Partners in Mission Assist Redemptorist Formation
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April 2, 2025I recently accompanied my husband, Francisco, on a three-month trip to Mexico City, his city of birth. Francisco planned to spend part of his sabbatical leave at two universities, but knowing that Fr. Patrick Keyes is serving in the Province of Mexico, I reconnected with him. Considering the pending unification of the Provinces of Denver, Baltimore, and Mexico, as well as the North American Conference novitiate nearby on the outskirts of Mexico City.Fr. Patrick asked me to consider teaching English to Mexican men who are at different stages in discerning their call to Redemptorist religious life while I was in Mexico City. The men currently reside at Santísima Trinidad (Holy Trinity), a parish served by the Redemptorists in the heart of Mexico City.
We planned a weekly two-hour English language session. Given the limited time and the fact that most of the men were at the beginner level and had other commitments, I decided to focus on vocabulary building and practical conversational English skills essential for day-to-day interactions. Based on their feedback about what they thought would be helpful, I customized the program, incorporating relevant content and cultural comparisons between Mexico, Canada, and the USA. Each week I prepared teaching materials based on the themes for that session.
Although I am at the advanced intermediate level in Spanish − but with Francisco fluent in Spanish and English − we decided to team teach, with him translating as necessary to facilitate the sessions. The students also asked for topics specific to Catholic and Redemptorist life, so I incorporated Catholic and Redemptorist content into the sessions.In Mexican culture, the main daily meal is in the midafternoon. The community graciously invited us to join them for this meal. In preparing teaching materials, I discovered “Redemptorist Meal Prayers” online. We prayed the appropriate prayer together in English before the meal, and the one after we finished the meal.Conducting this program allowed Francisco and me to become better acquainted with the Province of Mexico. We enjoyed getting to know these fellows from different areas of Mexico. It was a privilege to teach them, share time with them, and also to learn from them.Santísima Trinidad is located in the historic center of Mexico City, near the zócalo, the common name of the main square in Mexico City.
Following the February 5 session, we revisited the centuries-old magnificent Metropolitan Cathedral, which borders one side of the zócalo. Having visited this cathedral many times during previous trips to visit Francisco’s family, I had never paid much attention to some of its small chapels and altarpieces because often these are unlit. However, we noticed an unusually well lit chapel during this visit, so we stopped to examine it. At first, I thought I was imagining things … Is that a painting of St. Alphonsus in the retablo high above the chapel’s altar? It was! This chapel is dedicated to the founders of religious orders. I was delighted to see that St. Alphonsus has center stage!