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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) …