By Monsignor Michael Flannery
SALTILLO, MEXICO – On Thursday, April 12 Bishop Joseph Kopacz and I began our annual visit to the mission in Saltillo, Mexico. The highlight of this year’s visit was a side-trip for the diaconal ordination of Adolfo Suarez Pasillas in his home parish in Aguascalientes.
Fathers David Martinez and Evelio Casarubias, the priests of the mission, met us at the airport to bring us on the 70-mile drive to Saltillo in time for 6 p.m. Mass at Divine Mercy Church, dedicated by Bishop Kopacz two years ago. After Mass, a delicious meal was served honoring our arrival.
The following morning (Friday), we were on the road at 7 a.m. to visit the ranchos (mountain villages), accompanied by five altar servers and three musicians. Our first stop was the village of San Francisco to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. Seldom, if ever, do the mountain villages see a bishop. Under normal circumstances, a villager must travel to the cathedral church for confirmation, bringing family and sponsors with him/her and maybe stay overnight. Therefore, bishop’s visit is a great savings for the families. After confirmation, we all shared a big breakfast with the villagers and newly confirmed.
In the course of that day we left the State of Coahuila into State of Zacatecas, visiting the villages of Jalapa, Anima, Sabanilla, Garambullo and Tapon. Tapon is the most remote village and takes six hours of travel to get there. Most of the way follows a bouncy trail, traveling approximately five-to-seven miles an hour. Our last stop of the day was el Rancho el Cuervo, a famous hunting camp where the gracious host had prepared a delicious meal. In all, it was a full day for Bishop Kopacz, having celebrated three ceremonies of Confirmations, four celebrations of the Word and Holy Communion and one blessing of the villagers.
Saturday, Bishop Don Raul Vera, bishop of Saltillo, joined Bishop Kopacz to bless the cornerstone of a new church, San Jose. The blessing took place outdoors under an improvised shade. The excitement of the 200 villagers was amazing. They participated in the Mass with great reverence and enthusiasm. The reality of having their own worship space was within view. Bishop Vera preached the homily. He spoke of cooperating with the bishops of Texas and the Mexican bishops whose dioceses were adjacent to the U.S. border. This newly-formed group of bishops were in the process of drafting a letter to President Trump pleading with him not to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Bishop Kopacz, paraphrasing Pope Francis, spoke of building bridges such as the bridge which the Dioceses of Biloxi and Jackson has had with the Diocese of Saltillo for 49 years.
After Mass, we travelled on to Presa San Pedro for the celebration of Confirmation for villagers from La Rosa, La Purisima and La Ventura. Again, it was a great festival of faith. Before leaving, Bishop Kopacz made a home visit to a lady who suffered from cerebral palsy. She was now 24 years of age and weighed no more than 45 pounds. She had never spoken and only made guttural sounds. The family was very appreciative of the bishop’s visit.
On Sunday morning, back in Saltillo, we had a Mass at 9 a.m. at Divine Mercy Church including several baptisms, and a breakfast with the senior citizens. After the meal we joined a procession four blocks from the church led by Aztec dancers, who were on their way to the largest Mass of the day at 1p.m. Again, Bishop Kopacz was the main celebrant, accompanied by Bishop Vera. Celebrations continued until 11p.m. Bishop also visited the grave of Father Patrick Quinn, the founder of the mission and a local seminary during his weekend in Saltillo.
On Tuesday we were off to Aguascalientes for the ordination. After a rehearsal we shared a meal with Adolfo’s delightful family. On Wednesday morning Adolfo showed us the historic sites of Aguascalientes. The town was making extensive preparations for the three-week Fair of San Marcos, an annual festival attended by several million people from all over Mexico. This musical festival is an unbroken tradition for 190 years. Locals allege more beer would be consumed over the three-week period of the fair than during the remainder of the calendar year.
The Mass of ordination took place in Adolfo’s home town of Jesus Maria at the parish church of Jesus of Nazareth at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18. Bishop Kopacz presided over the Mass with a packed church of an estimated 500 people, another 400 had gathered in the courtyard. The support from the parishioners was incredible. The vicar general of the Diocese of Aguascalientes welcomed Bishop Kopacz to the diocese.
He remarked that the parish of Jesus of Nazareth was the most spiritual parish of the whole diocese. The Diocese of Aguascalientes ordains an average of 12 priests per year and presently has enough of a surplus that some of their priests are serving in other areas of Mexico. In fact, the vicar mentioned sharing some priests with the Diocese of Jackson.
Father Kent Bowlds, pastor of Cleveland Our Lady of Victories parish, where Adolfo has served, made the trip for this joyful event. He gave the testimonial of readiness of the candidate. After the ordination we adjourned to a nearby salon where we were greeted by a Mariachi band and the celebration continued until 11 p.m. When he returns to Jackson, Deacon Suarez Pasillas will be assigned to Jackson St. Therese Parish for the year before he is ordained a priest.
In all, it was a packed week, a tremendous experience of faith-sharing and a great blessing for all participants. On our trip home, Bishop Kopacz was already making plans for his return journey in the coming year when he will hopefully bless the newly constructed church of San Jose and participate in the golden jubilee of the foundation of the Saltillo Mission. The good work begun by Fr. Patrick Quinn, the founder of the Saltillo Mission still continues in its outreach to the poor.

(Editor’s note: More extensive coverage of Deacon Adolfo’s ordination will appear in the June 29 edition of Mississippi Catholic along with all ordination for this year.)
(Msgr. Michael Flannery is a retired priest for the Diocese of Jackson. He has written a book about the Saltillo mission, available at Madison St. Francis Parish.)