FATHER BENNY IS COMING TO TOWN!

                                                           FATHER BENNY PIOVAN



THE  ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW  ORLEANS  HAS  ISSUED THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING OUR MISSION PASTOR, FATHER BENNY:

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF FR. BENJAMIN  PIOVAN'S PRIESTLY ORDINATION AND ASCENSION OF OUR  LORD 35 YEARS IN FAITH COMMUNITY 1979-2014

      Father Benny has been connected to several parishes in the Archdiocese of New Orleans for many years and has touched many lives in "RETIREMENT".  He is presently serving as missionary to Saltillo, Mexico.

     All are invited to attend the celebrations below.

     Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Gretna, Louisiana.(Reception to follow.)

     Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Kenner, Louisiana (Reception to follow)

     Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 6 p.m. at Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church, Laplace, Louisiana.  The Mass will celebrate Fr. Piovan's 50th Priestly Ordination Anniversary & 35th Anniversary of Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church, 1900 Greenwood Dr., Laplace, La.  (Reception to follow at St. Charles Catholic  High School, 100 Dominican Dr., Laplace, La.)

     For more information, contact Mimi at 504-343-2478 or call AOL parish office 985-652-2615.
                                                            End of Announcement.

 

 

 

MAP SALTILLO AND SURROUNDING AREA

Mission Rancho churches southwest of Saltillo located in Parras and north  in Ramos Arizpe.



  Father Benny was the founding Pastor of AOL Parish in Laplace, La.  and served there until he

"retired" in 2006.  Always desiring to serve in the Mission fields,  he chose the Mission in Saltillo, Mexico.  He has previously visited the Mission with groups from his parish and fell in love with the people and the place.    The Mission center is located in one of the poorest areas or barrios on the outskirts of  Saltillo,  Mexico, a City of  close to a million people. Saltillo is also a sister city of Austin, Texas.

 

     Father Benny has already celebrated his Anniversary with the Mexican people in March of this year and now will return to Louisiana to celebrate with his friends there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Father Benny is coming from Mexico for the celebrations and is bringing a busload of Mexicans from his parish to help him celebrate, so if anyone is the area on the dates mentioned above stop in and  help Fr. Benny celebrate this big occasion.

 

 

  



 

 

Father Benny at work in the barrios 

 

     Father Benny is doing  a wonderful job in Mexico serving literally thousands of  parishioners throughout his wide ranging areas in the City and the mountain villages.

 

 

THANK GOD FOR FATHER BENNY!!!!

 

    

CHILDREN  OF THE BARRIOS

FATHER WITH TWO MISSISSIPPI BISHOPS

 

FATHER WITH  ROGELIO AND WIFE

 

 

 

FATHER BENNY CELEBRATING IN SALTILLO

 

 

 

Father Benny can be reached by email at  BENNYINMEX@YAHOO.COM

 

The Saltillo Mission  can be followed  on Facebook at "SALTILLO MISSION SAN MIGUEL"



PADRE BENNY---50 YEARS

                                                          PADRE BENNY PIOVAN


     Father Benjamin was born in Padua, Italy on February 24, 1936. He later became a Salesian Brother, who taught in the United States for some time before deciding to return to Italy  to continue his studies for the priesthood.  He was ordained to the priesthood on March 23, 1964 and returned to the United States and served in New Jersey before relocating to Louisiana to serve in the Arch-Diocese of New Orleans. 

     He recently celebrated his 50th Anniversary to the Priesthood with a Mass at San Miguel Catholic Church, Saltillo, Mexico, attended by Bishop Villalobos, retired Bishop of Saltillo, as well as an over-flow crowd of parishioners. 

   His last assignment in the United States was founding pastor of Ascension of Our Lord in Laplace, La. on July 2, 1979. 

