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

DEAR FRIENDS AND BENEFACTORS:

FEB./MARCH 2000

A SHARED THOUGHT - REPENTANCE

FREQUENTLY DURING THESE PAST FEW WEEKS AND PARTICULARLY DURING HOLY WEEK I WOULD HAVE HOPED THAT THE MAJORITY OF CHRISTIANS GAVE MUCH THOUGHT TO THE LORD JESUS AND HOW HE ENDURED SUCH A HORRENDOUS AND MISERABLE DEATH FOR EACH ONE OF US, IN ORDER THAT WE WOULD BE SAVED BY BEING WASHED IN HIS BLOOD. BY DYING HE GAVE US LIFE, LIFE ETERNAL. THIS IS NO SMALL GIFT! WE MUST ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND THIS AS BEST AS WE PERMIT GOD'S GRACE TO PENETRATE OUR MINDS AND HEARTS. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH SO VERY MANY CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE COMPLETELY ELIMINATED THE FACT THAT SIN EXISTS IN THEIR LIVES TODAY: GOD IS ALL MERCIFUL, KIND, LOVING AND FORGIVING. HOW COULD HE POSSIBLY SEPARATE SOMEONE FROM HIMSELF AND RELEGATE HIM / HER TO A PLACE OF SUFFERING FOR ALL ETERNITY? IMPOSSIBLE, RIDICULOUS, TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE IN THIS DAY AND AGE. MANY "BELIEVE". ONE THING WE MUST NOT FORGET IS THAT IT IS NOT IMPORTANT WHAT WE BELIEVE BUT RATHER WHAT IS THE TRUTH. OUR HEAVENLY FATHER DID NOT PERMIT HIS BELOVED SON TO SUFFER FOR EVERY SIN THAT MAN HAS COMMITTED AND THEN JUST DISMISSED THEM AS THOUGH THEY REALLY WEREN'T OF ANY IMPORTANCE. THIS KIND OF THINKING IS IRRATIONAL AND SELF DESTRUCTIVE. WE HAVE SIMPLY PLACED OURSELVES IN THE CONVENIENT WORLD OF FANTASY AND ALSO TO OUR DETRIMENT.

I MEDITATE A LOT IN ST. PETER DURING HOLY WEEK, HOW I LOVE THAT MAN.----STRONG CHARACTER AND THINKING THAT STRONG MORAL COURAGE WAS AUTOMATICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH PHYSICAL COURAGE. HE THOUGHT THAT HE COULD ALSO ACCEPT THE RIDICULE OF PEOPLE AND THEIR CRITICISM. BE WAS IMPETUOUS AND SPOKE WITHOUT THINKING THINGS THROUGH. A REAL EGOTIST, YET HERE IS THE SAME MAN WHO IS SO LOVING, SO HUMBLE, SO HORRIBLY SHOCKED THAT HE COULD DENY THE MAN WHOM HE LOVED SO VERY MUCH, JESUS, THIS CAUSED HIM TO CRY SO OFTEN, "JESUS FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME."

WE ALSO MUST HAVE THE SAME SENTIMENTS, FEELINGS AND SORROW AS THIS GREAT MAN ST. PETER HAD, WHO LATER IN LIFE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR THE LOVE OF JESUS. YES DEAR FRIENDS, SIN EXISTS. WE MUST ACCEPT THIS FACT AND TRY OUR VERY BEST TO AVOID IT, TO BEG PARDON IMMEDIATELY AFTER HAVING COMMITTED A SERIOUS SIN AND TO HUMBLE OURSELVES IN USING THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION FREQUENTLY, OUR CHILDREN HERE ARE DEVELOPING THIS WONDERFUL HABIT OF CONFESSING EVERY 6 - 8 WEEKS. THIS IS A VERY GOOD INSURANCE POLICY. I SINCERELY RECOMMEND IT AND AT THE SAME TIME I GUARANTEE MARVELOUS RESULTS PLEASE GIVE YOURSELF A GIFT THAT YOU DESERVE.

A COUPLE MONTHS LATE

THIS SEEMS TO BE DEVELOPING INTO A REGULAR BAD HABIT, THAT IS, BEING ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATE WITH OUR BI-MONTHLY LETTER. SICKNESS TOOK ABOUT THREE WEEKS AWAY AND THEN GETTING CAUGHT UP TOOK AN ADDITIONAL THREE WEEKS. WHEN MY BODY TELLS NM TO SLOW DOWN I AM BEGINNING TO OBEY THE SIGNS.

