘Amoris
Laetitia,’ (‘The Joy of Love’), and
the support of human life,” he
said.
At the same time, Bishop
Farrell said he had “mixed emotions” about leaving Dallas, its
people and priests.
Bishop Kevin Farrell is the
brother of Bishop Brian Farrell,
secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Both brothers were ordained
to the priesthood for the Le-
gionaries of Christ, but the Dallas bishop was later incardinated
in the Archdiocese of Washington and served as an auxiliary
bishop there 2002-2007.
When the Dallas bishop arrives in Rome, it will be the first
time the two brothers have ever
ministered in the same city, the
Vatican’s Bishop Farrell told
Catholic News Service Aug. 17.
The appointment “was a huge
surprise to me and a huge surprise, of course, to him. But he
has such a long experience of
pastoral work and administration as well,” he added.
Pope Francis, in a brief apostolic letter formally establishing the new “Dicastery for Laity,
Family and Life,” said the office
should respond “to the situations of our age and adapt to the
needs of the universal church.”
The church, as an “attentive
mother,” must show special care
and concern for the lay faithful,
for families and for the sacredness of human life, he wrote in
the letter, which was released
Aug. 17. “We want to offer them
support and help so that they
would be active witnesses of the
Gospel in our age and an expression of the goodness of the Redeemer.”
Pope Francis created the
new office by combining the
pontifical councils for the laity
and for the family.
Bishop Farrell, has been
bishop of Dallas since 2007.
Before that, he was an auxiliary
bishop in the Archdiocese of
Washington.
Grandpa’s new app inspires positivity
By MARY REZAK
Catholic News Agency/
EWTN
ORANGE
COUTY,
Calif. — For twenty-five
years, Tom Riles has carried a stack of index cards
in his shirt pocket.
On the cards, in his
neat, all-caps handwriting,
Riles scrawled scripture
verses and affirming quotes
in blue and black and red
ink to inspire him throughout his day. That’s because
25 years ago, Tom Riles had
a bad attitude.
After being rejected for
a job scraping gum off the
sidewalks with a powerwasher in his then-hometown in New Jersey because of his attitude, Riles
realized something needed
to change.
“My attitude was way
out of whack,” he told
CNA. “And then somebody
gave me a book called ‘The
Power of Positive Thinking’
by Norman Vincent Peale.”
Peale, a Christian, encouraged readers to write
down inspirational quotes
to reference throughout the
day in order to change their
thinking and ultimately
their lives.
Since following that advice, Riles, now a 67 yearold grandfather of 10, has
never been the same.
“I trained myself to use
these positive affirmations
to bring me into God’s
Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Gift Shop
Leonard Ortiz/Orange County Register
Tom Riles displays his handwritten affirmation cards.
presence throughout the
day, and when we’re in his
presence, we experience
peace and joy,” he said.
That’s why Riles wants
to turn the idea of his index
cards into an app that people throughout the world
can use.
Four years ago, Riles
started using his smartphone to schedule alerts
with affirmations throughout the day. When Riles
told this to his friend from
church, app developer Aaron Horvath, he suggested
they create an app. The
pair launched a Kickstarter
campaign last month to
raise $30,000 to build a free
mobile app that will send
out positive messages and
affirmations, at a frequency
that the user selects.
“Tom is proof that
technology is not just for
over-caffeinated millennials,” Horvath told The
Orange County Register. “If
you have an idea, a passion
and funding, there are no
boundaries in the world of
technology.”
The name for the app
is OnPath, because of how
the quotes can bring a person back into the presence
of God and keep them on
the right path throughout
the day, Riles said.
For himself, Riles said
his cards help remind him
of God both during ordinary, daily life and before
big events, like when he
was taking a test to become
a captain of a fishing boat
on the Jersey Shore. His
daughter used them before
she took her boards test to
become a nurse.
And fifteen years ago,
when Riles was diagnosed
with a serious blood disorder, he was able to recall the
presence of God even in
the midst of a life-altering
diagnosis. Riles said he’s
been very humbled to be
involved in the process of
creating an app at his age.
1158 East Jefferson Street OPEN 10AMBrownsville, Texas, 78520
5PM
Tel: 956-546-9927
Monday Saturday
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& DVD’s
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SEPTIEMBRE 2016
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL
»Mujeres en la frontera
»Vida Familiar
Lo que trae la muerte
con nuestras despedidas
M
i padre murió hace
un año a los 79 años y
más recientemente mi
suegro, que tenía 89, murió el 20
de agosto. Varios compañeros
de trabajo también sufrieron la
perdida de seres queridos este
año pasado. Nos hemos familiarizado demasiado con uno de
los siete trabajos corporales de la
misericordia, aquel de enterrar a
los muertos.
Cada uno recorre un diferente camino de duelo, pero
no caminamos solos. Con cada
funeral al que asisto me vuelvo
más consiente de las bendiciones que vienen con cada parte
del ritual funerario. He podido
comprender la belleza inherente
en cada funeral. Confieso que
me sorprendí la primera vez que
escuché a alguien describir un
funeral como hermoso. ¿Cómo
puede ser hermosa una ocasión
atada a la muerte y el duelo?
Serán las flores, la música, las
lecturas, los panegíricos? Es eso y
mucho más.
