In honor of the Feast Day of St. Jude Thaddeus celebrated Oct. 28, here is an article I wrote for the Pilgrimages Close to Home series published in The Valley Catholic Newspaper.

“La Cuevita” de San Judas Tadeo

By Brenda Nettles Riojas

The Valley Catholic

PHARR — Inside a small cave in Pharr, candles flicker night and day before a statue of St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint for hopeless cases.

Each day people come. They come all day said Sister Estela Cantu, a secular sister of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, and pastoral administrator of St. Jude Thaddeus Church in Pharr.

They come to pray before the saint and ask for his intercession. They come to give him thanks.

Ignacio and Alejandra Hernandez of Edinburg, originally from Mexico City, come every eight days, “To thank him for all his favors, and for all the ways he helps us,” said Alejandra Hernandez, adding “porque es muy milagroso.”

Ignacio Hernandez wears a green and white habit and holds his miracle, his three-year-old son, in his arm and he walks on his knees approaching the shrine dedicated to St. Jude.

“The doctors said I could not have another child,” his wife shares as she holds her baby daughter in her arms. The Hernandez have three children now. They named their second child, the three-year-old, Tadeo after the saint. Their oldest son is now 13.

Sister Cantu said, “It’s beautiful to see the way people come in. …He just has so many followers who are very grateful for what he has done for them. St. Jude intercedes for them.”

“They keep coming back to thank him every time with flowers, with candles,” she added.

She noted that even though the parish does not publicize “la cuevita” as it has been called over the years, people find it. “He has a lot of followers. We’re here in a little corner, but people find us.”

Buses filled with pilgrims come on the weekend as well; some arrive from Houston and San Antonio after their visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine in San Juan.

While the shrine is popular year round, the saints feast day on Oct.28 draws even larger numbers of faithful who want to honor the saint. Sister Cantu said people come all day and bring mariachis and matachines, and many come dressed as St. Jude.

Also, leading up to the feast day, the parish promotes a solemn novena. This year the novena begins Oct.20 and every intention and petition received will be placed under the altar during the Masses on Oct. 28.

A pathway from the parish church leads to the “Cuevita de San Judas Tadeo,” a man-made cave constructed around 1952 to house a statue of St. Jude Thaddeus, one of the twelve apostles.

The small concrete shrine, which measures 33 feet by 25 feet, was built to accommodate the high volume of faithful and the candles they left before the statue inside the church. The parish community at the time was afraid the church might catch fire because of all the candles.

Oratorian Father Leo Francis Daniel said a chapel with a cross was built adjacent to “la cuevita” to remind people that Christ comes first and that St. Jude is an intercessor.

Who knows how many people have come and have kneeled at the entrance of the cave praying before

the saint who gives them hope? Some clues as to the requests and petitions are left behind on two side bulletin boards and wire grids where the faithful pin milagro charms and notes, thank yous and supplications – their hopes and needs left before the saint. They leave photos of sonograms, newborns, soldiers, quinceañeras, homes, and wrecked cars.

One woman left a note asking for prayers for her surgery scheduled this past July. Another left a photo of her home asking St. Jude for his help. “No quiero perder mi casa,” (“I don’t want to lose my home”) it reads.

Norma Ramos of Harlingen visited on a Saturday afternoon at the sun’s peak hour. She has been visiting the “cuevita” for 20 years. She came with her daughter and grandchildren. Her daughter, Gloria, credits her mother for passing on the devotion to St. Jude.

“You pray and your prayers get answered,” Gloria Ramos said.

St. Jude Thaddeus Church, which is under the care of the Oratorian priests, was established in 1950. Each Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. they display a relic of St. Jude and celebrate a Novena Mass and Benediction. The Sunday Mass schedule includes a traditional Latin Mass at 8 a.m.

(Originally published in the October 2012 issue of The Valley Catholic newspaper.)

Lessons from the Camino

(An abriged version of the story was originally published in October edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper.)

By Brenda Nettles Riojas

The Valley Catholic

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain – Nearly in tears I finished my first 14.5 miles on the Camino de Santiago from Sarria to Portomarin. We had five more days ahead of us, 55.5 miles more and who knows how many more uphill climbs, downhill stone tracks and steep descents.

Sarria in Galicia is the traditional start location, the 112-110 kilometer marker, for pilgrims who want to walk at least the last 100 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago and earn the Compostela.

My husband and I hope to walk the full Camino someday, the Way of St. James, which is one of the three most ancient pilgrimages. Each year thousands walk toward Santiago de Compostela, where the apostle St. James is believed to be buried. There are different starting points; the most ancient begins in France.

Air miles and some vacation days facilitated a shorter walk of six days on the Camino in late August. However, I soon discovered I had not factored in the training required for this particular pilgrimage and that I carried more than I needed.

Even before we arrived in Sarria I realized as we maneuvered through airports and train stations my backpack would be a challenge on the Camino.

With our pilgrim's passport ready to be stamped along the way, we started before sunrise and walked for nearly nine hours the first day. Yellow arrows and scallop shells along the path pointed the direction. I carried my backpack, which weighed at least 35 pounds, the entire day. An advocate for packing light, I had not followed my own advice. As the day progressed, my chivalrous husband lightened my pack slightly by adding a few of my items to his.

