Santa Maria del Mexicano de Colon, QRO. I.A.P.

APDO. Postal No. 13, C.P. 76270

Colon, Queretaro, Mexico

To dial phone direct from U.S. 011 52 429 20245

Direct FAX from U.S. 011 52 429 20046

Mexico: LADA (91-429) 20248

JANUARY--FEBRUARY 1999

DEAR FRIENDS AND BENEFACTORS

A SHARED THOUGHT:

"BLESS ME FATHER FOR l HAVE SINNED" ANALYZING THIS GREETING SINCERELY, PRAYERFULLY AND WITH FAITH, I WOULD VENTURE A GUESS THAT NO WHERE IN SACRED SCRIPTURE COULD ONE FIND A MORE CONSOLING AND POWERFUL SALUTATION. "I AM HERE BECAUSE I AM WEAK AND A SINNER AND I WANT TO BE RECONCILED TO MY GOD."

HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THIS THOUGHT AND ACTION. IT CONTAINS SO MANY HIDDEN VIRTUES THAT ARE PRESENT. TO CONFESS TO A MAN THAT YOU ARE A WEAK AND FRAGILE PERSON TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE AND HUMILITY, SOMETHING WHICH IS NOT EASY TO DO ACCORDING TO OUR MODERN DAY STANDARDS.

THESE PAST FEW YEARS WE HAVE CONVENIENTLY FORMED OUR CONSCIENCES IN ACCEPTING THE FACT, BUT REALLY NOT BELIEVING IT, THAT SIN ISN'T ALL THAT BAD AND WITH THIS "DOUBT" WE GO OUR MERRY WAY DISCARDING SIN AS A FANTASY. IN MY OWN MIND I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THIS IS THE REASON WHY "POLLS" TELL US THAT ONLY ABOUT 35% OF CATHOLICS BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, IS TRULY PRESENT IN THE HOLY EUCHARIST, BODY AND SOUL, TOTAL DIVINITY AND TOTAL HUMANITY. SIN HAS CLOUDED OUT OR DESTROYED THIS FUNDAMENTAL BELIEF OF OUR FAITH. SAD BUT TRUE !

FOR A GOOD NUMBER OF PRIESTS WHOM I KNOW, THEY AVOID "HEARING CONFESSIONS" AS SUCH AS POSSIBLE. IN THE PAST I WAS ALSO IN THAT GROUP. BUT SINCE I STARTED WORKING WITH YOUTH SOME 23 YEARS AGO, I HAVE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT OUTLOOK ON THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION. I AM NOT SAYING THAT IT IS EASY, BUT I WILL STATE THAT "HEARING CONFESSIONS" CAN BE A BEAUTIFUL AND VERY HUMBLING EXPERIENCE. THE OPENNESS AND SORROW IS EVIDENT IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE YOUTH.

MANY OF OUR YOUTH ARE OUTCASTS, STREET KIDS OR KIDS FROM A SINGLE PARENT FAMILY WHO LIVED WITH ALMOST COMPLETE FREEDOM. ANGELS THEY ARE NOT, BUT A VERY HIGH PERCENTAGE ARE MAKING COURAGEOUS ATTEMPTS TO LIVE A GOOD AND PURE LIFE.

I ENCOURAGE FREQUENT CONFESSION AND SIN IS MENTIONED, NOT CONSTANTLY, BUT FREQUENTLY ENOUGH TO ACTIVATE THE GRACE PRESENT IN THE YOUTH TO COOPERATE IN GOD'S MERCIFUL LOVE AND INVITATION TO BE RECONCILED TO HIM BY "GOING TO CONFESSION".

GOD IS TRUTH, AND I WOULD AGREE THAT LIVING A LIE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT SIN EXISTS AND DECIDING BY MYSELF THAT IT DOES NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, IS DISASTROUS AND SPIRITUALLY FATAL.

JUST RECENTLY, FEBRUARY 25-26th, WE A RETREAT FOR 36 OF OUR TEENAGE GIRLS. PHYSICALLY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOTALLY EXHAUSTING, BUT I ARRIVING BACK HOME FILLED WITH PEACE AND JOY, HAVING EXPERIENCED GOD'S GRACE WORKING SO EVIDENTLY IN EVERY ONE OF THESE GIRLS. ALL THEIR TESTIMONIES DURING THE CLOSING SESSION WAS A TREMENDOUS SATISFACTION IN KNOWING THAT GOD TOUCHED SO MANY OF THEM IN SUCH A POWERFUL MANIFESTATION OF HIS LOVE. GOD'S GRACE IS THERE TO ACCEPT. DO YOURSELF A BIG FAVOR. "BLESS MF. FATHER FOR I AM A SINNER..."

SENDING ITEMS TO US

IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SEND TO OUR PROGRAM HERE AT SANTA MARIA, SEND IT TO: Judith Flores, 120 Market Street, Laredo, Texas 78040. PREVIOUSLY JUDITH SPECIFIED HER HOME ADDRESS AS THE PLACE TO SEND THINGS, BUT NOW SHE WANTS THEM SENT TO HER OFFICE ADDRESS, ABOVE. INDICATE ON THE PACKAGE: C/O Fr. Clifford A. Norman.