La muerte viene enredada
con capas multifacéticas conforme vivimos la pérdida de un
ser amado, una madre, padre,
abuela, abuelo o hijo. Es un
adiós a la persona que amamos
mientras ellos “dejan el cuerpo y
se van a la casa del Señor” (2 Cor
5:8). Lágrimas nos inundan, las
memorias emergen, y en medio
de nuestro duelo, algunos de
nosotros aún conmocionados y
entumidos, estamos rodeados
por miembros de la familia y
amigos que nos ayudan a encontrar espacio para celebrar. Juntos,
celebramos la vida, el regalo de la
persona que amamos en nuestras
vidas y la vida que Dios nos ha
dado a cada uno de nosotros.
En preparación para el
funeral de mi suegro, reunimos
fotos para una presentación de
fotografías. Las fotos se presentaban con imágenes de una vida
bien vivida. Como el patriarca,
su legado está marcado por la
fuerte ética de trabajo y el constante amor y compromiso con
su esposa por 64 años, sus cinco
hijos (todos adultos y casados),
12 nietos y siete bisnietos. Desde
enseñarle a sus bisnietos a andar
en bicicleta o mantenerlos ocupados con proyectos de madera,
él dedicó incontables horas a
asegurarse que no se perdiera
ningún momento clave. Incluso
aquellos de nosotros que llegamos a su familia con el matrimonio lo llegamos a ver como un
segundo padre. Fue una presencia constante en nuestras vidas.
Así que mientras llorábamos,
también celebrábamos lo que le
dio al mundo.
Adicionalmente, la muerte
nos hace detenernos, nos recuerda que somos peregrinos. Es un
recordatorio de nuestra mortalidad, nuestro “memento mori,”
Latín para “recuerda que tienes
que morir.” Más que un recordatorio, debe sacudirnos para
preguntarnos a nosotros mismos
“¿cómo estamos viviendo nuestra
propia vida? ¿Cuál será nuestro
legado?
Después de que mi padre
muriera, estaba sorprendida con
el número de personas que se
tomó el tiempo para acompañar a mi familia en el servicio
funeral. Hasta este día estoy
9
Brenda
Nettles Riojas
Editora, The Valley
Catholic
sumamente agradecida con cada
persona que estuvo presente
de alguna forma – cada abrazo,
oración, tarjeta de condolencia,
llamada. Su bondad siempre será
recordada.
Como señala la conferencia
de Obispos Católicos, “El funeral
da la oportunidad de afligirse
y mostrarle a otros el apoyo en
tiempos difíciles. A través de
nuestras oraciones y acciones durante estos tiempos mostramos
nuestro respeto por la vida, que
siempre es un regalo de Dios, y
confortamos a aquellos que están
en duelo.”
Qué hermoso que no
caminemos solos. Dios está presente en cada paso del trayecto.
La familia y amigos también nos
dan fuerza mientras lidiamos
con la muerte. La presencia de
otras personas en nuestras vidas,
que pausan por un momento sus
compromisos diarios para acompañarnos en nuestro camino trae
luz a la oscuridad. Esto es causa
de celebración, ya que nos da esperanza para los días venideros.
Lydia Pesina de nuestra
Oficina de Vida Familiar me dio
un diario hace un año, “The New
Day Journal: A journey from
grief to healing” por Mauryeen
O’Biran, el cual ha sido de gran
ayuda. Después de la pérdida de
su madre y después su hermano,
nos reunimos a través del curso
de un año con otra amiga para
trabajar en lo que el libro se
refiere como “las cuatro tareas
del duelo.” Si bien sabemos que la
muerte no es el fin y esperamos
la resurrección, la muerte para
aquellos que nos quedamos es
dolorosa.
La muerte también puede ser
una experiencia transformativa.
La muerte de mi madre hace más
de 20 años me marcó una urgencia de vivir cada momento como
un regalo. Cada muerte que le
ha seguido enfatiza esta lección.
Cada vida que celebramos en
cada funeral nos recuerda que la
vida es un regalo, un regalo que
tenemos que honrar a vivirla de
la mejor manera posible. El Papa
Francisco, en este Año de la Misericordia, nos alienta a vivir de
la mejor manera que podamos
sirviendo a otros.
La muerte nos trae momentos agridulces. He encontrado de
mucha ayuda contar las bendiciones diariamente. Es importante también estar ahí para los
familiares o amigos que enfrentan una perdida. Conforme
viajamos juntos, se que con el
tiempo, el duelo y la oscuridad
perderán su atadura y la luz
llenará nuestros días.
St. Agustín rezó, “Hay días…
en que nuestras vidas no tienen
música y nuestros corazones
están solos, y nuestras almas
han perdido su valor. Inunda el
camino con luz, te suplicamos oh
Señor. Voltea nuestra mirada hacia donde los cielos están llenos
de promesa.”
L
Los rituales de la familia
os rituales son un
elemento importante
de la vida familiar y
cada familia tiene sus propios
rituales especiales que pueden
variar desde cómo nos decimos
“adiós” cuando salimos de la
casa rumbo al trabajo o la escuela hasta como nos reunimos
para comer o nos decimos
“buenas noches”. Algunos
rituales pasan de generación
en generación y otros surgen
de la experiencia particular de
cada familia. Al crecer en una
casa al lado de mis abuelos,
mis hermanos y yo solíamos
decir a nuestra abuela “Hasta
mañana Mama grande” antes
de acostarnos, a lo que ella
contestaba “Que Dios sea servido” y nos hacía la señal de la
cruz en nuestra frente. Durante
el crecimiento de nuestra hija
Liana, nosotros continuamos
ese ritual. En una ocasión,
cuando Liana tenía 5 o 6 años
de edad, yo estaba en una conferencia fuera de la ciudad y le
llame de un teléfono público
en un restaurante. Al final de
la conversación ella me dijo
“Mami, pon el teléfono en tu
frente” y le pregunte para que; y
ella contesto “para poder darte
una bendición.” Hasta el día de
hoy, cada vez que una de nosotras esta fuera de la ciudad,
decimos “Quien va primero” y
ponemos el celular en nuestra
frente para la bendición.
