Christmas 2011

This week we celebrated Christmas at the Center, beginning with the youth group's pizza party and gift exchange last Saturday.

On Tuesday the children of the Homework Help program celebrated their Christmas Posada. The tradition of  posada is familiar in Mexico and throughout the US Southwest. For nine nights before Christmas Mary and Joseph visit homes looking for a place to lodge. Songs and prayers accompany the pilgrimage. After being turned away several times they finally are allowed to enter a home and the celebration continues with warm food and drink. The tutors played the rolls of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men.

Then the primary school children enjoyed nachos and each received a wrapped gift to take home. These gifts were made possible through the generosity of parishioners at All Saints Catholic Community and St. Patrick's Cathedral Parish in El Paso as well as other donors.

For many of these children the gifts they received and the party they attended at Centro Santa Catalina will be their Christmas celebration. Many families will be lucky to find the resources to make a few tamales for Christmas dinner.

One mother told us that her four children could not attend the parties at their school because each child was asked to contribute about three dollars as well as a sack of candy. The cumulative cost was prohibitive for this family where the father is out of work because of serious injuries suffered in a beating by the police. One of the girls in this family received a bracelet-making kit; she was delighted and immediately began making gifts for her mother, sisters and friends.

On Wednesday the kindergarten children sang and danced for their parents and grandparents. One class presented the drama of Los Pastores, the story of the shepherds' visit to Bethlehem to see the Infant Jesus. In this story the shepherds first encounter a devil who tries to lead them astray. However, an angel tells them which way they need to follow and does battle with the devil until he is conquered. The moral: good wins out in the end!

The kindergarten children then enjoyed a meal and were also given wrapped gifts to take home. Their packages included a toy and a warm sweat suit, gifts of parishioners at Western Hills Methodist Church in El Paso.

We are so grateful to the generous donors who make Christmas possible for the families at Centro Santa Catalina! !Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!