     Father Benny heard about the Mississippi Mission in Saltillo, Mexico and began taking groups to serve there, until he "RETIRED" at age 70 in 2006.   He was not ready to take it easy and rock the days away, and since he always wanted to serve in the Mission fields, he decided to sign on as assistant at the Saltillo Mission. "I was not ready to retire from active ministry and liked Saltillo from my visits there and thought that would be the perfect spot for  me to serve in my retirement years," stated Father Benny.

     Father Benny was serving as Assistant to the Jackson, Mississippi priest, until the Bishop of the Jackson Diocese decided he was needed in the Mississippi Diocese and recalled him, leaving Father Benny to handle the enormous workload of the Mississippi, began in 1969, by the Saintly priest, Father Patrick Quinn, originally from Ireland, and serving in Mississippi when the  Dioceses decided  there was an important need for priests in Mexico.

      Father Benny expanded the work of the Mission by taking on additional ranchos and barrios, and when asked by Bishop Raul Vera, Bishop of Saltillo, to take on more work in the ranchos that seldom have seen a priest or the sacraments,  he said "SIGN ME UP."   Father Benny expects there might be around 100 churches in ranchos and barrios and in the City of  Saltillo in his parish when he is finished sorting them all out.

     The Diocese of Saltillo stated that the work of foreign priests takes much commitment and the work they do is extremely important to Bishop Vera.  For that reason he visits them, calls them frequently and asks them favors, because Bishop Vera trusts their pastoral service.

     "There   is a terrible need for the Mission here.  Father Benny Piovan, pastor of  the Mission is a good Missionary.  I was sorry when the Bishops of Mississippi stopped sending priests to San Miguel.  Fortunately Father Piovan chose  to remain, and the Mission has a good team of priests and lay people working in that Parish.  Father Benny has a good number of Ejidos (ranchos) as well as those in the City of Saltillo (barrios) and we need the help of the Mississippi Diocese," stated Bishop Vera.

     This the first time in the history of the Mission that a priest from the Mississippi Dioceses has not served at the Mission.

     Father Benny has two young Mexican priests assisting him in his task of visiting the many churches as well as a good number of catechists. Most of the ranchos are many miles away from Saltillo nestled in the mountains outside of the City of Saltillo.

    Many of the ranchos are miles away from the City of Saltillo and the newly acquired ranchos have not seen a priest in over a year, and some, like La Popa have not had a Mass in 20 years.

     The ranchos and barrios are among poorest in that region of Mexico.

     "We have faith in our Lord that he has a plan for  this Mission and I am confident that it is NOT to close the Mission, but to continue to serve these wonderful people of Saltillo and surrounding areas," Father Benny stated.

     Good job,  Padre Benny! God Bless  you!

Father Benny can be reached at bennyinmex@yahoo.com or on
Facebook at  Saltillo Mission San Miguel
 

MUCHAS GRACIAS FROM SALTILLO

FATHER BENNY PIOVAN HAS RELEASED THE FOLLOWING MISSION NEWS:

Dear Friends,

     Happy New Year to you all.  Thanks to Fr. Walter's  trip to Jerusalem,  I have been here in LaPlace, La. once again for a couple of weeks.   And once again, I want to thank you from the deepest reaches of of my heart for your generosity in support of the Saltillo Mission for this past  year.

     This past year we finally got RAIN!---lots of rain, a true blessing in many ways.  Most  of the farmers in our ranchos were able to plant their crops of corn and beans.  In other ranchos where the rain came late--the end of July---and where they experienced an early freeze--- the end of September---they could not plant the usual crops but still were able to plant fodder for their few cows that survived  the last  five years of drought.  The rains are continuing, so they are looking forward to being able to plant this spring when the danger of freeze is over---the end of May. This is the good news.  On the other hand, the persistent weeks of rains have  taken their toll on their adobe-made dirt-roof houses.  Water is leaking everywhere from every side in every room.  Families are waking up in the middle of the night with their beds soaked and a foot  of water in the house.  Even with all that, the people keep their strong faith and make do the best they can.  The way to heal  these families is providing them with tarpaulins to place over their roofs to protect their houses from further erosion.