Uno de los rituales que
nuestra familia extendida ha
disfrutado en los últimos años
es que los niños de edad escolar
en la familia lean una oración
de bendición para los que celebran su cumpleaños, tomada
del libro de oraciones del Padre
Ed Hayes “Prayers for the Domestic Church”, y después los
adultos ampliamos la oración.
¡Orar y comer juntos siempre
son maneras excelentes de
celebrar días especiales!
Lydia Pesina
Directora, Oficina
de Vida Familiar
Nuestra hija y nuestro
nieto Elián, de 3 años de edad,
están viviendo con nosotros y
nuestro tiempo familiar y en la
mesa familiar es doblemente
bendecido. Durante este año
pasado, la “tarea” de Elián
a la hora de la cena ha sido
sacudir una pequeña canasta
con nombres de personas que
necesitan nuestra oración y
seleccionar uno. (¡Su selección
favorita es su tío Art!). En el
primer domingo de Adviento del año pasado no puse
la canastita en la mesa porque
íbamos a encender la primera
vela de la Corona de Adviento
y hacer la respectiva oración
y reflexión, y el lloró porque
quería escoger un nombre de
la canasta, entonces hicimos
ambas cosas. Al final del Adviento, el insistía en encender
una vela, entonces hasta el día
de hoy encendemos una vela
cada noche durante la cena al
igual que la canasta de oración.
No sé cómo será en su familia,
pero en la nuestra las cosas
no son siempre agradables,
ordenadas y calmadas: algunas
veces alguien esta apurado o
de mal humor o muy callado o
el pequeño esta exigente; pero
creo que el ser consistente con
estos rituales nos une de una
manera muy especial. San Juan
Pablo II declaró en su Exhortación Apostólica “Familiaris
Consortio” que la familia es
“la iglesia doméstica” y que lo
sagrado de la vida radica en
las cosas ordinarias de la vida
familiar como cocinar, limpiar,
cambiar pañales, compartir
una comida, o lavar los platos.
A menudo comparto que la
vida familiar es “desordenada”
pero sin embargo es “sagrada”.
Elián ha sido bendecido
con unos padrinos maravillosos. Mike y Audrey Guerra
se comprometieron a venir
a ver a Elián el día primero de cada mes desde que lo
bautizaron (su cumpleaños
es el 1ro de Marzo). Ese día
compartimos una comida o
simplemente panecitos y café y
luego decimos una oración de
bendición que adaptamos de
un libro de oraciones de Joyce
Rupp. He aquí algunas líneas
de esta oración: “Elián, que
el milagro de tu nacimiento
siempre sea una fuente de
alegría para ti. Elián, que
siempre seas bendecido con
personas sabias y amorosas
que te guíen y protejan. Elián,
que siempre reconozcas el gran
amor que el Creador tiene para
ti. Padre eterno, nuestro hijo
es tu hijo. Guíanos y dirígenos
para educar a Elián con las
cualidades que el necesita para
vivir una vida plena. Gracias
por el maravilloso regalo de
Elián. Somos abundantemente
bendecidos. Amen.”
Independientemente del
tamaño, la forma o edad de
nuestra familia, la vida familiar
es sagrada y los rituales que
cultivemos pueden enriquecer
nuestra vida cotidiana.
Rituales como comer juntos diariamente en la mesa
familiar (sin electrónicos) tan
a menudo como sea posible
con los horarios de trabajo tan
variados, tiene el potencial de
formar familias saludables, felices y santas. La vida presenta
muchos retos (finanzas, salud,
relaciones y Fe) pero nuestro
Dios amoroso nos acompaña
y guía con Su Espíritu Santo
siempre y en Todas Formas.
» La Alegría de Vivir
Mártires y bárbaros de nuestros tiempos
E
l trágico evento que
sucedió hace unas semanas, en una provincia
del norte de Francia, donde
en plena misa, frente al altar,
un sacerdote llamado Jacques
Hamel fue asesinado por dos
terroristas que cobardemente
sometieron al anciano de 86
años y grabaron en video cuando lo degollaron, según los
testigos que estaban ahí para
celebrar la misa diaria, hace
pensar que en Europa anda el
diablo suelto.
Los atacantes fueron abatidos por las fuerzas del orden
en menos de hora y media, y el
presidente de Francia François
Hollande tuvo una vez más que
salir a denunciar este ataque
de los terroristas yihadistas en
su país, después del terrible
atropellamiento de cientos en
Niza y la matanza en los centros nocturnos y un concierto
que había ocurrido en Paris
meses atrás dejando más de un
centenar de muertos.
Esto marca el primer
ataque provocando específicamente a los cristianos/católicos en Europa por quienes
reclamaban pertenecer al ISIS,
Msgr. Juan
Nicolau
Sacerdote jubilado
de la Diócesis de
Brownsville
el movimiento autodenominado Estado Islamico que tiene
una distorsionada y fanatizada
versión del islam que desean
imponer como forma de
gobierno pero que nada tiene
que ver con la religión y los
preceptos que inculca el Islam
en el Coran. Como lo hizo
notar el Papa Francisco que se
encontraba en ese momento en
Polonia para iniciar la XXXI
Jornada Mundial de la Juventud.
