Father Daniel Panchot was able to make connections with Maria de Jesus Mendez, who is the sister of Daniel Mendez of Dolores Parish in Austin.  We went to her house where we had some atole.  Then we drove with her to San Ciro (a pueblo) and then El Pitayo (a rancho).  Her parents and brother live there. 

Along the way we stopped in San Ciro.  The market in the zocalo was very busy, people selling all kinds of things.  There were some fresh fruits and vegetables, including watermelon which was grown locally.

We visited  the Mendez grandparents.  The grandmother received her daughter with a blessing.  When we left, she again blessed her, and then she came out and blessed the truck.  (Did she know something about Daniel's driving???)

We learned that the area grows corn, garbanzos, and frijoles as their principal "industry."  We were offered from fresh, raw garbanzos.  They were good!!

Afterwards, we returned to Ms. Mendez's house in Rio Verde.  She had prepared a big batch of atole for a rosary which she was attending that evening in El Refugio, another ranchito.  So we drove her over there and saw that area as well.  The church there, San Juan de Los Lagos, is a mission or chapel of Sta. Catarina.

Outside the church in El Pitayo

The next morning, Father Daniel Panchot drove along with Sister Carlota LeBeouf and Father John Korcsmar from Rio Verde, San Luis Potosi to Cd. Valles.  They met there with the bishop, Bishop Roberto Octavio Balmori.  Bishop Balmori was a religious before becoming bishop.

They talked extensively about the effects of the migration that is taking place.  Bishop Balmori said that the bishops of Mexico included the theme of the family as part of the celebration of migration week in Mexico.  They used some material from Pope Benedict XVI's talks on the family and emphasized that immigrant families are families too, and they must remained united.

Bishop Balmori gave them a copy of his letters.  Each year he writes a letter during migration week.  It is distributed in the parishes with the hopes that they will forward them to the people who have migrated away, whether still in Mexico (usually in Monterrey) or in the U.S. or Canada.

John asked the bishop if there were anyone else that he thought that they should talk with.  The bishop suggested a number of priests, so their next stop was Tamuin, where the pastor is in charge of pastoral social.

Dan drove them over there and met with Father Jose de Jesus Butron Rodriguez.  Father Butron was very gracious and met with them and talked about the concern in the middle part of Mexico by the Church for the needs of migrants.

The Sisters with Jake Greiner