     On the spiritual, apostolic, evangelization side of things,  the life of the Saltillo Mission is great  with on-going catechism of children and teenagers; sacramental preparation; celebration of weddings, First Communions, and Confirmations ever on-going both at the parish and in the ranchos every weekend; and an ever-growing number of volunteers--teenagers and adults- joining in ministry of service.  This is indeed very rewarding, and you too should be proud of it as well because your donations make it possible.

   Just to give you an example: We pay on average between $5000-$6000 a month in gasoline alone for our visits to the ranchos.  To this , add the upkeep of the pick-ups and salary of the drivers. Yes, your donations make it possible. THANK YOU!

     Thanks to  your Christmas donations as well as your donations to the annual Mission Appeal we experienced the Miracle of the Potatoes.  Yes! One of the big producers gave to the mission 10 tons of potatoes for 1 penny per pound.  I never saw so many sacks of potatoes in  my life.  So, during the weeks between Christmas and the Epiphany, we went from rancho to rancho delivering potatoes.

     Once again, thank you because your generous and constant donations make the works of the mission possible. 

     Rest assured of my prayers and of all the people you help.

     Once again, Thank you and God Bless you.


     Love you all,

     Fr. Benny
Parroquia San Miguel Arcangel
Col. Vista Hermosa
Codigo Postal 25010
Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

011-52-844-482-22-07
 

Saltillo Mission Appeal 2014

DEAR FRIENDS OF THE SALTILLO MISSION,

                                                

                                                             Father Benny Piovan      
                                                             Photo by John Chevis



     Let me offer many thank-you's for  all your prayers and steady donations to the Saltillo
Mission.  As we approach the mission appeal I'd like to share with you some of the good and successful things we were able to do at the Missions in his year of Faith.

     We hosted open-door Masses in the neighborhoods with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament  in as many as 15 houses  who hosted the Blessed Sacrament simultaneously-- inviting their neighbors to Adoration in their home before they all came to a central location for Benediction followed by Mass.  By the end of the Year of Faith 750 homes had hosted the Blessed Sacrament.

     In several of the Ranchos we held one-day retreats for parents, sponsors, and children of First Communion and Confirmation teens.  A team of various catechists would accompany me to t he ranchos on a Saturday--after ran opening prayer and warm up songs--we would split up the group; First Communion , Confirmation, adults, sponsors--each with its own program.  In the meantime I'd go from group to group for confessions, doing as many as 4-5 hours of confessions without stopping.  The following day I would administer the Sacraments, sometimes five in one day, Confessions, Baptisms, Confirmation, marriage of one or more couples and First Communion.

     Several ranchos have started Holy Hours of Adoration, -one rancho, Tunalillo, hosts an all night  Adoration once a month,  Another  rancho wanted the Blessed Sacrament  close to them so badly  they built themselves a little adobe church with security windows, a strong door with safety lock and a niche for the tabernacle, with all that done, I could not deny them so I left the  Blessed Sacrament with them on my last visit September 29, the Feast of their patron, St, Michael.

     In another group of three ranchos were we host a monthly Mass, the people  come with bunches of fresh garden flowers and home-cooked coffee, cake, gorditas, pan casero and cookies to share after Mass.

                                                               

Photo by John Chevis

                                                                                                      Photo by John Chevis




  These are some of the blessings of the Saltillo Mission--through your prayers and donations you are also sharing in their blessings--for  your donations make it possible.

                                             
                                                                           

                                                                                      THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU,
                                                                                                                            LOVE YOU ALL,
                                                                                            PADRE BENNY PIOVAN,  PASTOR

                                                                                          

                                                 Padre Benny loading for Barrios
                                                          Photo by John Chevis


DIOCESE OF JACKSON
COLLECTION DATES
JAN. 11-12, 2014

PLEASE GIVE
GENEROUSLY

PRINTED IN THE MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
ON DECEMBER 20, 2013.