El Papa expreso su “dolor y
horror” por este acto barbárico
pero insistió que no debemos
caer en el juego de esos desquiciados terroristas que desean levantar una guerra entre
religiones, en Medio Oriente
y en África el grupo terrorista
Boko Haram, cometen cotidianamente actos repudiables y
abominables contra católicos y
ortodoxos, como en contra de
la población musulmana que
no comparte su fanatismo, todos tenemos presente el rapto
de 300 jovencitas que fueron
secuestradas en una escuela y
de las cuales solo algunas han
sido encontradas.
Y como olvidar 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) y aunque estas
atrocidades las llevan a cabo
en nombre de Ala, los mismos
líderes musulmanes los han
denunciado y repudiado, pues
desacreditan al Islam como
religión, al tratar de imponerlo como un estado político y
barbárico.
Como ciudadanos del
mundo, este es el momento
de la serenidad y da la unidad
con quienes controlan la lucha
antiterrorista, y también es el
tiempo de defender más que
nunca la libertad y el respeto
por los derechos individuales,
lo contrario sería renunciar a
los principios básicos que sustentan nuestra convivencia.
10
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL
The Valley Catholic - SEPTIEMBRE 2016
‘Pueden ser quienes son’ ‘Una pequeña mujer
Parroquia ofrece Misa para niños con necesidades especiales
Por JESSICA CARLOS
The Valley Catholic
BROWNSVILLE – “Si lloran, déjenlos llorar,” dijo el Padre
Jorge Gómez, pastor de la parroquia Santa Familia en Brownsville. “Si gritan, déjenlos gritar.
Probablemente esa sea la forma
en la que oran al Señor, y Él los
escucha.”
Por más de dos años el Padre
Gómez ha estado celebrando la
Misa el primer domingo de cada
mes para niños con necesidades
especiales. Él dijo que los padres han compartido con él que
personas de otras parroquias a
menudo no entienden las necesidades de sus hijos.
Algunas veces los niños
necesitan moverse o necesitan
hacer ruido, dijo él, y sus padres
reciben miradas de otras personas como si tuvieran que callar
a sus hijos, o si sus hijos fueran
una distracción.
Sergio Zarate, feligrés de la
Santa Familia y padre de una hija
con necesidades especiales, dijo,
“Ahora nuestros hijos pueden
ser ellos mismos, no tenemos
que callarlos o silenciarlos. Ellos
pueden ser quienes son y expresarse de la manera que son.”
Cuando Diego de siete años
asiste a misa, cuando el Padre
dice “El señor esté con ustedes”
él responde gritando hacia el cielo, “¡Y con su espíritu!” El Padre
Gómez dice que todos los tíos y
tías adoptivos, los parroquianos
de la Santa Familia que lo han
adoptado como un miembro de
su familia, aman la forma en la
que Diego reza. Él reza con el
entusiasmo que desea que todos
los feligreses compartiéramos.
La Misa para los niños con
necesidades especiales fue iniciada después de que Zarate,
junto con Leonel López y otros
miembros de la Orden de Alambra se acercaran al Padre Gómez
con la petición para dicha Misa.
“Mientras tengan a diez personas, daré la Misa,” dijo él. Para
la sorpresa del Padre Gómez,
cerca de cincuenta asistieron a la
primera Misa. Ahora las familias
viajan desde La Feria y Weslaco
para asistir.
La Misa es Misa, dijo el Padre Gómez. No cambia. La única
diferencia es que se predica para
las necesidades de los niños y sus
padres. “Me encanta,” dijo él.
Hace un año, la Iglesia Santa
Familia celebró el sacramento
de la primera comunión por
primera vez con niños con necesidades especiales. “Esa ha sido
una de las cosas más gratificantes en mi ministerio, en mis 12
años como sacerdote,” dijo el Padre Gómez, “ver la Iglesia llena
porque 14 de ellos iban a recibir
la primera comunión, pero los
padres, abuelos, tíos y tías, parientes y amigos – vinieron a estar
con ellos en ese día especial.”
enamorada de Dios’
La Madre Teresa
será canonizada el
4 de septiembre
ACI Prensa
Jessica Carlos/The Valley Catholic
Los niños presentan el pan y vino que se transformarán en el Cuerpo y Sangre
del Señor en la misa para niños con necesidades especiales en Brownsville.
Las obras
corporales
de misericordia:
Dar de comer al hambriento;
Dar de beber al sediento;
Vestir al desnudo;
Dar posada al necesitado;
Visitar al enfermo;
Socorrer a los presos;
Enterrar a los muertos.
La Iglesia Santa Familia también ofrece clases de catecismo
una vez al mes para niños y adultos jóvenes con necesidades especiales. Un estudiante, una mujer de 27 años con síndrome de
Down llamada Rocio, ha hecho
una impresión de por vida en el
Padre Gómez. Cada mes, dijo él,
ella corría hacia él y le decía, “Padre, me voy a casar,” y cada mes
él le respondía, “A si, Rocio, que
bueno. Felicidades.”