The weight of the backpack slowed my pace, and my hips, shoulders and back paid the price. I ended the day, not only with a bruised ego, but with my first ever foot blister from a hike, a sprained ankle and an Achilles tendon, not to mention the sore arms and calf muscles. I don’t remember Martin Sheen’s character in the movie the “The Way” complaining about his legs or the weight of his pack.

I lost count of how many people passed me on the trail. As someone who takes pride in staying fit and undertakes physical challenges such as hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and climbing Mount Sinai in the dark or cycling 100-plus miles in one day from Brownsville to Roma, I felt added pain when a group of four grandmothers left me and my bruised ego behind on the trail. One woman I met from Dublin, Ireland is 72. Monica Gaynor started the Camino five years ago in France. She returns each year to do a section. This was her last 100 kilometers.

What was I thinking? Lack of exercise and the resulting extra pounds are not elements conducive to becoming what my husband calls “battle-ready.” The first day of the hike confirmed that I was in the worst shape of my life.

I was humbled, however, by the generous and caring spirit of the pilgrims, strangers on the Camino, who slowed their own pace out of concern to ask if I needed help.

I felt spiritually prepared for a pilgrimage having just completed St. Louis de Montfort’s 33-day Consecration to Jesus through Mary devotion, but I had neglected the physical aspect. Kilometer after kilometer I became painfully aware of the need to be a good steward of our health and body.

I found consolation from my aches and pains in the countryside, the hamlets and streams we passed where black berries grow wild along the trail lined at times by apple trees, pear trees and fig trees. The Camino offered a welcome peace and quiet. The weather in Galicia, averaging 70 degrees, added a welcome change from the South Texas temperatures we left back home peaking above 100.

Instead of dwelling on my weaknesses and feeling sorry for myself, I drew inspiration from the different people we met along the way, peregrinos from different countries, backgrounds, ages and faiths, each with their own reason for walking the Camino.

Catherine Masson, a woman from Paris, walked with me for six kilometers. Despite the pain in her own feet, not once did she consider ending her walk. Her friend walked ahead to reserve beds for them at the albergue and Catherine maintained her own pace. In no hurry to arrive, she continued forward certain of her goal and the destination.

She said each year she packs less and less. She started on the Camino seven years ago in La Puy, France, and each year she walks for two weeks. “You learn on the Camino how little you need," she said.

The long walk, highlighted by small villages along the route, provided me time to reflect about the weight I carried. Lesson learned: Pack light. Trust that God will provide. Keep in mind, the heavier our packs, the more difficult the trail – both literally and metaphorically. I obviously still held on to material offerings of the world and find it challenging to lighten my pack. We even packed a tent and camping stools, just in case all the beds were full at the albergues.

After the first grueling day, we found room at an emergency albergue in Portomarin, which opened after all the other albergues had filled with pilgrims. We paid 5 Euros each for a bed in a room with 24 bunk beds and community showers available.

In Portomarin we discovered I was not the only one who wanted to ditch a heavy backpack. Several signs pointed us to transport services. I did not waste a minute in arranging Mochilas David to transport our backpacks at 3 Euros a pack to the next stopping point on the route.

That night I did not know if I would be able to walk the next day. I did not maintain any illusions of rescuing my pride on this journey, but at the same time I didn’t want to give up the walk. It was too early to face defeat. I resolved to put my walk in God’s hands and walk as much as possible given my sprained ankle.

I did walk on day two. I managed 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) before asking a waiter in Gonzar to call a cab. Catherine, one of the pilgrims I walked with part of the Camino encouraged me to continue. She assured me it would be easier today without the heavy pack. But my ankles and heels forced me to acknowledge my limitations and insisted on a break.

I opted to sit day three out and rest my ankle. While my husband, who hardly complained, took to the road, I took a bus and caught up with him in the next town, Melide. By the end of our pilgrimage I managed to hike five of the six days, 86 km (53.4 miles). It was refreshing to be on the Camino and focus on the path in front of me, leave work, deadlines and bills behind in Texas. While I kept a slower pace, too slow by my husband’s standards, I relished the views.

At each town that served as our base for the night, the meals were especially memorable. Not only did each dish nourish us, the flavors served as a reward after a long walk. We savored the pulpo de Galicia (Octpus) drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and spicy paprika, the homemade churros dipped in a thick hot chocolate, and the Spanish empanadas stuffed with a tomato and tuna mixture, and of course the wine.

The last day we walked six hours in a constant drizzle and light rain. We arrived ten minutes late for the pilgrim’s Mass at St. James Cathedral.

Someday, should God will it, I hope to join the thousands who have walked the entire Camino.

I return from my pilgrimage humbled and with lessons learned. I was reminded on the Camino that the journey won’t always be easy; we will face challenges along the way, and sometimes we need to slow our pace. Without sacrifice the arrival may not hold as much meaning.

The Camino enlightened me on the need let go and not carry so much on the journey. It also reminded me that we need to maintain balance in our lives, both spiritually and physically.

At the pilgrims' Mass at St. James Cathedral, the priest reminded us that the pilgrimage continues.

