The community at Saint Joseph in Augusta celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe this Sunday.  The day began early at 8am with set up and decoration.     At 2pm the traditional Aztec dancers began to dance in the church During Mass, a play depicting the apparitions of Our Lady was presented.               Over 1,000 plates of food were served.  Twenty-seven local Mexican restaurants donated the food.          ... Read more

  The Virgin Mary appeared four times to Saint Juan Diego on December 1531, only ten years after the defeat of the Aztec empire in Mexico. This time period marked the integration of Spanish and native cultures which ultimately gave rise to a unique people and culture which continues to flourish today throughout Latin America. Mary’s words to Juan Diego were soon recorded in the work called Nican Mopohua written in Nahuatl, the language of the natives. Her words for... Read more

El periodico Hola Augusta nuevamente publico una nota mencionando el ministerio hispano catolico de Augusta. “Quizá no seamos mendigos como Bartimeo (el ciego de Jericó), sucio y pobre, a merced de los demás por un plato de comida, pero la verdad es que somos todos mendigos en presencia de Dios”. Ese es el tipo de homilía que el padre Pablo Migone pondrá en los oídos de los feligreses de Santa Teresa, a partir del 3 de noviembre. La iglesia está... Read more

Even though Saint Paul received the gift of faith suddenly while on the road to Damascus, faith is usually received slowly as the darkness of ignorance is pierced by the ever growing light of faith.  In his Gospel, Saint John beautifully narrates the coming to faith of a man born blind, who having received his sight from Jesus, slowly comes to recognize Jesus as the Son of Man and worships him.  The process by which the man comes to believe... Read more

  Aunque San Pablo recibió el don de la fe de un momento a otro mientras iba en camino a Damasco, la fe se recibe normalmente de forma gradual al pasar uno de las tinieblas de la ignorancia, a la luz de la fe.  En su evangelio San Juan narra magníficamente cómo crece en la fe el ciego de nacimiento, quien después de haber recibido la vista milagrosamente, gradualmente llega a reconocer a Jesús como el Hijo del Hombre.  El... Read more

I was invited to give a talk on the Church and undocumented immigrants this week at my alma mater, Franciscan University of Steubenville.  The talk was sponsored by Latinos for Christ, a student organization I helped start at the college in 2003.  It was a blessing to return seven years after graduation.  Below is the text of my talk. I am grateful for the invitation to share with you some of my experiences and insights about immigration, especially about the... Read more

In past posts I have written about the beauty and uniqueness of Mexican baroque music.  In this post I share some of my pictures of the most striking examples of Mexican baroque architecture or Barroco Novohispano. Consecrated in 1649, the Cathedral of Puebla has nothing to envy from cathedrals in Spain and other European countries.  Bishop of Puebla, Blessed Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, was responsible for the completion of the magnificent cathedral. Beautiful 17th century choir with an 18th century organ,... Read more

The dramatic conversion of Saul, the man who became one of the greatest apostles of the ancient Church, is a beautiful example of the gift of faith.  Saul was a zealous and learned Jewish man who persecuted Christians until he heard the voice of Jesus call out to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  This unsolicited encounter led to his baptism by Ananias and the recovery of his sight lost after his encounter with Christ.  Saul became a... Read more

La conversión dramática de Saulo, hombre que se convirtió en uno de los más grandes apóstoles de la iglesia naciente, es un buen ejemplo del don de la fe.  Saulo era un judío ferviente y aprendido que perseguía a los primeros cristianos para matarlos, hasta que escuchó la voz de Jesús decirle, “Saulo, Saulo, ¿porque me persigues?”  Este encuentro no solicitado con Jesús condujo al bautismo de Saulo por Ananías y la recuperación de su vista, la cual había perdido... Read more

The unknown fascinates us.  Mystery movies and novels thrill us, the stars and the moon so high above us captivate us and nicely wrapped Christmas gifts under the tree tempt us.  If the unknown did not fascinate us, why else would “Let’s Make a Deal” be entertaining?  We just can’t wait to know what’s behind door number two. Today’s readings address a great unknown that has fascinated and at the same time struck fear in our hearts for centuries: the... Read more