Day 1

After landing in Monterrey, Mexico, the group took a short ride to one of the CSC houses where they would be staying.  They received a tour of the house, were treated to a delicious lunch of chile en nogada, and then enjoyed a much-needed siesta after a long morning of travel.  

Later, they took a walk through the neighborhood to San Matías chapel.

At San Matías, members of the church community presented an interactive lesson on a wide variety of Mexican Christmas traditions, explaining what typically happens between December 12th to February 2nd in Mexico.  

The group from Holy Cross participated in a reenactment of las posadas in which Mary and Joseph ask for lodging at various places in Bethlehem, ultimately receiving lodging in a stable, where Jesus is born.  

They learned that Mexicans have a rich tradition of singing songs, praying the rosary, and sharing in festivities at different houses for nine nights before Christmas Eve and they also learned about the ways in which Baby Jesus is honored and adored within Mexican households, including dressing Baby Jesus, rocking him to sleep while singing lullabies, and kissing and adoring him in ways that display a deep, profound, and heart-felt love for our Lord.  

The cultural lesson at San Matías was made even more immersive with a feast of traditional Christmas-time foods at the end of the presentation (tamales, buñuelos, champurrado)!

After the Christmas Traditions presentation, the group received a tour of the rest of San Matías chapel, learning that San Matías is a vibrant church community that hosts a soup kitchen, a medical clinic, catechism classes, physical therapy, and…as of only a few months ago…a new reading room.  As pastor Pedro Carreño, CSC explained, the reading room was created with much care and dedication, with the hopes of creating a respectable and comfortable place for even the most marginalized of the community to come and spend time with a good book in a quiet, comfortable, and dignified setting.  The reading room is open to the local and parish community from noon to 8:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and has become yet another tangible way in which San Matías chapel serves the many needs of the surrounding neighborhood community.

The group then headed to Nuestra Santísima de la Luz for a brief presentation of its parish’s many ministries and for evening Mass in a temporary chapel since the main church building is currently under renovation.