My Friend, David

As I sat behind my desk at the Hispanic Office of the Archdiocese, in walked a handsome young man. He had a scarf tied around his neck even though it was summer. He came to ask about something going on in his parish, but before long our conversation turned more personal.  He had cancer of the throat and was in the middle of Chemo therapy.  I felt bad that such a young man would have to be suffering with such a horrible disease. He told me he played the guitar and used to sing, but because of the cancer, he no longer sang.

During our conversation he told me how Our Lady of Guadalupe was going to see him through the ordeal. His faith impressed me and I mentioned that a group from the Archdiocese would be traveling to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. He began making plans to join us on the pilgrimage.

Our trip would be a six day trip beginning in Puebla, Mexico where we visited different churches and to Mexico City to see the pyramids and the shrine. During the trip, David and I talked about his family, his wife and children, his faith, and his cancer. I got to know him and joined in prayers that the cancer would go into remission.

Our first stop was in Puebla where we visited the church of St. Francis of Assisi. Beautiful tile covered the front of the church and I learned that Puebla is known for its Talavera pottery and tiles.  We saw the church of Our Lady of Ocotlan in Tlaxcala, a town about 75 miles from Mexico City. Supposedly there is  miraculous water that heals many persons. We traveled to the pyramid of the moon where Bishop Gomez was stopped by a stranger so that he could bless a religious object. The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the many devoted followers included a soccer team with each player carrying a bouquet of flowers for Our Lady.  What looked like piles of clothes were people sleeping after having traveled many miles to come see The Shrine. We took a group picture at the basilica and some of the highlights of the trip are posted below.

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I remember David did not join us on some of the outings because he wanted to rest. He did go to the Ballet Folklorico and enjoyed the great dancing from the different parts of Mexico. He did not go with us when we went to hear a Mariachi group in Plaza Garabaldi. Mariachi music can be heard in the Plaza and surrounding bars day and night!

 

We returned to Denver and David would come to visit me and each visit he told me he was better. He had even begun to sing at some of the masses. I believed the pilgrimage to Mexico must have helped him and we all relaxed.

I don't remember how much longer it was, maybe a year or two, when I heard he had passed away. I attended his funeral and it was beautiful with many people sharing stories about what a wonderful person he turned out to be during his short life.

His devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe makes me believe that he is always near her, possibly singing to her,
and watching over his family and friends.