News

Nothing brings out the crowds like a good party--and a good party is what we had at the Center this morning. The day dawned cool after some welcome overnight showers. A few clouds kept the sun from beating down on us as we gathered outside.

The honored guests were the mothers of all the children in the tutoring program as well as the mothers of the teens in the youth group. Each class had practiced a dance to entertain their mothers.

This morning we received the sad news that one of the members of the sewing cooperative died this weekend after a short illness. Martha Solis has been a part of our "family" for the last fourteen years. She was in charge of packaging all the items that the cooperative makes. She was also a member of the finance committee. Because she had a passport and visa she also helped with sales in El Paso and frequently spoke about the Center to various groups. More importantly Martha was a friend!

We begin the holiest week of the year for Christianity--and we wish all of you blessings and grace!

As is our tradition on Saturday the children of the tutoring program led the community in the walk called the Way of the Cross. Children dressed in costume to represent the Roman soldiers, Pontius Pilate, the women who encountered Jesus on his way to die, Mary and, of course, Jesus himself.

Our kindergarten teachers and students celebrated the arrival of spring with dances prepared to delight family and friends. On Friday March 22nd, the last day of school before the Holy Week/Easter vacation break the sounds of music and laughter drew people off the street to enjoy good food and fun.

This event was also a fundraiser for the kindergarten. We now have raised enough money to paint all the kindergarten classrooms, thanks to the wonderful food donated by parents.

The day has many names--Saint Valentine's Day, the Day of Love, the Day of Friendship. Whatever name you prefer, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could celebrate love and friendship every day instead of just once a year? That is exactly what we try to do at Centro Santa Catalina--make every day a celebration of community and friendship.

The children in the tutoring program left their studies aside on February 14th and enjoyed time for friends, food and fun.

On a recent cold morning the kindergarten children were learning all about the letter M. It's easy for adults to forget how much there is to learn at that age.

The simple lesson included capital M's and small m's, manipulating pieces of pasta into M shapes, painting the M's creatively and then cleaning up one's own work space. Along the way there was time to talk about those children whose names begin with M--Manuel, Marbella, Mireya and Miranda, among others. 

 Once a month all the women who participate in our spirituality and leadership program meet for two hours of prayer, reflection and sharing. Whether they come on Monday morning, Monday afternoon or Saturday afternoon all enjoy the same experience of community and support. Some of these women have participated for several yeyars while others may have been invited for the first time.

The first week of January brought six inches of snow to our colonia, a sight rarely seen in our area! The kindergarten children returned to school the following week with stories of sledding, building snowmen and having snowball fights. The teachers took the opportunity to create a lesson about snow.

Celebrating Christmas was a two-day event for our kindergartners (even more if you count all the practicing!)

The children presented a program of song and dance for parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters on Friday. Despite the fact that many of these children live in very poor homes they all dressed in their finest and brought their happiest faces for the event. The teachers earlier in the week had taken pictures of each child and placed them in handmade frames as a gift for the parents.

Today is the last day of "classes" for our children in grades one through six until January. The tutors dressed as Santa's elves to make the day more special. The morning began with the traditional asking for "posada." One group, including Joseph and Mary, the shepherds and the kings, stood outside the chapel doors begging for entrance while the group inside at first seemed ready to turn them away. Finally, when they relalized that it was indeed Joseph and Mary, the Queen of Heaven, who were asking for shelter, they relented and gave them admittance.