Return from Medjugorje

Today our group is flying back home from Medjugorje.  We are anxious to hear about their experiences.  We hope that you will find them here over the next few days.  It is something that is very difficult to explain unless you have been there. 

The Chilean Miners

For those of us who watched the miners being rescued it was an inspiration to see such a public display of faith.  And I wonder, how often do I proclaim my faith in public?  I need to do better.

Consider the following CNA report from Santiago, which appeared on August 27:

“The 33 miners trapped in the San Jose mine in Atacama, Chile, have requested that statues and religious pictures be sent down to them as they wait to be rescued… Chilean officials say the rescue could take months but that they hope to reach the miners by Christmas… A small passageway has already been put in place so messages and supplies can be sent to the trapped miners.

“Although a crucifix has already been sent down, the miners are continuing to request more statues of Mary and the saints… to construct a makeshift chapel.  ‘The miners want to set up a section of the chamber they are in as a shrine,’ Chilean’s Minister of Health, Jaime Manalich, told CNN.

“This week, President Sebastian Pinera spoke with the miners by phone and then placed a statue of St Lorenzo, the patron of miners, in the presidential palace together with 32 Chilean flags and one Bolivian flag to represent each of the miners trapped since August 5.” One of the first things the miners’ relatives did at the pithead, while it still looked as though they must be all dead, was to set up a statue of St Lawrence, patron saint of miners (see above), who in statues of him in this role movingly wears a miner’s hat and carries a miner’s lamp.  And the whole rescue mission was placed under his patronage: it was called simply Operation San Lorenzo.

THE INDEPENDENT: The strokes of "luck" that saved the 33

Caspar Quintana, Catholic bishop of Copiapo: "God has heard our prayers. I have received comments of encouragement from all over the world. Let us give thanks."

Fatima and the Chilean Miners

Isn't it refreshing to hear about the faith that the trapped miners had throughout their ordeal.  We often hear of Fatima, the miracle of the sun and the many miracles that followed.  Yet how many people actually followed through with prayer and really changed their lives.  The media of the day reported the event and then everyone pretty much forgot about it.  That's why it is so wonderful to see men expressing gratitude towards God for helping them.

Spanish Missions & the Feast of St. Francis

In San Antonio, Texas you will find the largest concentration of Spanish colonial architecture in the United States.  There are five missions, four of which are still active parishes.  The one of interest today is Mission Espada, which has a unique event that occurs every 4th of October, the Feast of St. Francis.  On this day the rising sun casts a beam of light through the back of the church over the door that shines directly on the statue of Saint Francis.  It occurs on that day only--a feature using astronomy that was common in many churches during the Spanish Colonial era.  By the way, the other missions are :  San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, San Antonio de Valero and Concepcion.  The one that is not an active parish is San Antonio de Valero, more commonly known as the Alamo.  If you plan to visit this city sometime we heartily recommend a visit to one of the Missions.  And, of course, San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest active Cathedral in the United States, dating from 1731.

We plan to offer a pilgrimage to San Antonio that will include not only the missions but more more of the cultural and historical sites of this city. We will be offering it in the spring and fall of 2011.