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Do you think God only calls extraordinary people to do something special? Here you will find regular people, like you and me, who heard the invitation from God. They responded, and today walk with our people, faithful to God’s wishes. How will you respond?
By Sandra NavarroHe was very young when his friends began calling him the “little priest.” Ernesto Vargas had felt a strong need to get close to God. However, he did not see himself as a priest and the ridicule from his classmates, plus the lack of time to spend with his family when he went to church in the afternoons had an effect on him, and he decided to leave his first communion preparation.When he was 20 years old, a priest friend invited him to receive his confirmation, and from then on he became more involved in the Catholic faith. Again the ridicule began, only now it was coming from...
By Sandra NavarroWhen it comes to the Mexican population, Chicago ranks fifth on the planet, after Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Los Angeles. “It is a great pleasure and honor to be the youngest consul general in the history of the Mexican consulate in Chicago, which is the second largest consulate we have in the world,” says Eduardo Arnal.With little more than a year at the helm, Arnal has achieved significant progress. Gradually he has been able to address the challenges presented and expand the consulate’s presence in the 128 counties in the corresponding districts.“The...
By Sister Dominga Zapata, SHMore than the future of the church, Hispanic youth are its present and often they are not invited to consider their vocation, whether it be to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life, marriage, or commitment as a single person. Since the general understanding of vocation has often been limited to these three specific vocations and not to every baptized person, it is necessary to broaden the horizon. The emphasis in vocation culture is to help each person discover and respond to their own vocation, whatever it may be. A person must identify and respond to the...
By Elisabeth RománIn the 1960s and 70s, Mexican Americans, just like African Americans, fought for civil rights, often risking their own lives to ensure freedom and justice for all Americans. An important part of this struggle was the Chicano and United Farm Workers’ Movements. It was in the midst of this civil rights unrest that, in the heart of San Antonio, Texas, the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) was born in 1972. Within this social context, MACC was established as a pastoral center dedicated to studying and researching the Mexican American experience, to foster leadership, and...
By Julián LazaldeI always considered that anger or rage was a bad thing that had to be kept under control. But, without noticing, I began making a series of decisions that now appear to have been fueled by anger. The funny thing is that all these decisions have been good and productive. I was able to channel the outrage produced in me by injustices into something good. I know it now.I was born in Chicago to parents who immigrated to obtain medical care for my mother, who suffered from a thyroid illness. I became interested in my roots when I was still in high school. I saw the problems of my...
by Elisabeth RománAfter several successful albums, Andrea Andrea was about to sign a major recording contract with Sony Music in Mexico, when she had a change of heart and decided to record Christian music instead. The call to change her life was one that Andrea Andrea had been hearing for some time and after a heart-to-heart conversation with a priest, she turned her back on a successful pop and Tex-Me music career. Born in Peru, Andrea Andrea is a popular entertainer who hosts children’s television shows, sings, and writes songs and children’s books. She also composes songs for other...
By Francisco HernándezLong ago, we used to imagine European or American missionaries going to China to evangelize. Yuan Fuei Liao breaks those stereotypes. Born in China, his parents moved to the Dominican Republic when he was just 7 years old. Yuan says he had a personal encounter with Christ when he was 15, while reading the Bible and participating in the Easter celebration with youth in Santo Domingo.“Every Catholic has to have a personal encounter with Jesus with open eyes and beating heart,” Yuan says. This encounter led him to discover a Jesus who does not move away from the world. He...
By Edwin RondánDuring my adolescence I was a very normal boy, except not very religious. After many years, I went to church one day to please my mother and because I needed a favor from her. I had no idea what was waiting for me. My mother announced to the priest that I was going to join the youth group, and I didn’t dare contradict her. When the priest played a video on missionary vocation, I did not learn a lot but I felt compassion for some of the children in the images and was moved to help. They understood that I wanted to be a missionary, and little by little I was becoming entangled...
By Elisabeth RománYoung people at the St. Anthony Claret Parish in Fresno, California don’t have to worry about making plans for their Saturday nights. That’s because every Saturday dozens of them gather in the church hall to celebrate, sing, dance, listen to music performed by a live band, pray, reflect, and share.They belong to Grupo Recolección (Recollection), a Spanish youth group that, under the coordination of Teresa Romo and the leadership of parish priest, Claretian Father Gabriel Ruiz, seems more like a large family. It brings together young people who once were lost, had grown apart...
By Raymond SmithYou would think by the way some people talk, everyone is supposed to get married one day, but the truth is God does want some of us to be priests, brothers, and nuns. The question everyone must ask at some point is, “Where is my place in all this?” “How do I find my vocation?” And though it may seem easy or obvious to some, it isn’t for everyone because just as not everyone who loves animals is called to be a veterinarian, some people who dream of being married might be called to religious or ordained life.What is the key to help us discover God’s plans for us? I can sum it up...
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