FATHER JOHN IN GEORGIA

MY RIGHT HAND MAN, FR. JOHN, HAD TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY BECAUSE OF A FLAW THAT THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE IN MEXICO CITY MADE, I USED TO GET UPSET OVER THESE STUPID AND INEXPLICABLE LAWS THAT WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH, BUT I AM LEARNING THAT EVERYTHING EVENTUALLY TURNS OUT FINE. I STILL HAVE A LOT OF THOSE "BAD" CHARACTERISTICS THAT ST. PETER HAD BEFORE HIS CONVERSION.- APPARENTLY MY CONVERSION IS STILL A LONG WAY OFF.

SCHOOL YEAR COMING TO END

WE HAD A GOOD YEAR IN BOTH THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL. SO MUCH WORK, TIME, MONEY, BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS, WENT INTO THESE SCHOOLS THAT I AM SOMEWHAT DISLIKED BY THE MAJORITY OF OUR TEACHERS, BECAUSE I AM SEARCHING FOR EXCELLENCE AND SOME OF THEM JUST DON"T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT WORD MEANS. CONSEQUENTLY I AM FIRING FOUR TEACHERS THIS YEAR. "OUR CHILDREN", I TELL THEM "DESERVE THE BEST AND I CANNOT SEE IT COMING FORTH AS I WOULD LIKE IT." THE WORK ETHIC IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE IN THE U.S.

SISTER MA. GUADALUPE JIMINEZ PROFESSES PERPETUAL VOWS

ON MARCH 25, SISTER GUADALUPE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HER COMMUNITY, FAMILY AND FAMILY OF SANTA MARIA IN HER PUBLIC PROFESSION OF PERPETUAL VOWS. IT WAS A JOYOUS OCCASION FOR HER AND FOR THE SOCIETY OF OUR LADY. SISTER IS IN CHARGE OF CASA DE JOVENES AND NINOS IN COLON. SHE DOES WONDERFUL WORK WITH BOTH THE TEEN GIRLS AND THE SMALL BOYS, THE MASS AND PROFESSION WAS FOLLOWED BY A DELICIOUS MEAL.

CASE HISTORY ON NEW GIRL

CAROLINA AGUILAR IS A TWELVE YEAR OLD GIRL WHO WAS BROUGHT TO US FROM ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS, SHE HAD BEEN ABANDONED BY HER FATHER, HER MOTHER DIED WHEN SHE WAS VERY SMALL. SHE IS THE YOUNGEST OF EIGHT CHILDREN. SHE HAD NEVER BEEN TO SCHOOL BECAUSE HER OLDER SISTERS HAD HER BABY SITTING THEIR CHILDREN. HER TWO OLDER SISTERS ARE INTO PROSTITUTION. SHE RAN AWAY FROM HER SISTERS AND WAS PICKED UP BY THE POLICE AND TAKEN TO A HOME. SHE WAS THEN BROUGHT TO US, SHE IS NOW IN FIRST GRADE AND IS VERY HAPPY TO BE WITH US.

SANTA MARIA BRIEFS

WE ARE IN CONSTANT MOVEMENT IN BUILDING AND REPAIRING OUR HONES. I AM REALLY PUSHING OUR MEN TO FINISH OUR HOME THAT BEGAN WITH FOUR WALLS AND OVER A 100 YEARS OLD, JUST LAST WEEK WE DISCOVERED THAT OUR ROOFING WAS FALLING IN, IN SANTA MARIA, OUR MAIN HONE, THIS WILL BE A MAJOR UNDERTAKING BEING THAT 3000 SQ, FT. ARE INVOLVED. SOMEHOW WE WILL GET IT DONE, GOD HAS YET TO FORGET ABOUT US,, NOR HAVE YOU! ---- THESE PAST TWO MONTHS WE HAD ONLY SIX OPERATIONS ON OUR CHILDREN; FROM CORRECTIONS OF CROSSED EYES, APPENDECITIS AND ELBOW REAJUSTMENT. THE CHILDREN ARE DOING JUST FINE.

MANY SINCERE THANKS AND JUGS FROM ALL THE CHILDREN, PRAYERS FROM THE CHILDREN, STAFF, SISTERS, FR. JOHN, AND FR. CLIFF NORMAN