Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • December 27, 2019 11 BY MONSIGNOR MICHAEL THORNTON Last July, I had the pleasure of being in Mexico with Bishops Kinneman and Kopacz and others of the dioceses of Biloxi and Jackson as we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our Saltillo Mission. I had worked there with Father Patrick Quinn in the early days of the mission and later as pastor following the untimely death of Father Quinn in 1997. The mission has been very generously supported by Mississippi Catholics since 1969 and for most of that time our church in Mississippi has been enriched by the spiritual experience of thousands who have ventured south of the border. Events of the past several years have greatly restricted travel to the mission. While the situation has been improving around the city of Saltillo, outbreaks of violence throughout much of Mexico leave it too risky to resume the mission trips of so many years. Hopefully the situation will improve in the near future. For over forty of the past fifty years the Catholic Church of Mississippi was able to assign priests to serve the mission. Presently the San Miguel Mission is staffed by two priests from southern Mexico, Fathers David and Evelia. They are doing a wonderful job continuing the great missionary work of Father Quinn. When Father Quinn arrived there fifty years ago, Saltillo was a city of less than 100,000. Now, the population is esti- mated to be close to one million. There were four parishes in the city when he arrived and now there are over 25 parishes. Several were started by Father Quinn and Mississippi bene- factors. Our mission is located in a very poor area on the south side of Saltillo, with eight churches in the city and 25 chapels in villages located up to three hours south of town. It serves over 20,000 Catholics. The golden anniversary celebrations in July 2019 were a remembrance of the past, a time to recognize our close kin- ship with our Catholic brothers and sisters of Saltillo and an assurance that our partnership with our San Miguel Mission is vibrant and ongoing. For many years it was possible to experience mission work first-hand, as Saltillo is only three hours south of the Rio Grande. Often over a thousand were able to travel south each year to enjoy the experience. This is no longer possible, but we can continue and strengthen our partnership by our prayers and donations to the mission. Our friends in Saltillo appreciate the partnership of fifty years and are delighted that the bonds of faith and love are still strong. Reflections on Saltillo