Mission Appeal 2013

Dear People of the Catholic Diocesees of Biloxi and Jackson,

     During the past calendar year the Bishop of Saltillo, Mexico, asked me to take charge of an additional 45 rural communities of the diocese which were not attended by their pastors.  I humbly accepted the charge and in January 2012 began a systematic visit to these spiritually neglected and abandoned Ranchos. What a surprise and revelation it was.  Some of these communities spread out over a vast territory into the hills and mountains of the Mexican Sierra Madre Mountains and have not seen a priest nor had Holy Mass celebrated in their cozy little chapel in 12 or 20 years.  For most of them the last priest visit was 5 years.  Yet in spite of this absence the Faith survived thanks to the Rosary.  Not having a Bible, a Sunday Missal nor a Catechism book for their children, these poor, almost illiterate people have  kept the Faith alive by getting together weekly and reciting the Rosary.

     In one of these Ranchos, San Martin de los Vacas, on my first visit, after 12 years from the last  priest visit, Rosa, the person in charge of the upkeep of the little chapel, confessed humbly in front of everyone: "Father, I am Catholic, I say the Rosary, I have a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe in my home and of the Saints; but I've been so hungry to listen to the Word of God that I've been attending the Evangelical Church on Sunday, just to hear the Word of God."

     In another Rancho, San Juan de Amargos, because of not being visited by their Pastor, just about all had gone over to the Baptist Church.

     After visiting for three months, consecutively, I decided to send five older teenagers, well trained, as Missionaries for Holy Week.  They were so successful that on my subsequent visit at the end of April, while having lunch with them, the ladies started asking all kinds of questions about the Blessed Virgin, praying to the Saints, all those typical questions as you well know.  As I am doing my best to explain, without attacking or condemning the Protestant version of things, they finally had this to say: "Father, we have all been going over to the Baptist Church because we felt abandoned by our priests, but you have been coming and those  teenagers who came to do the Holy Week mission have helped us a lot, now we are back into the Catholic Church and plan  to stay."

     The blue-print of how we do our mission work is based on the Acts of the Apostles; go to a village, do a house-to-house visitation, listen to their stories, find out who the spiritual leaders are or could be, train them and leave them in charge to conduct a liturgical celebration on Sunday, provide them the material for such, seek catechists for the instructions of children for First Communion, Confessions and Confirmation.  On subsequent visits we catch up with them and see how they are doing,  resolve their questions, and help them with their problems.  Once the children seem to be adequately prepared we go usually on a weekend for the celebration of the Sacraments.  For this we have developed a new format, one week before, usually on a weekend, Saturday or Sunday, we go with a team to do a one day retreat for the children, their parents and sponsors.  During the day long retreat I hear confessions.  At the last retreat held Sunday, September 25, as the San Miguel Rancho, I heard Confessions for four consecutive hours without a break, they all came, no break even during recess and lunch break.  Then the following Saturday, Sept. 29, Fiesta de San Miguel, their Patron Saint, I went to celebrate the Sacraments of First Communion for  29 children and Confirmation for 10.  The joy of these events is really very high-pitched and it energizes us a well.  Then after these celebrations,  families bring the little food they have to share a meal together.

     In another Rancho, El Pantano, there are only five families, 30 persons in all, the youngest is five, the oldest is 80.  They have only been baptized, never had the Mass once.  Here on our monthly visits we do some very basic primitive evangelization.

     We are also dealing with the problem of drought, three years without rain, over 100,000 head of cattle have died in the State of Coahuila over the past three years.  Saltillo is the capital of the state, here we bring them basic food and water on our visits.

     Then there are some of their chapels which are badly in need of repair.  Just one example is in En La  Tortuga, a rancho of 55 families where the old hacienda church has the roof sagging and falling.  When we go there for Mass, the people sit at the far end near the door ready to run out just in case, the priest is at the opposite end.  If the roof starts falling they run out and "you go up to heaven" they tell me with a grin.

