Memorial of Blessed Miguel Pro

We invite you to reflect upon the life and sacrifice of this future saint who was martyred in 1928.  As we was executed by a firing squad he proclaimed:  "long live Christ the King".  We think of Mexico as a predominantly Catholic country, which it is, but during the 1920"s a Marxist government came to power and severely persecuted all Catholics.

Safety in Mexico

The press, as usual, has done a great job of scaring people regarding travel to Mexico.  This is not to minimize the serious nature of the violence there, but it is mainly concentrated in the border areas and a few other spots within a country that is 3 times the size of Texas.  We steer clear of these places naturally and anticipate no problems on our upcoming pilgrimage to the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Here is an email we received recently from a lady who travels to Mexico frequently:

"I am so disheartened to hear about people's continuous concerns!  Puebla is perfectly safe.  The three of us, all women, walked around comfortably after dark.  I took taxis by myself to Cholula to Talavera de la Reyna pottery studio and showroom, and had no difficulties at all.  We all took a bus to Puebla from Oaxaca, and from Puebla to Mexico City without incident or fear.  I returned only 10 days ago, so please again reassure people that it is just fine!  I've written about safety extensively on my Web site and have had many others respond, too, that it is only the border areas that are not secure.

Norma Hawthorne 
Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC
110 Blue Heron Farm Road
Pittsboro, NC 27312
(919) 274-6194
www.oaxacaculture.com
facebook.com/norma.hawthorne
twitter.com/OaxacaCulture

Come join us for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Security at airports

We like this one the best:

"Can't go to England, can't go to France, unless...we see your underpants!

All Souls Day--The Day of the Dead

All Souls Day is often over-shadowed by All Saints Day.  All Souls Day is the day that we pray for friends and family members who are in purgatory.  In Mexico as well as other countries, this is a day for celebrating the life of those who have passed on.  As Catholic Christians we believe that death is not the end of life but really the beginning.  Nowhere is it as celebrated as in Mexico.

Plans for the festival are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods that will be offered to the dead. During the period of October 31 and November 2 families usually clean and decorate the graves. Some wealthier families build altars in their homes, but most simply visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas, or offerings. These include wreaths of marigold, which are thought to attract the souls of the dead toward the offerings, and toys brought for dead children (los angelitos, or little angels) and bottles of tequila, mezcal, pulque or atole for adults. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods and beverages dedicated to the deceased, some people believe the spirits of the deceased eat the spirit of the food, so after the festivity, they eat the food from the ofrendas, but think it lacks nutritional value. In some parts of Mexico, like Mixquic, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives.

Voting Today

Although it does not directly relate to travel, we all have a unique opportunity to have our voices heard today.  As we visit other countries we learn to appreciate their history and culture; however, there is not one of them that offers more here than in the U.S.A.  So we hope you take the time not only to vote, but to cast your vote in line with the precepts of our Catholic Christian faith.