Un día, después de su comentario usual, su curiosidad le hizo
preguntar, “Enserio, y ¿quién
es tu novio?” Ella respondió,
“Jesús.” Su respuesta lo asombró
– Esta niña especial, dijo, puede
entender lo que muchos feligreses batallan para entender. Verdaderamente especial. El día de
la primera comunión, el proclamado día de bodas de Rocio, el
Padre Gómez le ofreció “El Cuerpo de Cristo,” y ella respondió,
ese es mi novio. Amen.” El Padre
Gómez no pudo evitar dejar ro-
dar sus lágrimas.
Cada mes, la Misa recibe una
concurrencia generosa, pero Zarate, también el gran comandante de la Orden de Alambra’s Alva
Caravan, espera que más familias se unan en la celebración
de la Misa y que quien sea que
necesita un lugar tranquilo de
descanso y oración, Católico o
no, pueden encontrar un hogar
en la Iglesia Santa Familia y las
parroquias como esta.
La comunidad ya ha empezado a hacer llegar el apoyo. El
31 de julio, Driscoll Health Plan,
en asociación con “Down” en la
Frontera, una organización cofundada por Zarate orientada
hacia la ayuda a niños con necesidades especiales, distribuyó
mochilas a los niños después de
Misa y los invito a Un Día en el
Cine el 13 de agosto y a October
Fest par niños con Necesidades
Especiales.
El Padre Gómez alienta a
otros pastores a celebrar Misa
para niños con necesidades especiales, con la esperanza de que
algún día haya una Misa como
está en una parroquia en cada
condado. “Me gustaría mucho
que otros sacerdotes abrieran
sus corazones para recibir a estos
niños y que estén abiertos para
aprender de ellos. No se trata de
lo que podemos enseñarles sino
de lo que puedes aprender de
ellos, como yo lo he hecho. He
aprendido mucho de ellos, dijo
él.
Para mayor información,
contacte a la Parroquia Santa Familia al (956) 546-6975.
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news
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ROMA – “De sangre soy albanesa. De ciudadanía, india.
En lo referente a la fe, soy una
monja católica. Por mi vocación,
pertenezco al mundo. En lo que
se refiere a mi corazón, pertenezco totalmente al Corazón de
Jesús”, decía la Madre Teresa.
Será canonizada por el Papa
Francisco el 4 de septiembre en
Roma.
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhia
nació el 26 de agosto de 1910 en
Skopje (actual Macedonia). Desde pequeña recibió una profunda
formación religiosa en la Parroquia Sagrado Corazón, que estaba
a cargo de los jesuitas.
Su padre murió cuando ella
tenía ocho años. Esta pérdida
trajo problemas económicos a
su familia. A los 18 años ingresó
al Instituto de la Bienaventurada
Virgen María, conocido como las
Hermanas de Loreto, en Irlanda.
Allí tomó el nombre de Hermana
María Teresa en honor a Santa Teresa de Lisieux.
La llamada dentro de la llamada
El 10 de septiembre de 1946,
durante un viaje que realizó a
Darjeeling para realizar su retiro
anual, la Madre Teresa recibió lo
que ella llamó la “inspiración” o
su “llamada dentro de la llamada”.
Aquel día la sed de amor y de
almas se apoderó de su corazón.
En las siguientes semanas, mediante locuciones interiores y visiones, el mismo Jesús le reveló su
deseo de encontrar “víctimas de
amor” que “irradiasen a las almas
su amor”. “Ven y sé mi luz. No puedo ir solo.”, le dijo.
En respuesta a ese llamado,
17 de agosto de 1948 se visitó por
primera vez con el sari blanco orlado de azul y salió del convento
de Loreto para introducirse en el
mundo de los más pobres.
Recorrió los barrios paupérrimos, visitó familias, lavó las
heridas de los niños y ayudó a los
Misa
continua de la pág. 1
imiento aporta algo a la Iglesia.
Ellos tienen algo que ofrecer y
ellos son movidos por el Espíritu
Santo – es por eso que le llamamos movimiento, porque son
guiados por el Espíritu, ellos se
llenan del Espíritu en la Iglesia
para servir a la Iglesia. “
Las asociaciones Laicas han
existido en la Iglesia por siglos
y son importantes porque ellas
complementan la misión de la
Iglesia, de acuerdo con el prefacio del Directorio Internacional
de Asociaciones para los Fieles,
la cual es publicada por el Concilio Pontífice para los Laicos en
el Vaticano.
“Vemos constantemente el
fenómeno de los grupos de varios
tamaños que son espontáneamente llamados a unirse, guiados
por un misteriosa provocación
del Espíritu para conseguir un
propósito caritativo o espiritual
Michael Collopy/Catholic News Service
La Madre Teresa de Calcuta en 1992.
olvidados. Todos los días recibía
la Eucaristía y salía de su casa
con el rosario en la mano. Meses
después se le unieron algunas de
sus antiguas pupilas.
Cristo le pidió que fundara
una congregación religiosa, que
más tarde sería las Misioneras de
la Caridad, dedicada al servicio de
los más pobres entre los pobres.
En 1950 se estableció oficialmente la Congregación de las
Misioneras de la Caridad. Tiempo después envió a sus hermanas
a otras partes de la India y abrió
otras casas en Venezuela, Roma,
Tanzania e incluso en casi todos
los países que entonces formaban
parte de la Unión Soviética.
En 1979 se le otorgó el Premio
Nobel de la Paz. Desde entonces los medios de comunicación
siguieron atentamente sus obras,
que daban testimonio de la alegría
de amar y de la grandeza y dignidad de cada persona humana.
Después de encontrarse por
última vez con San Juan Pablo II,
retorna a Calcuta y el 5 de septiembre de 1997 partió hacia la
Casa del Padre.
