Ciudad Juárez.- On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of its foundation by Monsignor Baudelio Pelayo, this congregation of Juarez origin spoke of its beginnings, its work, its presence in the world and the restructuring that they are now undergoing.
Nereida Vargas, superior general of the order, detailed the origin of this congregation that stood out, along with the founding priest, as a promoter for the formal foundation of the diocese
“It was founded here in 1947, on September 15 was our canonical erection, we were founded by Monsignor Baudelio Pelayo, a diocesan priest who, being from Jalisco, was ordained for Chihuahua and was one of the first, he was one of the first priests, before Juárez was named a diocese.
The origin of the order was the great need that the priest perceived when he arrived in the city, there was a lack of religious instruction, since a parish covered large areas without attention, there was a lot of poverty, and when he arrived before the start of the Second World War and when it broke out, poverty was worse, said the nun.
“He had to attend to the great needs of the people, especially the children and the elderly who wandered the streets, he wanted to respond to these needs, it is obvious that one person cannot handle all the problems and he thought of bringing together a group of women to help him, to care for children, care for the elderly and also as catechists in the absence of religious instruction.
After this, Monsignor Baudelio Pelayo also had to found the congregation in 1947, he had to go to Rome to seek the approval of the congregation and after several difficulties he succeeded on February 24, 1947.
The religious stressed that this congregation, together with Baudelio Pelayo, promoted the official creation of the diocese. “Here in Ciudad Juárez, we were the ones who, together with the founding father, began the work so that the diocese of Ciudad Juárez could begin to be erected, we were one of the main promoters so that the diocese of Juárez had a canonical presence here.”
This Juarez religious community has a presence in various parts of the state and the country, even outside of Mexico Las Dolorosas have had and have a presence in Angola in central Africa and in Peru, however, they do not leave out the recognition of their work and their work in Juarez.
“Then we can say that our congregation throughout these 75 years has had a great presence with our apostolates, especially with two of the most important works, such as the Ciudad del Niño and the Senecú Asylum.”
“It fills us with joy to collect these fruits and achievements, embrace them with affection and gratitude, together with the people who have walked with us sharing that human Jesus. We ask you to continue praying for us, right now we are in a restructuring of the congregation”, he asked.
This Tuesday, September 13, the congregation organizes a panel to talk about the apostolate of the congregation and on Thursday at 5:00 in the afternoon a mass will be celebrated in the parish, El Señor de la Misericordia, to close with a celebration in the facilities of the congregation
Congregation of Missionaries of Maria Dolorosa celebrates 75 years