Father Thornton, Padre Miguelito, as the Mexicans called him, served in the Biloxi Diocese before he went to serve the Mission for 4 years in Mexico. Padre was in charge of establishing the medical programs for the many rancho parishes of the Mission, both in the City of Saltillo and the distant ranchos. At the time the population of the Mission was about 45,000 people spread out from the City of Saltillo to the most distant rancho which took about 5 hours to reach, depending on the conditions of the mountain roads.
The pope at the time called Latin America "the world's largest mission field," and Father Quinn had his choice where to begin the Mission and he chose Saltillo due to his proximity to Mississippi, because Father Quinn had Mississippians in mind.
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| Father Miguel in Saltillo with Father Quinn |
When Padre Thornton served in the Mission it was still trial and error for the most part. The time served in Saltillo was a tremendous experience for Padre Miguelito, which came in handy when he was chosen to take over the Mission upon the death of Father Quinn in 1997. Other priests volunteered to go to Saltillo, but Father Thornton was the oldest and most experienced of the group and was the obvious choice. Father Thornton was a life-savior for the Mission at that time.
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| Father Mike saying Mass with Fr. Henry in Saltillo |
The Bishops of Mississippi are having a hard time finding a priest to volunteer to go to Mission at this time. The Mission is in charge of a "retired" priest from Louisiana, with the help of two newly ordained Mexican priests.
After negotiations between the Bishop of Saltillo and the Bishops of Jackson and Biloxi, it was decided that Mississippi would move the Mission to San Miguel parish on the outskirts of Saltillo and the parishes of the mission would be divided, subtracted and added to upon the death of Father Quinn.
Father Thornton continued to say Masses in Spanish after returning to Mississippi in 1978 and was serving at Pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pascagoula, Mississippi, when he was chosen to take over the Saltillo Mission in 1997. The groups, both youth and adult groups, continued to make their week-long Saltillo Mission Experience trips after Padre Miguelito took over and moved the headquarters to San Miguel, which is located in the middle of the poorest barrios in the City of Saltillo, and the Mission flourished at that time. Father Thornton rarely had a day off and thanks to God, rarely got sick while working at the Mission.
Father Thornton was easy going and very humble and always had a little smile for everyone he met.
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| Father in Mississippi with friends |
The Mexicans and Americans alike all loved the little Irishman and he still stays in contact with his many amigos in Saltillo.
Father returned to Mississippi after serving 6 years at the Mission and moved to Laurel to take over Immaculate Conception Catholic Church there and continues to serve as their pastor. The parish there is not quite the size of Mission, but he continues to say Masses there in English and in Spanish.
Father Thornton was born in County Galway, Ireland on August 28, 1945, the same County as Padre Quinn.
Father Thornton even made a return trip to visit the Mission in 2010 to visit his many friends and the current pastor, Father Benny Piovan and to see the progress of the Mission, including the grand new church at San Miguel.
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| Padre Miguelito with Rogelio, Olga, Erminia y Padre Sergio |
WAY TO GO PADRE MIGUELITO, JOB WELL DONE. LONG LIVE PADRE MIGUELITO!!!
