The twinning of Pauiní’s mission with the Parish of Saint Rita in Madrid begins to produce fruits

There are four chapels of the Parish of Saint Augustine de Pauiní: Saint Francisco, Saint Cosme and Saint Damián, Saint Rita and Our Lady of Guadalupe. The amount of money indicated will be allocated for the renovation project of the chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Project

This project aims to rebuild the chapel replacing the wood with which it was built by brick, as well as the acquisition of materials and economic resources in order to continue the work and missionary actions. Next to the temple, the project includes the purchase of small land next to the chapel to be able to build a small hall that will serve the aforementioned community works. It is also intended to create a small room for meetings and catechetical activities, as there is no proper place and there are many groups from 6 to 16 years old. The project also includes the acquisition of liturgical and pastoral material.

History of the chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The first steps towards the construction of the chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe were taken in 1996. The construction was then entirely made of wood (10×7 meters) and featured the donation of an altar and 12 benches from a riverside community in which its chapel was in ruins.

The project of the new chapel was developed by the Augustinians recollects of the time, including two Mexicans. The rural exodus of the coastal families of Alto Pauiní and its tributaries changed the urban settings, and in the neighborhood in which the riverbanks were installed, geographically located at the end of the municipality, new religious expressions were generated that strongly accentuated popular religiosity.

It is a neighborhood of simple people, but of firm and genuine faith, which reveals the importance of Mary’s role in the history of salvation from revelation in Mexico in the Tepeyac to the Indian Juan Diego, mainly with the practices of praying the rosary, promises to the popular saints of riverside reality (Sao Francisco and Sao Sebastiao)and other devotional expressions that show popular piety in such a profound way.

The Christian community has gone through several phases in both the structural and human senses. Today the face of the community is that of a young group seeking to carry out its own mission in the ecclesial and social sphere.

In 2009 the chapel was renovated thanks to the help of the people who contributed simply and effectively to the new image of the temple. Many participated in this work, mainly the Mexican Marian Missionary Sisters, who assumed to be at the forefront of the mission in 1999.

The Christian community

In short, the community is a community with very deep Christian roots in which the laity plays a very important role and has become the main axis of ecclesial action in the simple people. However, for material improvements, various activities have to be carried out for two or three years in order to finance them.

“There are many difficulties, but we do not give up, because we believe in the Creator God who will look after the needs of our community of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” says parish priest Ioseph Shonibare,who adds: “We believe that these constructions will help us evangelize by being able to have more suitable places and more welcoming spaces, in addition to the pastoral resources that will enable us to meet our needs.”

The poverty of these people is great and they need to count on the charity and generosity of those who can help them in any way.