 EL SALTO - MEXICO - THE DISTRICT OF NORTH MEXICO CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF HOLY WEEK MISSIONS: Twenty-five years of missionary service. A celebration prepared and embraced with great joy and care. Unfortunately, some days before the 2007 Mission a fatal accident deeply saddened everyone. Faith in the risen Christ kept alive the missionary call of the young people.
The missionary youth and vocational movement of the District began in 1982 in El Salto, Durango. Since then, thousands of young people and adults have participated in missions organized by Lasallian schools throughout the country, especially in the northern states.
The consolidation of the missions was assured with the 1992 foundation of the Brothers' community in El Salto and the beginning of the missionary volunteer movement in 1994.
The current year, 2006 - 2007, marks the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the missions and the apostolic, youth, and university movements of the District have taken great pains to renew their missionary spirit and to give a new spirit in preparing the mission. More information can be found on the District web site, by clicking on "Misiones lasallistas" to see materials dealing with missionary support.
 This year, during the final days of preparation, on March 27, two of the organizers from the El Salto community went to Durango to obtain the hosts that would be used during Holy Week. During the trip a very sad accident occurred in which young Carlos José Méndez Flores was killed. The other occupant in the car, Brother Carlos Martínez was injured and hospitalized. This event had tremendous impact: passion and death. The memory of this missionary was recalled tearfully at all the commissioning Masses.
Once again the young people went to serve their brothers and sisters in the poor towns along the Mexican Sierra de los Desiertos. The Bishop of El Salto, Ruy Rendón Leal, wrote in his letter for the occasion of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the missions:
"We celebrate this anniversary of the missions in our Prelature with a profound sense of gratitude and joy in our Lord.
Throughout these 25 years thousands of missionaries have come to the Sierra de Durango to pass on the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our people, while living Holy Week with us in a generous way. We are especially grateful to the Brothers of the Christian Schools who, since that time, have enthusiastically organized these missions, and to the Lasallian Volunteers, who in recent years have actively participated in this important event." The Bishop concluded by saying that the events of this celebration "will help to maintain our commitment to continue our task to become true disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ, so that our towns might have life in Him." 
(Brother Lorenzo González Kipper) |
lasallew@lasalle.org