We each walk at a different pace on the journey. We don’t always walk side by side, but we are there to offer each other help along the way and wish each other a “Buen Camino.”



"Buen Camino"

We return from the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) with sore feet and aching muscles. We return as well blessed by the people we met along the way. Following an ancient pilgrimage path traveled by thousands upon thousands, my husband and I started our six-day walking journey from Sarria, in Galicia.

I knew the Camino would come with an abundance of stories, and some will take time to shape into poems or essays.  Day one presented me with one story I had not anticipated. It is a story about confronting my own limitations. It is a story about humility. I quickly realized, painfully, that I am out of shape and that I packed more than I needed for the trail.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

With flowers, songs, and prayers we celebrate our Virgencita Morena, nuestra madre celestial. 

Oración a la Virgen de Guadalupe
 

¡Oh Virgen Inmaculada,
Madre del verdadero Dios y Madre de la Iglesia!
Tú, que desde este lugar manifiestas
tu clemencia y tu compasión
a todos los que solicitan tu amparo;
escucha la oración que con filial confianza te dirigimos,
y preséntala ante tu Hijo Jesús, único Redentor nuestro.
Madre de misericordia, Maestra del sacrificio escondido y silencioso,
a Ti, que sales al encuentro de nosotros, los pecadores,
te consagramos también nuestra vida, nuestros trabajos,
nuestras alegrías, nuestras enfermedades y nuestros dolores.
Da la paz, la justicia y la prosperidad a nuestros pueblos;
ya que todo lo que tenemos y somos lo ponemos bajo tu cuidado,
Señora y Madre nuestra.
Queremos ser totalmente tuyos y recorrer contigo el camino
De una plena fidelidad a Jesucristo a su Iglesia:
No nos sueltes de tu mano amorosa.

Virgen de Guadalupe, Madre de las Américas, te pedimos por todos
Los Obispos, para que conduzcan a los fieles por senderos
de intensa vida cristiana, de amor y de humilde servicio a Dios
y a las almas.
Contempla esta inmensa mies, e intercede para que el Señor infunda hambre de santidad en todo el Pueblo de Dios, y otorgue abundantes vocaciones de sacerdotes y religiosos, fuertes en la fe y celosos dispensadores de los misterios de Dios.
Concede a nuestros hogares
la gracia de amar y de respetar la vida que comienza
con el mismo amor con el que concebiste en tu seno
la vida del Hijo de Dios.
Virgen Santa María, Madre del Amor Hermoso, protege a nuestras familias,
Para que estén muy unidas, y bendice a la educación de nuestros hijos.
Esperanza nuestra, míranos con compasión,
Enséñanos a ir continuamente a Jesús y, si caemos, ayúdanos
a levantarnos, a volver a Él, mediante la confesión de nuestra culpas
y pecados en el sacramento de la Penitencia,
que trae sosiego al alma.
Te suplicamos que nos concedas un amor muy grande a todos los santos sacramentos,
Que son como las huellas que tu Hijo nos dejó en la tierra.
Así, Madre Santísima, con la paz de Dios en la conciencia,
Con nuestros corazones libres de mal y de odios,
Podremos llevar a todos la verdadera alegría y la verdadera paz,
que vienen de tu Hijo, nuestro Señor Jesucristo,
que con Dios Padre y con el Espíritu Santo,
vive y reina por los siglos de los siglos.
Amén
México, enero de 1979.                      Juan Pablo II

"Peace is possible. Peace is urgent."

The Holy Father reminds us in his homily at the closing of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops that “we must never resign ourselves to the absence of peace.”

"Conflicts, wars, violence and terrorism have gone on for too long in the Middle East. Peace, which is a gift of God, is also the result of the efforts of men of goodwill, of the national and international institutions, in particular of the states most involved in the search for a solution to conflicts. We must never resign ourselves to the absence of peace. Peace is possible. Peace is urgent. Peace is the indispensable condition for a life worthy of humanity and society. Peace is also the best remedy to avoid emigration from the Middle East. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” we are told in the Psalm (122:6). We pray for peace in the Holy Land. We pray for peace in the Middle East, undertaking to try to ensure that this gift of God to men of goodwill should spread through the whole world."

Petra Beyond the Tourist Route

Petra, one of the new seven wonders of the world, gets crowded these days, especially when the cruise ships bus in crowds by the hundreds for a quick tour of this lost city in the desert.

Maneuvering through such crowds creates a challenge for those who want to focus on what it must have been like to discover the awesome structures carved into the mountians.

After making our way along with the hundreds filing through, we were left to explore on our own, and seven dinars bought us time on a donkey and a glimpse of Petra beyond the tourist.route. With just a couple of hours left in our day, a local Bedouin guided a fellow journalist and I through caves and ruins off the beaten path. We felt like explores as we made our way up the mountain.

But adventure comes with risk andI found myself praying at times that the donkey I was riding would not walk off one of the cliffs as we climbed some steep and narrow steps.

Building Understanding

Father Nabil Haddad, Executive Director of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center (JICRC) based in Amman, talked about promoting peace between faith traditions during a press briefing on Monday.