TARDINESS WITH THIS LETTER

SOME OF YOU HAVE WRITTEN TO ME WONDERING WHY I WAS SO LATE IN WRITING MY USUAL 2-MONTH, SIX LETTERS PER YEAR. MY HEALTH HAS BEEN GOOD. THE WORK LOAD IS MY PRETEXT. I THINK THAT I AM DOING ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF WORK THAT I WAS DOING 20 YEARS AGO, AND THAT IS ONLY ABOUT 30% OF WHAT HAS TO BE DONE. WITH SOME 300 CHILDREN AND 22 ELDERLY TO CARE FOR, YOU JUST KEEP MOVING AND DOING YOUR BEST AND THE GOOD LORD CONTINUES TO DO WHATEVER ELSE THAT HAS TO BE DONE. WHAT A JOY IT IS TO HAVE A "BOSS" WHO HANDS OUT THE WORK ASSIGNMENTS AND THEN DOES IT HIMSELF.

FR. JOHN, SISTERS AND STAFF

FR. JOHN'S ASTHMA, TROUBLESOME AS IT HAD BEEN WHEN HE ARRIVED OVER A YEAR AGO, IS NOW IMPROVING IN THE DESERT-LIKE CLIMATE HERE IN COLON, AND CAREFULLY FOLLOWING HIS DOCTOR'S ORDERS MEDICINE-WISE. HE IS CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE. SUPPOSEDLY HE IS "RETIRED", BUT YOU WOULD NEVER BELIEVE IT IF YOU HAD TO WORK WITH HIM ON A DAILY BASIS. SISTER MARIA TERESA., WITH THE FIVE SISTERS OF WHOM SHE IS SUPERIOR, FORM A TEAM WHO CONTINUE TO BE THE SUCCESS OF OUR PROGRAM HERE AT SANTA MARIA. WITHOUT THEM I WOULD CLOSE IMMEDIATELY AT LEAST THREE OF OUR HOUSES.

V.I.P. VISITORS

OF COURSE, ALL VISITORS WHO ARRIVE HERE ARE VERY SPECIAL. SINCE JANUARY, JIM AND MARGUERITE MANNELLY OF DURANGO, COLORADO SPENT ABOUT 2 ½ WEEKS WITH US. WHAT A JOY THEY BROUGHT TO ALL OF US! . FR. MIKE HINKEN OF THE SOCIETY OF OUR LADY IN ROBSTOWN, TEXAS (THE SAME SOCIETY AS OUR SISTERS), SPENT TWO VERY PRODUCTIVE MONTHS HERE, GUIDING AND CARING FOR THE NEEDS OF THE CHILDREN. WE HAD HOPED THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH LONGER STAY, BUT THE LORD CALLED HIM ELSEWHERE. WE ALL MISS HIM VERY MUCH. LEROY SALAZAR, BROTHER OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF COLORADO, KEN SALAZAR, ARRIVED FOR HIS 12th CONSECUTIVE VISIT AGAIN THIS YEAR WITH A GREAT GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS, MEN & WOMEN FROM SAN LUIS VALLEY, COLORADO, TO DO SOME FINISHING WORK IN OUR NEW PRIMARY SCHOOL. WHAT A WONDERFUL PEOPLE THEY ARE! JOHN MCCLURE, AN ATTORNEY FROM DENVER ARRIVED ALSO WITH HIS DAUGHTER, MARY, AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO SOME GROUND WORK ON A NON-PROFIT FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE NEEDS OF OUR GROWING AND COSTLY PROGRAM."

VISIT THE SICK, CLOTHE THE NAKED, CARE FOR ORPHANS, FEED THE POOR..."

THIS IS A CONSTANT REFRAIN THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE. ONE MONTH AGO WHILE I WAS EATING A DELICIOUS DINNER COOKED BY SISTER MARY TERESA, I HAD A REAL "GUILT TRIP". HERE I WAS EATING A SUMPTUOUS DINNER AND SO MANY OF OUR PEOPLE HERE IN THE VILLAGE OP COLON ARE EATING ONLY TORTILLAS AND BEANS TWO OR THREE TIMES A DAY. SOMETHING WAS WRONG. AT THAT TIME I DECIDED TO HAVE A DINNER EVERY TUESDAY FOR THE POOR AT ONE OF OUR DOWNTOWN FACILITIES (THE CASA DE NINOS, WHICH HAS A LARGE DINING HALL) AND GIVE THEM A GOODLY SIZE SACK OF BASIC FOOD. THE FIRST WEEK WE SERVED 150 PEOPLE AFTER ONE ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE LOCAL CHURCH. THE SECOND WEEK--250; THE THIRD WEEK--360, AND LAST WEEK -- 450. TOMORROW WILL BE INTERESTING. MASS AND CONFESSIONS ARE ALSO OFFERED ON THESE OCCASIONS. THANK YOU FOR HELPING, US TO ADD A SMALL ADDITION TO OUR PROGRAM.

SANTA MARIA BRIEFS:

Our homes are full and I have to turn away at least 3-4 children each week. Hopefully something will change this situation. The streets are filled with so many vices and corruption; Our Christmas was once again a tremendous joy and source of such love and happiness. How beautiful you all are in helping to make this season so rewarding to all our little ones.

Sincere thanks, PRAYERS TO ALL OF YOU FROM ALL OF US.

The little ones, youth, staff, sisters, fr. John, and Fr. Cliff Norman