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.
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| 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!
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| Father Benny shows Father Henry the inside of Chapel |
