Events

Holy Saturday in San Miguel is mostly quiet as the city waits for the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, when the events of Holy Week will come to an end.  This quiet day is the feast of Our Lady of Solitude, a patroness …

Today is a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection featuring huge piñatas that explode over the jardin.  The piñatas feature politicians, Judas and celebrities not in good public favor whose dismembered paper body parts are quickly gathered by local children and sold to visitors. It is an emotional …

The Divine Mercy is a Roman Catholic devotion to the merciful love of God and the desire to let that love and mercy flow through one’s own heart towards those in need of it.  The devotion is based on the apparitions of Jesus received by Saint Faustina. Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday after Easter placing emphasis on the …

Santa Cruz (The Holy Cross) commemorates Saint Helena of Constantinople, mother of Constantine the Great, making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to find the original Holy Cross. In pre-Hispanic tradition, the date relates to the return of the rains and the indigenous’ belief that a cross’ four …

Santa Cruz (The Holy Cross) began when Constantine the Great ‘s mother, Saint Helena of Constantinople, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land returning with the original Holy Cross and other relics. The month starts in Puerto de Calderon, on the road to Celeya, the …

Saint Isidore the Farmer (San Isidro Labrador) was a day laborer known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the patron saint of farmers and the harvest. The story of St. Isidore is a reminder of the dignity of work, and that ordinary life can …

Saint Pascal Baylon was a 1500’s Spanish friar and the patron saint of the Eucharist.  Pascal (Pacual in Spanish) was born on the Feast of Pentecost, hence the name Pascal, a variation of the Spanish word for Pentecost.  (The Pentecost is when, after being crucified, Jesus returns to give the …

When I was a child the Infant of Prague sat upon my upright piano I spent many years practicing on.  The only time I saw the statue move was during our Hershey, PA church’s annual summer parish picnic.  My Irish mother moved him towards facing …

Phillip Neri was a 1500’s Italian priest noted for founding a society of clergy called the “Congregation of the Oratory” known for their music, called oratorios. All members of his order had to be over 35 years old (having lived a secular life) and were able to not only bring …

Valle Del Maiz is one of San Miguel’s oldest neighborhoods and has strong indigenous roots. The festival honors the Holy Cross (Santa Cruz), and goes on for days reflecting when the Spanish gave three days off work to resident Otomis and Chichimeccas. It’s one my …

The still popular image of the Virgin of the Light began in 1722 Sicily.  The painting depicts the Virgin holding a man avoiding his falling into the jaws of Leviathan (an evil sea monster from the Old Testament who swallows men’s souls into the Sea of Chaos) …

Let me state up front, there is no formal connection on June second between San Miguel de Allende, and Saint Blandina, the very first female saint.  However, I thought you may enjoy this story of a more informal relationship between Blandina and life in San Miguel …