Las Crucens Gather To Watch Papal Mass In Juarez

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• published: 18 Feb 2016
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The excitement in the border region was building ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to Ciudad Juarez, and Las Cruces Catholics who couldn’t attend the papal mass or celebration in El Paso still felt that excitement. Holy Cross Catholic Church opened its doors for the papal mass to give people a chance to come together to hear the Pope’s message on the U.S.-Mexico Border. Parishioners Dave Lynch and Erlinda Portillo were glad they were able to have the community feel while listening to Pope Francis. “To be with family,” Lynch said. “You know this is a family here, and you can watch it at home, but it was great to share it with other people in the Parish, so that’s why I came out. We’ve been following him at home, so we wanted to watch it here with the rest of the Parish.” “It’s as close as we could get without being actually over there,” Portillo said. “And also because this is my parish, this is my church, and I think the atmosphere was right for us to be here, and for us to participate, we participated in all the parts of the Mass.” Norma Garcia teaches Religion on Wednesdays at Holy Cross, she says getting to see a papal mass in the church was a great lesson. “And I have 11 children and I wanted them to participate in the mass,” Garcia said. “And I’ve taught him about Pope Francis, and so I wanted them to see who he was.” Monsignor John Anderson, pastor of Holy Cross says it was important to share the webcast in church because it allowed the community to gather together to witness something special. “I think we as Catholics are very happy and very proud,” Anderson said. “ I never would have imagined the Pope would be this close to El Paso my hometown, and I won’t speak to others as to what there individual thoughts are, but I just admire the man so much. He’s done in just a short time, his travels, his messages, what he’s doing, trying to do, I think it’s wonderful.” Before the mass, Pope Francis said a prayer to migrants at the Rio Grande Levee and discussed the plight of those fleeing violence during the mass. The message hit home for Holy Cross Parishioner Erlinda Portillo. “My parents were immigrants,” Portillo said. “So, that resonates deeply because I wouldn’t be here talking to you had they not crossed that river, not once, not twice, but three times.” Portillo says she hopes the message reaches beyond the U.S. – Mexico Border. “We needed it,” Portillo said. “We needed it desperately. Not only on the border, but this whole nation. I think his message transcends all cultures, all nations, all states, all borders.” Monsignor Anderson says everyone who listens to Pope Francis’ message can learn something. “The Pope is not just talking to some ideal world out there,” Anderson said. “He’s talking to people of all ages, including little kids in grammar school to say what can you do to make a difference on this little small planet that we all live on.” Juarez was the last stop on the Pope’s 4-city tour of Mexico.