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.
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
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.
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| 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