Durante la Misa de Beatificación, el 19 de octubre del 2003,
San Juan Pablo II dijo de ella:
“Veneremos a esta pequeña mujer enamorada de Dios, humilde
mensajera del Evangelio e infatigable bienhechora de la humanidad. Honremos en ella a una de
las personalidades más relevantes
de nuestra época. Acojamos su
mensaje y sigamos su ejemplo”.
Para más información, se puede ingresar al sitio http://motherteresa.org/espanol/layout.html
para cumplir necesidades especificas de la iglesia en su propio
tiempo y también para cooperar
en su misión esencial y permanente,” señala el prefacio.
“Todos somos parte del Cuerpo de Cristo, es por eso que la
Misa de este 10 de septiembre es
tan importante para nosotros,
para reunirnos en unión con
nuestro obispo,” dijo el Diacono
Zúñiga. “El obispo quiere afirmar
estos movimientos laicos y los regalos y carisma que ofrecen a la
Iglesia.”
El Padre Fernando Gonzales
sirve como el Vicario Episcopal
para los Movimientos Laicos de la
diócesis y alienta a todos a participar y dar testimonio en este día
mientras continuamos nuestros
esfuerzos de evangelización.
Aquellos que asisten a Misa
se les pide traer estandartes y
pancartas y que usen sus playeras respectivas. Para mayor
información, enviar un correo
electrónico al Diacono Zúñiga
a [email protected] o llame al
(956) 784-5059.
SEPTEMBER 2016
DIOCESE 11
»Media
Resource
Center
White Mass set for Oct. 6 in McAllen
September
1 El Amor Conyugal - Roma
Recommended by SISTER
MAUREEN CROSBY, SSD
Coordinator of the Media Resource
Center - Diocese of Brownsville
2 El Amor Conyugal - Brownsville
5
»From the
Bookshelf
The Vatican
in Plain
English
Format: paperwork Length: 368 mins
Author: William Huebsch, Paul
Thurmes
Publisher: Thomas More Association
Publication Year: 2004
The Second Vatican Council, which
met from 1962 through 1965, is the
most significant event in the last 400
years of Christian history. It changed
the face of the Roman Catholic
Church forever and dramatically
affected all the people of the world.
In this three-volume set, author and
theologian Bill Huebsch has provided
a thorough and thoroughly readable
telling of the story of Vatican II.the
dynamic duo ever muster enough
power to break out of the womb and
return home to their garage?
»Worth Watching
The Day the
Sun Danced
Format: DVD Length:30 mins
Audience: All Ages
Directors: Steven Hahn
Producers: Steven Hahn, John E.
Williams
Studio: CCC Of America June 21,
2005
In 1917, three children named Lucia,
Francisco and Jacinta experienced a
great miracle. While herding a flock
of sheep outside the tiny village of
Fatima, Portugal, the Blessed Mother
visited them, not once, but many times,
telling the children great and wondrous
secrets that would affect all of creation.
When the children tried to share the
joyous news of Our Lady of Fatima, no
one believed them, until the day the sun
seemed to dance in the sky.
The Faithful
Revolution
(Diocesan Offices Closed)
10 Sponsor Couple Training
Il - English
(Family Life Office)
10 Sponsor Couple Training
Il- Spanish
The Valley Catholic
Bishop Daniel E. Flores will celebrate the 13th annual White Mass for health care professionals at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct.
6 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 2209 Kendlewood Ave. in McAllen. All health care professionals of all faiths are invited
to attend. A reception and conference will be held in the parish hall after the Mass.
Named for the white garments traditionally worn by medical professionals, the White Mass provides healthcare professionals
an opportunity to unite as a medical community and to reaffirm their vocation as a healing ministry of Jesus Christ. The White
Mass is generally held on or around the feast of St. Luke (Oct. 18), the patron of physicians. The event is free to attend, but kindly
RSVP so organizers may plan accordingly. To RSVP, call Gloria Morales in the Office of Health Ministry at (956) 784-5007.
Movements
continued from pg. 1
the Holy Spirit — that’s why it’s
called a movement, because they
are led by the Spirit, they grow
out of the Spirit in the Church to
serve the Church.”
Lay associations have existed in the Church for centuries
and are important because they
complement the mission on the
Church, according the preface
of the Directory of International Associations of the Faithful,
which is published by the Pon-
Talking
regarding relationships, and
be involved in the kids’ dating
practices. Too often parents
are tempted to take a “handsoff ” approach to this area of
their children’s lives. When I
was growing up, we knew (and
Presence
and support she received from
Chapa and others at the McAllen
Pregnancy Center.
Her baby, an eight-monthold boy named Samson is
tifical Council for the Laity at
the Vatican.
“We have constantly seen the
phenomenon of groups of varying sizes being spontaneously
urged on to join together, driven
by a mysterious prompting of
the Holy Spirit, to pursue specific charitable or spiritual purposes to meet particular needs
of the Church in their time and
also to cooperate in her essential and permanent mission,” the
preface states.
“We are all part of the Body
of Christ, that’s why this Sept.
10 Mass is so important for us
to gather in unity with our bish-
op,” Deacon Zuniga said. “The
bishop wants to affirm these lay
movements and the gifts and
charisms they offer the Church.”
Father Fernando Gonzalez
serves as Episcopal Vicar for the
Lay Movements in the diocese
and he encourages everyone
to participate and give witness
on this day as we continue our
evangelization efforts.