San Francisco de Asis Chapel
 

     In another chapel, San Francisco de Asis, the wind blew away the roof completely this past June 16.  It was a poorly constructed shack of a building.  It would have been useless to repair it, so I decided to tear it all down, in the hope that, with the help of some generous donors, we might be able to build a better one worthy of God's Glory and to give more dignity to these humble poor people as well.

    SO IF YOU FEEL inspired to help us out, we will be very grateful.  Just keep in mind God's Word in the book of Sirach 35:10, " The Lord is One who always repays and He  will give back to you sevenfold."

     You may send your donations to: Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church, 799 Fairway Drive, LaPlace, La. 70068,  or any Mississippi Catholic Church or Diocese  of Jackson or Biloxi,
Attention: Saltillo Mission

     Thank you and God Bless you all.  My simple, humble but faithful people pray for you always.

     Fraternally yours in Christ
      Padre Benny Piovan, Pastor, Parroquia San Miguel
      Saltillo, Mexico

      Father Benny's email address is bennyinmex@yahoo.com

BARRIO CHAPEL DESTROYED

     After Father Benny Piovan, Pastor of the Saltillo Mission, celebrated Mass at the little St. Francis
of Assisi Barrio Chapel (San Francisco de Asis),  strong winds blew down from the Sierra Madre
Mountains surrounding the Mission and destroyed the Chapel.

     "Thank God the people were not in the chapel at the time, as we just finished with 4:30 p.m. Mass
on June 2, when the winds began to blow," the pastor explained.   Around 6:30 p.m. there was little
left of the dilapidated chapel.  The roof was completely torn off.

     "The chapel served the people of the poorest barrio," Father Benny said.  The walls were made of 
pallets and cardboard, and the roof was old pieces of tin.  The outside was made of fence posts and
used plywood.

     "The chapel was never a very sturdy structure but it served the people of the barrio and they loved
their little chapel," the pastor related.  The chapel was stifling hot in the summer and freezing cold in
the winter and there were no windows in the building.

Barrio Children sing outside their Chapel

      Father Benny has issued an Appeal for funds to help rebuild chapel.  "If anyone can help in any
way, please send their donations to their respective diocese with a notation that it is for the Saltillo
Mission Chapel Fund," he said.

     "With a little help from our friends and by the Grace of God, we can rebuild this little chapel for
those wonderful people of the San Francisco de Asis Barrio,"  the good Pastor stated.

     Father Benny can be contacted at his email address which is bennyinmex@yahoo.com

     Those in Mississippi can send their  dontations to the Diocese of Jackson or Diocese of Biloxi.
      Those in Louisiana can send their dontations to The Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church, LaPlace, Louisiana,  which was Father Benny's parish before retiring and moving to  Saltillo to do Missionary work. God Bless!

Father Benny shows Father Henry the inside of Chapel

MISSION EXPANDS---MORE RANCHOS!!!



Ringing bell in new rancho







Father Benny and Bishop talk Ranchos

     When the Bishop of Saltillo asked Father Benny Piovan, Pastor of the Saltillo Mission, to expand his mission and take on more ranchos, there was only one thing he could say, and that was, "SIGN ME UP."

     Father Benny has been at the mission at San Miguel A. Catholic Church in Saltillo, Mexico since 2006, after he "retired" from the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church in LaPlace, Louisiana, and knows  the need for priests to visit the distant ranchos, to bring the Sacraments to those remote areas, where seldom a priest is seen.

     Saltillo Bishop Raul Vera was impressed with Father Benny's work at the Mission, where he already served numerous ranchos in the mountains south of the City of  Saltillo, as well as 8 churches in the surrounding barrios of the City.  Father Patrick Quinn, a native of Ireland, who served in Mississippi, began the Mission in Saltillo in 1969 and served until his death in 1997.  Father Benny is promoting the cause for canonization of  Father Quinn.

FATHER QUINN

     The Diocese of Saltillo stated that the work of foreign priests takes much commitment and the work they do is extremely important to Bishop Vera.  For that reason he visits them, calls them frequently and asks them favors, because the Bishop trusts their pastoral service.

