AMERICA/MEXICO - If workers cannot go to church, we bring the church to the company

Friday, 26 April 2019 missionary animation priests work

MEXICO

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Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - "Personal parishes for companies" are an initiative born shortly before the arrival, at the head of the Archdiocese of Mexico City, of Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, and supported by him. The goal is to bring the Church closer to people who want to be part of it, but face the obstacle of long working days, long distances and traffic. If workers cannot go to church, we bring the church to the company.
Three parishes have been active for about a year at the Roshfrans, Bimbo and SICASA companies, which respectively produce oils and lubricants, food and air-conditioning, sanitary and electrical systems. A fourth parish is being created. Priests administer the sacraments regularly, offer spiritual assistance and catechetical and biblical formation to the workers.
Fr. Guillermo Vázquez, a priest at Roshfrans company, expressed to Agenzia Fides his satisfaction. "I am very happy to be one of the pioneers of this 'church that goes forth', as the Pope would say. The workers are happy - he says - but I am the happiest, because visiting these places regularly I realize that many people today do not go to church, not because they do not want to, but because they do not have time. Because they spend a lot of time at work in addition to the one used for traveling to and from their homes". To have an idea of the distances, Fr. Guillermo must leave the house at 6 am to reach the company in time for the 9:00 am mass.
Mexico City occupies a vast basin and has a metropolitan population of over 22 million inhabitants. Fr. Vázquez celebrates a monthly mass in the company and dedicates days to confessions, to the spiritual direction of those who request it and holds catechesis meetings specific moments of the liturgical year.
The general director of Roshfrans, Sergio Platonoff, considers the parishes as personal gifts of the Church, and declares that being able to have one "is a privilege". "When I arrived, I joined the team - confirms the parish priest -. There was already a person in charge of the pastoral care there, and this helped a lot to strengthen the activity". (SM) (Agenzia Fides, 26/4/2019)