Those who attend the Mass
are asked to bring banners and
stands and wear their respective shirts. For more information, email Deacon Zuniga at
[email protected] or call (956)
784-5059.
eventually appreciated) my
father’s rule that we couldn’t
date until we were 18. Setting
appropriate rules for kids serves
as a sign of a parent’s love and
concern for them. Whenever
parents determine that dating
should begin, it offers further
opportunities and occasions to
discuss problems and scenarios
that can help teens set moral
boundaries.
Talking to kids and helping
them to become good stewards
of the gift of human sexuality
bestowed by God is hard work.
In a culture that forcefully communicates a pornified countergospel, though, it is certainly
one of the most important and
enduring gifts a parent can
seek to provide for the happiness and well-being of their
children.
healthy, despite the fact that she
had taken abortifacient pills she
acquired on the street before she
went to the abortion center. The
pills can cause birth defects.
Today, Soto also volunteers
at the sidewalk and urges others to do the same because she
knows firsthand how a peaceful,
prayerful, non-judgmental presence can make the difference between life and death.
Soto noted that representatives from the abortion center
continued to call her and offer
their services even after she told
them she had decided to keep
her baby.
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J. Peña’s Calendar
September 2-4
September 15
September 19-22
September 24
September 28
All Day
6 p.m.
All Day
2 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
Border Bishops
75th Anniversary Mass/Dinner at Our Lady of Sorrows
Pilgrimage
Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Evins Ministry
Cuidad Juarez
McAllen
Mexico
Brownsville
Edinburg
Ongoing:
Monday - Saturday
Every Tuesday:
Format: VHS Length: 5 tapes
Publisher: 2014 by RCL Publishing
LLC
A major goal of The Faithful Revolution
video series is to keep alive the vision
and spirit of Vatican II. Many historians
claim that Vatican II is one of the
greatest religious and cultural events
of this century. This series presents a
balanced view of Vatican II and how
it changed the church and in doing so
changed everyone’s worldview.
Labor Day
9-11 Engaged Encounter
The Secret of
the Shamrock
Format: paperbacl Length: 128 pgs
Audience: Grades 2 -5
Editor: Lisa M. Hendey
Illustrated: by Jenn Bower
Publisher: More Servant
Publications Gifts 2015
When Patrick has to work on his
church’s cleaning team on a Saturday,
he thinks his weekend fun is ruined. But
when the old church bells start chiming,
Patrick and his pet frog, Francis, are
suddenly taken back through time to
ancient Ireland. Find out in The Secret
of the Shamrock.
» Calendar
of Events
Every Thursday
Every Sunday:
8 a.m.
3 p.m.
12:15 p.m.
2 p.m.
7-8 p.m.
6 p.m.
Mass at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo
Mass at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo
Mass at UT-RGV/Edinburg
Counseling at UT-RGV, Edinburg
Holy Hour at 727 Bowie St., Alamo
Mass/Confessions at UT-RGV, Edinburg
1st: Intention to the Consecrated Life (active and contemplative) and for the Sisters and Brothers in our diocese and
the success of their mission
2nd: Intention to the Permanent Diaconate the deacons (permanent and transitional) of the diocese and their
families
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
4th: Intention to the priesthood and the priests of the diocese for the success of their ministry
5th: Intention to Pope Francis
10 Diocesan Mass for
Lay Ecclesial Movements,
Associations, Apostolates
11 Mass for children with
special needs, Holy Family
Church – Brownsville
15 Vocation Hour, Family Life
17 Convaldation Conference Spanish
( Family Life Office)
22 San Juan Nursing Home
Gala - Edinburg
24 Catechetical Convocation
(Office of Catechesis)
24-25 For Better & For Ever
28 - Nov. 6 40 Days for
Life, McAllen
October
1
Amor Conference
2
Mass for children with
special needs, Holy Family
Church – Brownsville
2-5 54th Annual Stewardship
Conference of the ICSC
6
White Mass
(Health Ministry)
15 Retreat/Marian Conference
VirgenMariaUnaSolaMadre.org
15-16 New Life Remarriage
Retreat (Family Life
Office)
20 Vocation Hour, Family Life
22 Fully Engaged Sponsor
Couple Training I - English
22 Fall Festival - Our Lady of
Mercy, Mercedes
22 Matachines Festival - St.
Margaret Mary Church, Pharr
27 Red Mass, Harlingen
29 Fortaleciendo su
matrimonio
Please submit your schedule to be
published in The Valley Catholic by
the first Friday of each month by email
to [email protected] or fax: (956)
784-5082.
Tune into
KSGS- LP
99.9 FM
Catholic Radio

Listen live
online at
ksgs999.com
12
DIOCESE
Our Catholic Family
Couple takes the reins for 40 Days for Life Campaign
Courtesy photo
80-100 babies are
aborted in our
community weekly
Rosita and
Edwin Rodriguez
of McAllen are
leading the next
40 Days for Life
campaign, which
will kick off on
Sunday, Sept. 25
in front of McAllen
City Hall.
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
McALLEN — “Every time
that a baby is aborted, Jesus is being crucified again because the
Word of God says whatsoever
you do to the least of my brothers, you do it to me,” said Rosita
Rodriguez, who, along with her
husband, Edwin, is coordinating
the next 40 Days for Life Campaign in McAllen.
A kickoff event is set for Sunday, Sept. 25 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
in front of McAllen City Hall,
1300 W. Houston Ave.
The campaign will run from
Wednesday, Sept. 28 to Sunday,
Nov. 6.
