Did You Know?

99 years ago, just south of the US-Mexico border, thousands of our brothers and sisters in the Lord - including very young ones - witnessed to their faith Christ with their lives and livelihoods. Following terrible decades of revolution and violence, the Mexican government unleashed ferocious persecutions of Catholic clergy and laity. For three years (1926-1929), Mexican Catholics lived through violent persecution, in which priests and laypeople were ordered to renounce Christ in public. To refuse to do so meant facing not only punishment, but even torture and death. Thousands of Mexican Catholics gave heroic witness to the Faith. In many cases, they paid for it with their lives. It was not until 1929 that Mexican President Calles, through the intervention of the U.S. Ambassador Dwight Morrow, accepted the so-called agreements with the Mexican Bishops. The churches were permitted to reopen for Mass, and those known as Cristeros, who had fought to defend their rights, surrendered their weapons. However, the Mexican government did not honor the agreements and continued to persecute the Church in various degrees in the decades that followed. Many Mexican Catholics fled to the United States to escape the persecution. This period is particularly important for us Catholics in Arizona, as many of our sisters and brothers are descendants or relatives of those Catholics who suffered persecution and martyrdom. It was not until 1992, that the Constitution of Mexico was ‘reformed’ giving legal recognition to religious associations in Mexico – including the Catholic Church. Of the 25 Mexican Martyrs whom Pope St. John Paul II canonized in 2000, six were members of the Knights of Columbus. The first time that we welcomed the Reliquary with the first-class Relics of the Priest/Knights to St. Andrew’s was in 2006, a few weeks after the then ‘new’ church was consecrated! At that time we were gifted with the large print which graces the Gathering Room! The Relics will be here for the Masses at 8:00, 10:00, and Noon, with a special prayer service at 11:15! Following the Noon (Spanish) Mass on Sunday, the Relics will be taken to St. Luke’s Parish in Douglas, where a special prayer service and Rosary are scheduled. The following day they will next be taken to California! Martyrdom is a constant reality in the life of the Catholic Church, as we are seeing violence against Christians today in Nigeria, Sudan, North Korea, Minneapolis. . . . While hatred of the Faith is not welcomed, it is not unexpected. “Remember the word that I said to you. . .If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too.” (John 15:20) Join us next Sunday in honoring the Mexican Martyrs!

A BIG thank you to the Committee and ALL of the musicians who made the 17th Annual Community Hymn Festival held here last Sunday such a prayerful, praiseful, and heartwarming experience of Christian community for all! The free-will Offering for the Warrior Healing Center here in our Community was almost $1800!! Thank you to ALL who attended!