FOREIGN MISSION OUTREACH
The Church in Colonia Lomas Taurinas
The Church: Jesús Principe
de Paz
The principal church in Lomas Taurinas began as a small
chapel built by the first settlers of the Colonia. It was named San Agustín (St. Augustine).
The little chapel was built of scrap wood and sheet metal, and mea
sured about 10 feet by 10 feet. Around
1990, the government bulldozed the chapel to make way for a new school.
The people protested vehemently, and demanded a place for a church.
The government refused to listen, and the protest of the people
escalated.
When the Mexican government refused to give land
for a church, the people of the community
built a makeshift chapel of wood and plastic sheeting.
(It is shown at right).
This
became a focal point for
24-hour non-stop prayer.
People would be in the little chapel day and night, praying that
they could have their own land
for a church. In the interim, Sunday
Mass was celebrated outdoors by a priest from a nearby parish.
(See the photo at left.)
The story got to the Tijuana newspapers, and the prayer vigil
softened hearts of the officials. The
people of Lomas Taurinas eventually got their land,
Today
Lomas Taurinas has its own beautiful church, named Jesús Principe de
Paz (Jesus, Prince of Peace), and their own resident priest.
(The new church is shown in the photo at right.) Our Lady of Refuge again played a role in the establishment of this
Church.
Our parish donations included a tabernacle, vestments and
money for the marble floor
in the sanctuary.
In
addition to the parish church of Jesús Principe de Paz, the Indian
community in Lomas Taurinas has its own Chapel - San Gerónimo (St.
Jerome). Our Lady of Refuge helped the Indian community
by paying for materials used in construction of the roof. (The photo
at left shows Antonia, the Indian chief and a number of the Indian
children standing in front of the Chapel of San Gerónimo.)
To continue the story, click on the link below:
[The People of Tijuana]
OUTREACH MINISTRIES