The 40 Days for Life is a
peaceful and prayerful campaign
to end abortion. Through prayer,
fasting, constant vigil and community outreach, the goal is to
create awareness about the realities and consequences of abortion.
Eighty to 100 babies are
aborted each week in our community, according to estimates
by the McAllen Pregnancy Center, a Catholic, pro-life facility
that serves families facing a crisis
pregnancy. Nationally, more than
a million babies are aborted each
year, according to the National
Right to Life Educational Foundation.
“In the gospels, Jesus relates
that certain evils can only be cast
out by prayer and fasting and so
this campaign of prayer and fasting and witnessing to life really
is our attempt to end abortion in
the Valley and create a flourishing
culture of life,” said Father Alex
Flores, director of Respect Life
Apostolate for the diocese.
Creating a loving environment
Courtesy photo
Mercedes
Soto, left, who
contemplated
aborting her
son, now
volunteers at
the sidewalk
urging other
women to
choose life for
their unborn
babies.
The Valley Catholic
Mercedes Soto was 13 weeks
pregnant when she sought an
abortion at a McAllen facility.
As she was walking into the
facility, Yolanda Chapa, a pro-life
sidewalk counselor and founder
of the McAllen Pregnancy Center, handed her literature outlining the help that is available to
women in a crisis pregnancy and
told her, ‘You are beautiful and
Jesus loves you.”
“I listened to her because no
one had ever spoken to me about
Jesus Christ,” Soto said.
A security guard and another employee quickly pulled Soto
away from Chapa and whisked
her into the abortion facility.
The employees immediately
began mocking Chapa, Soto said.
“They said, ‘Pobrecita (poor
thing), she is crazy and off her
meds,’” Soto recalled. “But I
knew she wasn’t crazy. I could tell
she was nice right off.”
Chapa’s peaceful presence
and kind words made an impact
on Soto.
“It was comforting to hear
such a gentle voice reach out to
me,” she said.
Soto described the inside of
the abortion clinic as dark and
melancholy. She said she had an
uneasy feeling throughout her
visit.
Before she could have an
abortion, Soto was given a statemandated sonogram. By law, the
ultrasound technician is supposed to display and describe the
image on the screen unless the
patient refuses.
Soto said the image of her
baby was not shown to her and
in fact, the technician turned the
screen away from her when she
tried to take a closer look.
After the ultrasound, she had
a consultation with the doctor
who was to perform the abortion. She felt uncomfortable
while in his presence.
“I just wanted to get out of
there,” she said.
Soto told the abortion center staff that she had forgotten
her credit card and left. Once
outside, she approached Chapa,
who took her to the McAllen
Pregnancy Center.
Soto ultimately decided to
keep her baby and has given her
life to Christ, thanks to the care
» Please see Presence p.11
The focal point of the local 40
Days for Life campaign will be a
40-day prayer vigil outside the
abortion facility in downtown
McAllen.
Volunteers are needed to
come and pray on the sidewalk,
not only for the mothers and babies affected by abortion, but also
for those who work in the abortion industry.
“We’re not there to shame
the people going inside,” Father
Flores said. “We’re trying to witness that we care about them and
that we’re praying for them and
hopefully our prayers can touch
their hearts. From there, we want
to continue to help them.”
Rosita and Edwin Rodriguez
have come forward to lead the
40 Days for Life campaign in our
community after the last coordinator stepped down for health
reasons. The couple, who are parishioners of Holy Spirit Church
in McAllen, attended the 40 Days
for Life Summer Symposium in
Orlando in July to exchange ideas
and network with other campaign coordinators from around
the country.
“Research has shown that
parish involvement is the key to a
successful 40 Days for Life, campaign” Edwin Rodriguez said.
“We are asking that each parish
commit to adopting a day – or
more, to witness for life outside
the abortion facility.”
The faithful are asked to sign
up and commit to a specific hour
and day during the 40 Days for
Life campaign, which is endorsed
by Pope Francis.
Rosita and Edwin Rodriguez,
who are parents to, “six children
on earth and two in heaven” admit they weren’t always as pro-life
as they are today.
“When we were first married,
we were indoctrinated,” Rosita
Rodriguez said. “We believed that
having more than two children
would be irresponsible.”
Life experiences, including
two miscarriages, and a devotion
to the Green Scapular of the Immaculate Heart of Mary led to the
conversion of the Puerto Rico natives.
“I know the power of prayer,”
Rosita Rodriguez said. “I am devoted to Mother Mary and she’s
crying because of abortion. I
want to console her heart.”
Edwin Rodriguez said he developed a cavalier attitude about
death during his time as a combat
veteran.
“I was a soldier and I believed,
if you died, you died, big deal,” he
said. “Life didn’t have any value,
but slowly, God has changed me
and I have come to value life.
“If you don’t have life, you
don’t have anything.”
Rosita and Edwin hope to
create more awareness about the
pro-life movement and show that
the message of the movement is a
message of love.
“We are not there to judge
anyone,” Edwin Rodriguez said.
“We are there to love them and
pray for them – that’s why this
movement is so powerful because
of the love.”
Since the first coordinated
40 Days for Life campaign took
place in 2007 through the end of
2015, local campaign leaders have
reported that 11,796 lives were
saved from abortion, 133 abortion workers quit and 73 abortion
facilities closed nationally.

SEPT TVC 2016 8.30.indd - Catholic Diocese of Brownsville

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