Photos and Article by Shirin McArthur
On Sunday, November 9, Fr. Miguel Angel Ramirez Centeno from San Jose de Anapra Church in Juarez, Mexico, preached at two Silver City churches. His wife, Catherine Hudak, translated his message for both congregations.
Fr. Miguel Ramirez preaches in Silver City
Fr. Miguel Ramirez preaches in Silver City
Fr. Miguel Ramirez preaches at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, and his wife, Catherine Hudak, translates
Fr. Miguel Ramirez preaches in Silver City
Fr. Miguel Ramirez celebrates the Eucharist at Church of the Good Shepherd with the assistance of Deacon Tom Bates
Fr. Miguel Ramirez preaches in Silver City
Fr. Miguel Ramirez preaches at the Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity
Fr. Miguel Ramirez preaches in Silver City
Fr. Henry Hoffman celebrates the Eucharist at Holy Trinity with the assistance of Deacon Joan Eng, at right, as Fr. Miguel looks on from the left
Fr. Miguel Ramirez preaches in Silver City
Maria Vigil speaks with Fr. Miguel after the service
Fr. Miguel Ramirez preaches in Silver City
From left, Deacon Joan Eng, Fr. Henry Hoffman, Fr. Miguel Ramirez, Catherine Hudak, Jene Moseley, CarolBeth Elliott, Cherie Salmon and Victoria Tester pose for the camera before Fr. Miguel and his wife leave for home in Anapra, Juarez, Mexico.
Fr. Miguel was invited to Silver City to give a presentation on the ministry in Anapra, a suburb of Juarez that has sprung up recently, out of former crop fields, as Juarez has continued to grow. Most of his parishioners are quite poor, and the average Sunday offering collected at San Jose Church is only US$8.
Fr. Miguel spoke to a gathering of interested people at the Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity on Saturday, November 8. He shared his own story, as the youngest child in a poor family, and the opportunity he had to study theology with the Jesuits. As a priest in the Anglican Church in Mexico, he serves the poorest of the poor, and he shared the struggles of his people, using poetry, pictures and a slide presentation.
While the situation in Juarez is improving, this is only a matter of degree•now there are only two people being killed a day, instead of ten. Despite the danger, he perseveres in his ministry to these people, who live in daily danger of their lives. A focus of his mission in Anapra at this time is the development of an alternative medicine center, because so many people in the area cannot access, or afford, Western health care. His presentation was followed by a potluck dinner in the Retreat House at Holy Trinity.
On Sunday morning, Fr. Miguel preached at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, where the Gospel lesson spoke of two groups of five bridesmaids, one group who brought extra oil for their festive lamps, and one group who didn't. Because the bridegroom was delayed, the group without extra oil had to leave in order to purchase more oil. The bridegroom came while they were away, and thus they missed the wedding feast.
Fr. Miguel challenged the congregation to be like those bridesmaids who are prepared with extra oil, and think of ways in which they could be helping to prepare for Christ's second coming. He also spoke of the many ways each person can minister to others in their community. In the afternoon, Fr. Miguel preached at the Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity, where he spoke of the distractions that prevent young people and children from focusing on Christ, and again challenged his listeners to be prepared to share the good news of Christ.
After the worship service, members of the Holy Trinity congregation helped load a truck with donated food to take back to the church members in Anapra. Holy Trinity's clergy and vestry (leadership) then presented Fr. Miguel with a check for the funds raised during the previous 24 hours.