Mexico Reunion and Sharing the State of Our Hearts

Last October I went to Cuernavaca, Mexico, for Ten Days of Faith & Hospitality with the People of Mexico. This marked the seventh time I had accompanied groups on this immersion retreat. When I worked as a Campus Minister, my friend and I accompanied [chaperoned] several groups of students. The last couple of times we’ve brought adults. The Monks of Weston Priory, Vermont organize this pilgrimage with the Benedictine Sisters of Guadalupana in Mexico. You can read all about it at http://www.westonpriory.org/mexico/index.html

The experience is centered around the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her significance to the people of Mexico. The mandala at the top is something I designed after one of our visits. This is one of the Benedictine sisters explaining the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

While we were there last October, the group talked about having a reunion. Over half of us are from the New England. The others are from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California. I never thought we could pull off a reunion. But there was a real desire to gather again. Sally and Kathy, two women in the group, are from Damariscotta and Pemaquid, Maine and they invited us to their homes in Maine. Eleven of us managed to show up. The weekend was pure gift. Most of us arrived at Sally's around midday on Saturday and went to lunch in Damariscotta. The afternoon proved to be a relaxed way to reminisce about our Mexico experience. It was clear that the group wants not only sustain what we learned during our time in Mexico but also to continue to grow in our awareness of the needs of the people there. We all expressed a desire to do something to continue reaching out to the Benedictine sisters who gave so selflessly of themselves during our pilgrimage.

We were all so happy to be together once again that the afternoon just seemed to unfold effortlessly. A surprise happening was a visit to the fish ladder at Damariscotta Mills. Some had never heard of a fish ladder but as a child, I used to visit the herring run in Brewster each spring. It’s basically the same thing. It’s amazing to watch the fish swim against the current in order to reach the place where they spawn. Witnessing these fish defy all odds to give birth to their next generation is quite a metaphor for life.

It's really difficult to photograph the fish but I tried. If you look closely you can see them as they make their way up the "ladder." It's not literally a ladder. You can read more about it at: http://www.damariscottamills.org/index.html

It was a foggy windswept afternoon but we still made a visit to Pemaquid Lighthouse and then went back to Kathy’s house. Before dinner we had a simple but lovely prayer that offered ample opportunity for the group to share the state of their hearts since the last time we’d been together. After supper -- a delicious fish stew -- we called each person who was not able to be with us. One was in a hospital recovering from surgery, another visiting family in Kansas...we are quite spread out indeed! We had used the Weston Priory song "Life is a Journey" for prayer. It describes not only the people we met in Mexico but our group as well. The next morning, after a delicious breakfast we went to Mass at a local church and then were on our way home. Our next opportunity to be together will be in September… more on that later.

Here are just a couple of other Mexico pictures. I have hundreds! The first is a family we visited who sell roses in the market place each day. We bought their roses that day. The second is women outside the old Cathedral in Cuernavaca selling jewelry. The sisters know these women and support the sale of their crafts.