Read about Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters in their newsletter, published three times a year.
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Sister Martha Molohon (right) with children at the weekly class.
Columbia, a small town in southern Kentucky, is the county seat of Adair County. It was seldom, until recent years, that anyone saw a person of color, especially Mexicans. However, in the few years that Sister Marilyn Schatz and I have been here, at least seven Hispanic families have become involved in our parish.
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
One of the parishioners, Pat Wethington, alerted us to these families. They were living in a trailer park where she was the owner of one of the trailers. Pat felt that the Church should welcome them and invite them to be part of the parish. Flyers were made and Pat placed them in the most frequented businesses in town. In response, seven families are now part of our parish.
We have celebrated Baptisms, First Communions and even a wedding in the past two years. Our religion classes have grown much larger because of the Hispanic children who are attending.
Sr. Marilyn Schatz with parish children.
A large picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe was given to our parish and is a focal point of welcome. The words on the shrine say: “I am your Mother.” It became a place of remembering their homeland and the devotion they have for “La Virgen.” The shrine helps to commemorate many occasions: remembering their dead on November 2 (all of whom are buried in Mexico); celebrating Advent; the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and other events. The children made their own “tilmas,” (a type of poncho) and wore them in a program to honor Mary on that day. We also get to practice our Spanish, not only Sr. Marilyn and I but also several people in the parish.
The presence of these families has been a blessing to our parish. We have been enriched by their culture as well as the gifts of faith that they have brought to us up north.
Our Lady of Victory Missonary Sisters is an American Missionary Congregation founded in 1922 — serving the poor and oppressed in a personal, non-institutional way
+ Proclaiming the Gospel + Working for Justice + Empowering the Laity
