Toribio Romo, the patron saint of immigrants. The statue is on loan to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by St. It will be in the Los Angeles area this weekend. A portion of an ankle bone of St. Toribio is in a reliquary in the 3-foot tall statue of the saint. On Friday, the relic will be visiting St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Reseda, where organizers expect 18, parishioners from as far away as Santa Barbara during its two-day stay. On Sunday a special Mass will be conducted at p. Temple St.
Late last week, the church welcomed a group of 46 Central Americans made up mostly of mothers and their children. Precious Singson, a volunteer who has helped organize the event in Reseda this weekend, said there will be Mass on separate days as well as mariachis and Aztec dancers. The priest who is accompanying the relics is the Rev. Speaking in Spanish, he addressed the Rancho Cucamonga group, sharing the history of St. Toribio Romo, who was martyred during the Cristero Wars, a counter-revolution against the Mexican government.
Born in , he was killed in by the anti-Catholic government for defending his religious beliefs. On Wednesday afternoon, a solemn reception and procession marked the arrival at Sacred Heart. After reciting a prayer, in both English and Spanish, Nwachukwu sprinkled the relic and those in attendance with holy water.
A steady stream of parishioners from the diocese, which covers San Bernardino and Riverside counties, came to Rancho Cucamonga, kneeling in front of the relic and touching its heart. Between stops at churches in Indio and Rancho Cucamonga, officials believe thousands in this area will have visited the relic, which will be in Corona at St. Edward Catholic Church, W. Fifth St. I realize these are children of God and we cannot ignore these children no matter who we are or where we are.
Wearing a silver necklace with the image of the Virgin Mary, her husband, Cardell Thompson, said he kneeled down and prayed in front of the relic. Thompson said he hopes this is the message those fighting for immigration reform will take from the visit. Fuentes, of Rancho Cucamonga ,said she felt privileged to have touched the relic and hopes those fighting for immigration reform do not give up and remain faithful. I hope whatever the outcome is that they still get treated decently and human beings.
