Mass In The Fields

Every year the Migrant Ministry of Spirit of Christ Catholic Community sponsors two masses for the field workers. I have been to a few, but yesterday it not only was a mass, but there was entertainment along with pizza and dessert. The celebration included Sister Molly's 60th anniversary of being a nun and Rev. Msgr. Jorge de Los Santos celebrated his birthday plus 25 years of being a priest. Sister Molly has been active in Migrant Ministry for most of her life!

Volunteers brought table and chairs and set them up. Others placed the food on tables. An altar was set up and a young woman sang while another lady played the guitar. It took many hands to get ready for the celebration and when it was all over, it took just as many hands to take everything down.

The camp is near Platteville and surrounded by corn fields and yellow sun flowers. The area where the mass was celebrated is rough with rocks, patches of weeds, out door potties, laundry hanging on a fence and no trees for shade. It is an area not conducive to a home. The workers live in poor conditions to earn money to take back to Mexico to support their families.

The workers' lodging is in an apartment-like building and I heard that it is four men to a room. I am sure the workers appreciated having a mass, having people who cared, the entertainment, the many bundles of donated paper products and the food. I found out that all of the workers are from the Guanajuato area which is in Central Mexico.

When you think about people working under the hot sun and doing back breaking work, it makes one appreciate the crops of corn, cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, cabbage, peppers and beans that end up at grocery stores and on our tables.

After the Folkloric Ballet dancers performed, everyone lined up to eat pizza and dessert. I got to practice my Spanish with a lady and her friends. They, of course, wanted to practice their English!

Congratulations to the Migrant Ministry for a job well done and for helping make the day a success!

"Every time we sit at table at night

or in the morning to enjoy the

fruits and grains and vegetables from

our great earth, remember that they

come from work of men and women

and children who have been

exploited for generations."

Cesar Chavez

Sunflowers and Sunset on our drive home!