September 16th

This summer, during a visit to San Felipe Guanajuato, Mexico, I had the chance to visit the parish of Dolores Hidalgo, which had been the parish where Father Miguel Hidalgo had been pastor when he declared independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. I also visited the parish where Father Hidalgo had been pastor in San Felipe, Guanajuato.

Outdoor Celebration at All Saints

On this evening, I stood with Father Stephen Jasso TOR, pastor of All Saints Parish, Mr. Sal Espino, parishioner of All Saints and City Councilman, and other dignitaries in front of a crow of nearly 1000 on the parish grounds for the celebration of Mexican independence from Spain. The ceremony was preceded by the American Flag, followed by the Mexican Flag, then the Texas Flag, and finally the Vatican Flag. Each of us spoke and at the end, I spoke in Spanish and English and gave the blessing to all present. This is a major parish fiesta, and is an important event for the parish, the city and the Diocese. After All Saints parish, I attended a similar (but much smaller) celebration at San Mateo, which is a mission of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Fort Worth.

On Sunday morning, there was a crowd of around 900 people at St. Francis parish in Granbury, Texas, for a bilingual Mass, after which I blessed the new parish hall and family life center. Granbury is a growing rural town south of Fort Worth, surrounded by hills and mesas, and one hill named "Comanche Peak." The pastor of the parish is Fr. Juan Rivero, assisted by Deacon Craig McCalister and a very able parish staff. 

New Parish Center for St. Francis Cabrini Church in Granbury