Día de los Locos takes place on the Sunday closest to June 13, St. Anthony’s feast day. St. Anthony is the saint you beseech to find anything lost, including people. Though the flamboyant procession of costumes and masks of politicians, actors, cartoon characters and monsters …
Jardin Warfare!
St. Michael the Archangel is one of Catholic Church’s three archangels (Garbriel and Raphael are the others). He vanquished Satan from Paradise. He is also the Angel of Death, weighing souls in his perfectly balanced scales (hence the saint is often depicted holding scales). Since archangels are considered …
The Allure of Cobblestones
Often on tours I talk of St. Theresa who wrote frequently about being one with God. When one with God, St. Theresa would levitate and have orgasms, known as her ecstasies. If you ride a city bus to the mall, you’ll notice a life-sized image …
Rehearsing for St. Mike’s Day
Last Sunday was the rehearsal for the festivities of St. Michael’s feast day, which comes up in late September. The rehearsal procession was itself long and fascinating. It was laced with symbolism, including the dead, Jesus’ crucifixion buddy and a bullish master of ceremonies, who …
Fiestas for French Royalty
St. Louis (San Luis Rey) is a unique saint being only French royalty to make the cut to sainthood. Poor cake-eating Marie Antionette didn’t even come close. I’ve pondered for some time why St. Louis has multiple cities, churches and babies of both genders named for him …
La Alborada: Celebrating our Namesake
By Joaquin Sierra Rangel The Saturday before the feast of St. Michael the Archangel La Alborada has been carried out for nearly 100 years, since 1924. The long history involves our factory, railroad and nuns alongside stars, music and gunpowder. The factory opened in 1902 …
Speaking Engagements
There’s nothing quite like telling a great story live. These are a selection of talks I’ve given to academics, party-goers, conference attendees, church groups, businesses and civic associations. Each talk is tailored to the audience and venue but they share a respect for the material, …