     "There is a terrible need for the Mission here.  Father Benjamin Poivan, Pastor of the Mission is a good Missionary.  I was sorry when the  Bishops of Mississippi stopped sending priests to San Miguel. Fortunately, Father Piovan chose to remain, and the Mission has a good team of priests and lay people working in that Parish.  Father Benny has a good number of Ejidos (ranchos) as well as all those in the City of  Saltillo, and we need the help of the Mississippi Dioceses," Bishop Vera stated.

     Father Benny explained the new program, " As for the new rancho churches we have contacted and are working now in 32 new ranchos, for a  total of 55 now, but there are still others which we have not yet contacted or visited."  The new ranchos are northwest of the City of Saltillo.

Another New Rancho Church

     The Pastor thinks he may have as many as 100 rancho churches to serve when everything is sorted out.  "We are also contacting and involving some local priests who lean favorably on helping with working on behalf of the rural communities," the Pastor said.  With the 8 local churches in the Barrios, that makes 63 at present the Mission is tending to.  Father Benny also says Mass at the two new hospitals which have been built next to the Museum of the Desert, as well as a new church next to the new hospital built by foreign missionaries.




     At the present time, San Miguel Parish has 70 teenage and adult catechists who worked in 30 rancho churches during Holy Week and are now preparing for Vacation Bible Schools in the ranchos.  "There is more than enough work here for anyone that wants to work," Father Benny related.

     Helping Father Benny in the tremendous workload are two newly ordained Mexican priests, Padre David Martinez Rubio, and Padre Evelio Rodriguez Casarrubias, both ordained at San Miguel last February by Bishop Vera.

     AS Father Benny drove up to one of the new ranchos, the parishioners were waiting with smiles on their faces.  They could hardly believe that  they would have regular visits from a priest since it had been more than a year since they had seen a priest.

     Two  young  catechists in Inglesia  del  Sangarado Corazon de Jesus in the rancho  of Pardon, showed Fr. Benny a long list of children who have been waiting for some time to make their First Communion, as well as Confirmation. Some of the ranchos have not seen a priest for a much longer time.  "In general, these new ranchos have not seen a priest for a whole year, some other ranchos, like La Popa have not had a Mass in 20 years, and Martin de Las Vacas in 12 years, and some have not had a Bishop visit in 30 years.  At the same  time, I am encouraged and inspired how the faith has survived and how enthusiastic they respond, they really exude the 'joy of the Faith,'" explained Father Benny.




Book with children waiting for Sacraments

     When entering another rancho, 3 residents stopped him in the middle of the road, and wanted to talk at length about his plans for regular visits, Mass, CCD, VBS, and other plans for the rancho after years without a priest.

     Yes, the faith is alive and well in these distant ranchos and the people have kept the faith alive.  In a number of  ranchos, some protestant churches were beginning to move in and build churches of their own.

     Included in the Mission's plans this summer are remedial courses for all students that failed subjects in their school, consisting of 4 weeks.

     San Miguel also has a dental and medical clinic to serve the people of the barrios who cannot afford to get medical attention otherwise.  The clinic also provides medicines to the poor of the barrios, when supplies are available.  The doctor at the clinic estimated that they treated over 4000 people at the clinic.

     When the American groups would come for their missionary visits, they would provide much needed material and financial support for the Mission as well as the clinic, but since the groups no longer make their annual trips to the Mission due to the unrest in Mexico, financial and material support for the Mission has been hard to come by.  Father Benny is trying to do More with Less.

      The priests of Mississippi who have served at the Mission have shown their support for the Mission and have asked for everyone's help to promote the Mission.

     "We have faith in our Lord that he has a plan for this Mission and I am confident that is is NOT to close the Mission, but the continue to serve these wonderful people of Saltillo and surrounding areas," stated Father Benny.

     God Bless the Saltillo Mission!




SUNSET