"Preach the Gospel always; if necessary, use words." attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
Sabbatical Week 2
One of the great gifts of sabbatical is the time to notice things around me. Of course, odd things are not just in Mexico, but with time my eyes are bigger. While I cOntinued studying Spanish, I got a lot of walking, exploring, and praying done during breaks. (Not to mention the new depth of prayer needed to help me tackle uses and forms of the subjunctive!)
Mexico CityBaby doll with binoculars in CoyoacánMy favorite image of St. Francis in town. Convento de San Antonio de Padua, (church begun in 1628), Querétaro.“Local boy makes good.” This week Pope Francis announced that me would promote Junípero Serra to sainthood this year. Serra was a Franciscan friar who came from Spain and established a missions, churches, and a college in Querétaro, before going to California and establishing missions there.I’m not sure the Blessed Virgin Mary would recognize herself here, but it does make a statement. Santa Rosa de Viterbo, begun in 1752, Querétaro.Was able to spend the weekend in Mexico City. This is the Angel of Independence, 1910.Spent a wonderful Subday morning at Christ Church, Mexico City, an Anglican Church tracing its roots to 1865, when during the reforms of Benito Juarez, a religious movement began to establish an independent church in the Catholic Tradition. This building was completed in 1992, though the triptych from England, imported in 1908.Father Frank Herbert welcomed me warmly, Mother Susan Rodríguez peaches a great sermon, and Father Rick Davenport made his debut as a permanent deacon (ordained yesterday)After church, I spent the afternoon in Chapultepec Park, about three times the size of Central Park, but a lot of similarities.
Words, Nevertheless 