Holy Week!

1st Mexico Mission Trip 2008 in Diamante

I cannot believe that Holy Week is already here. I look forward to this week mainly because of the special memories it holds for me. When I was at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, MO, I would take a group of students on mission to Mexico during Holy Week where we would team up with the students and teachers of Collegio Regis LaSalle.

The purpose of the mission was to take the

Mexico Mission Team in Cerro Blanco

consecrated hosts into the small villages in the Sonoran Desert so the locals could receive the Eucharist every day of Holy Week. Each of the small villages has a two-room school house and a church.  But, there are so many of these villages, usually 5 to 10 kilometers apart, that there aren't enough priest to go into the villages to provide the Eucharist during Holy Week. So, the missionaries would spend Holy Week in these villages in order to provide the locals with communion service where everyone had an opportunity to receive the body of Christ.

Cerro Blanco Concrete Floor Team 2009

It is my understanding that the Bishops of Mexico came up with the idea of creating missions where the missionaries are made up mainly of high school students from the Catholic Schools in Mexico. They train all year so they will be prepared for living in the villages and leading all Holy Week events and activities. Not only do the missionaries lead the Holy Week events and activities, they also serve the people of the villages by doing home repairs, organizing clean up projects, and even working to build churches.

On one mission trip to Cerro Blanco, our group of 17 missionaries (15 students and 2 chaperons) teamed up with some of the locals and installed a concrete floor in a church. The church had a dirt floor and no roof. Since then, another team has installed a roof on the church as well. I just got on to Apple Maps and was able to find Cerro Blanco on the satellite map. I found the church and it does have a roof on it.

Church Repair Team, Hermosillo 2010

On another mission to the outskirts of Hermosillo, we helped to refinish a church in order to have it ready for Easter Mass. We not only completed the work, we were also able to attend Mass there that Easter.

While in the villages, it is a tradition for the locals to invite the missionaries to their homes for lunch. This is when I learned that those who have the least give the most. It is amazing how that happens, and I have seen the same thing happen over and over. It is not always the case of the least giving the most because there are plenty of people who are well to do who reach deep to help others.

Anyway, back to my mission story. We would

Ana Lopez, my Mexican
Mission trip partner

be invited to lunch with folks that had almost nothing. As missionaries, we would go out in groups of two or three as to not overburden our hosts. They wanted to share their almost nothing with us as a thanks for our work as missionaries. I believe their almost nothing actually contributed to more kindness, more humility, more caring, and bigger hearts.

Eucharistic Minister in
Cerro Blanco

The most memorable meal was when a blind lady invited three of us to eat at her two roomed cinder block hut with dirt floors. She served homemade corn tortilla cooked on a wood-burning stove that was actually an oil barrel with a hole on the side to fill with wood. We watched as she hand-rolled tortillas and placed them on the stove top to cook. Since she was blind, she cooked by touch and feel without the use of any cooking utensils. Those were the best tortillas I've ever eaten, and being in her humble home made us appreciate her gift of food even more.

On Good Friday, we would reenact the Station of the Cross in full

uniform including Jesus carrying a cross. Each station was set up throughout the village as we would precess to the highest point in the village, which was usually a small mound, to the final station for the crucifixion. Everyone in the village took part in the stations. The American students learned their lines in Spanish in order to participate. It was powerful seeing your students on the cross next to Jesus. One year, I was a Roman guard. I did not like playing that role. Even though it was a reenactment, I could not force myself to turn around to watch Jesus carrying the cross.

Team Cerro Blanco in La Y Griega

Also on Good Friday, weird things would take place. One year, the full moon of Easter was extra bright and appeared to have a ring around it making it look like Saturn. The missionaries in the other villages saw it as well. The following year, we had rain and strong winds for most of the night on Good Friday. I know it rained because I slept outside in the Sonoran Desert during these missions. The next morning, I asked one of the locals about the rain. His reply was that he had never seen rain in that village except in December.

Satellite View of Cerro Blanco

On Easter Sunday, before the mission came to an end, all the missionaries and many of the locals from all the villages would attend Mass in La Y Griega, which is a part of the city of Caborca. Easter Mass was a celebration like I've never seen in a Catholic Church. The students celebrated and danced as they received the Eucharist. The priest was so overcome with joy that he just sat and watched the students sing hymns and dance, which took place after nearly 250 students had a group hug with the priest. I'm not too proud to say that I was overcome with tears and emotions watching this celebration of love and resurrection. It was always a great ending to fantastic missions.

I long to return to missions with my great Mexican friends from Colegio Regis. I hope to one day take students back to Hermosillo for missions. My life and the lives of all the missionaries changed for the better on every mission trip we attended.

Seth Nichols, 2015
Jacob Christian, 2016

On my final two mission trips in Mexico, I was partnered with Ana Lopez. We formed a great team and were the lead chaperons in Hermosillo and Cerro Blanco. She was like my little sister. Several years ago, Ana lost her battle to cancer. When Holy Week arrives, I think of Ana and the great times we had leading the high school missionaries in the deserts of Mexico. Ana Lopez...Pray for us!

Nick Agnew, 2014
Tony Craig, 2016

Since today is the first day of Holy Week, the students of the Catholic Schools throughout Mexico are now in the villages serving as God's ambassadors sharing His love with those who normally don't have the opportunity of receiving the Eucharist. Please pray for these missionaries and the success of their mission. They are spending a life-changing week doing what we all should be doing every day; serving God by living Matthew 25:40.

Student and Alumni Spotlight.

Adam F.

St. Ann was well represented at the 55th Annual State Bowling Tournament in Smyrna this weekend with both current students and alumni taking to the lanes. Adam Fillion ('20), and Ethan Nichols ('22), bowled in all events including singles, doubles and team. The team that Ethan was on came in 7th in the State out of 37 teams in their division. Alumni Nick Agnew ('14), Seth Nichols ('15), Jacob Christian ('16), and Tony Craig ('16) also bowled in singles, doubles and team. To participate, bowlers must be in a junior sanctioned bowling league.

Taylor D.

This weekend, Taylor Damore played in the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Tournament with his Arlington Soccer Association '07 team! They had snow in that area this weekend so I know it was cold.

One last thing, I have to share a picture of our students using the new headphones in the computer lab thanks to Jim and Susan Garts!

Please keep St. Ann in your prayers as we make our way through Holy Week.

With Easter Break coming up, the next blog will come out in two weeks unless some fantastic things take place between now and then.

God bless you and have a fantastic Holy Week,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School