Year: 2004

Mexico and Back

Well, Lesley and I are back from Mexco City, and we had a great time. Mexico is a very colorful country with an interesting history. We stayed in Hostal Moneda which is just two blocks from the cathedral in El Centro Histórico. This month, there happened to be a market set up in the area around the cathedral, and the street to our hostal was closed. On my first day there, I saw six guys punching and kicking a guy as he lay in the street. Well, that sort of put me on edge for a while, so to relax I went to a family run restaurant nearby and had some chicken with Mole sauce: a traditional dish.

Lesley arrived the next day and I picked her up from the airport. We went back to the hotstal and looked around the area a bit more. That night we went to a really shnazzy authentic restaurant just a few blocks north of the Cathedral.

The next day was her friend’s consecration. We took a cab to La Universidad de Anáhuac and, after convincing the guards to let us in, walked up to the church. The chapel overlooks a large cliff with a valley at the bottom. There were many trees and you could see for miles; a breathtaking view.

Slowly people started to file in. Lesley and I conversed with a legionarian for about 30 min. His name was Hernán, I think. He went to the seminary at age 11. We shared some personal stories about our lives and talked about Mexico and the cerimony that was about to take place. Once inside I noticed the crucifix. It was very realistic, and was a bit distracting at first. I counted 45 priests as they entered, and there were even more seminarians and consecrated. The mass was beautiful, especially the homily, most of which I understood thanks to the celebrant’s calm, clear diction.

First, those who had already taken their promises/vows made a renewal. Then, Lesley’s friend Evan and the other young men went up to the altar one by one to make a promise of obedience, poverty, and chastity. It was a very powerful moment.

We spent the rest of the day with Evan and his family. Ron, our consecrated tour-guide, took us to a nice place for some eats, and we chatted away the afternoon. (I had Chiles en Nogada, a wonderful Mexican delicacy!)

The rest of the trip we spent with Evan and his family, seeing the sights of Mexico City. Monday we went to the Bascilica at Our Lady of Guadalupe. The following day we went to the old presidential palace and the museum in the downtown area. There is some beautiful art and many fascinating pieces of Mexican history to be seen there.

Well, it’s good to be back home I guess. I’m sure there will be more adventures to come.