Bishop’s Note
Thank you to all who offered their prayers for a safe trip to and a successful apostolic visit to Mexico. This time, Confirmations were done on the patronal feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Fr. Martín Gomez’s chapel in the town of Dos Rios in Vera Cruz. Bishop Dolan had visited Fr. Martín for years and had always come back with edifying stories about his apostolate, so it was a pleasure to have finally met him and his flock in person.
Father has been in Dos Rios for some fifteen years now, doing most of the work on the church himself. You can see a picture of his church below. He tells me that he plans a major project in the construction of his church each year, taking six months to plan it out and go door-to-door asking for alms, and then six months putting it into execution. The plan this year is to build a larger sacristy off to the Epistle side of the sanctuary as well as guests’ quarters for visiting clergy. He is a hardworking and zealous priest whose example I found to be quite edifying.
Although he is 53 years old, Father still has a heavy schedule, including two Masses on Sunday, a few hour drive and then an evening Mass in one of his other missions. Because of the lack of priests in Mexico, when he travels to La Paz once a month to offer Holy Mass his congregation in Dos Rios must do without Mass and instead they pray the Rosary. What an example.
Most graciously, Father took me to see two shrines while I was there, El Niño Doctor, and Our Lady of Guadalupe. Of course, I remembered to pray for you! It was interesting to see Juan Diego’s tilma with the miraculous image of Our Lady, as well as to see the place where he lived after the apparitions. There is no house, but a cross marks the spot where he remained until his death in 1548.
Boys Camp starts this Tuesday and ends Thursday at 3pm with recitation of the Rosary. Feel free to join us! It would be like a family Rosary for the parish. St. Anne’s Triduum begins on Friday and St. Monica’s Club meets the same day after the evening Mass.
I am sure there is much that I’m missing, but perhaps I will remember it later. One thing is true, though—there is always so much to be thankful for…at least that is the lesson I learned this week. Deo gratias et Mariae!
– Bishop McGuire