The CPU - not the Central Processing Unit!

I’m getting to know what my work here will be. I’ve assumed the responsibility of directing the Centro de Proyección Universitaria aka the Centre for University Projection. It makes more sense in Spanish! It’s essentially a chaplaincy aimed (projected?) at university students. Some refer to the work as the University Parish, but there is divided opinion on whether or not it is a real university parish. I might find that out some day…

The local bishop asked the Society of Mary to develop this work, and soon after they built a monolithic three story building to house the work and the Marist community. It is big, very big! The local provincial calls it the bunker! It certainly resembles Soviet era architecture. 

The CPU Building

Soon the building is to have another purpose as well. The third story is being developed – making 10 accommodation rooms for the Mexican seminarians. I’m to have something to do with them as well, it seems. It’s still a little vague just what. For the time being I’m living and helping out at the nearby Marist parish of San Bernardino.

The other two floors have teaching spaces, administration, library, a kitchen and the usual amenities. It also includes an space called the Chapel – a misnomer for a huge auditorium with a sloping floor, with room for seating around 250 people.

The Youth arriving for Mass

There are around 7 or 8 groups that meet in the CPU. They are well organized – at least in theory! Their principle meetings are mostly on Saturday afternoon, beginning at 5.00pm and finishing with Mass at 7.00pm. There are groups for University students, for youth and for adolescents.

The group (called apostolado or apostolate) leaders meet during the week – with at least one meeting beginning at 9.00pm! The emphasis is heavily on formation – human and religious. Each group runs two retreats over a weekend each year. One group is a mission group. They visit a rural village over Holy Week and do mostly catechesis and visitation.

Fr Jean, Seminarian David and "Coco" as altar server during the Saturday night Vigil Mass at the CPU

Each group has leaders involved in coordination of the group, finances and formation. And these meet at least once a month among themselves and with the director of the CPU – me! I’ll be heavily involved in doing some of the formation work with leaders and the groups.

From the little I’ve seen and experienced so far, it seems there is some room for developing these groups – extending them, and in some cases re-directing them back to their original purpose. For example, the University Students’ Group. There are few university students left in the group, they are mostly young adults – and yet there are 50,000 students at the State University across the road!

The local deanery also runs a theological training school for laity out of the building. This isn’t really connected with the CPU, but provides some valuable income for the work. I’m wondering if we could have other learning opportunities offered too...

After Mass

There is also some scope for developing the CPU as a place where students hang out during the day between classes –for study and just for relaxation – with someone on hand to be a support for them, spiritually and humanly. There’s space outside for half a basketball court and maybe court soccer. And I’ve already got my eye on a Ping-Pong table and a Foosball table!

Cristiada – The Cristeros War

Yesterday the movie Cristiada  (English title: For the Greater Glory) was released in Mexico. There’s a huge billboard on the road near the Centro de Proyección Universitaria. The movie is based on the war of the Cristeros (so named because of their battle cry “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”) against the Federal Government here in Mexico.

I’d heard about the anti-clerical laws in Mexico, some of which were only repealed in 1992. Some were still in force – for example, public religious services are banned without the permission of the government. This law was repealed just before the visit of the Pope! 

The church is still prohibited from owing media such as newspapers, radio and television. I noticed on the entry visa card I had to fill in there was a space for identifying your employment  - among the options were "Student", "Unemployed", "Worker" and "Minister of Religion". I wondered if: a) I was going to be refused entry by ticking "Minister of Religion" and b) they didn't consider being a priest was working! I was allowed in.

The Cristeros War, after brewing for a few years, broke out in 1927. Its immediate causes are in the severe application by President Plutarco Elias Calles of the anticlerical application provisions in the post revolutionary constitution of 1917. As he was a founder of the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) some see a political agenda in releasing the film now. Mexico will elect their next president later this year. The candidate of the PRI is one of the front runners.

Government Forces with Mass ornaments taken from Cristeros after their failed attempt to attack a train. The caption makes reference to the leadership of the "Bandit Friars Angulo, Vega and Vizcarra".

Under Elias Calles’ application of the anticlerical laws, priests were forbidden to wear clerical garb in public, priests were imprisoned for criticising the government, Church property was confiscated and desecrated, foreign priests and religious were expelled, monasteries, convents and Catholic Schools were closed.

In response the Church suspended all activity, including Masses and other celebrations for almost four years. Catholics, including some priests took up arms agains the Federal Government.

The banner across the tabernacle reads: "He is not here".

There is a fuller treatment of the issue at (where else?!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristero_War

The Society of Mary had a parish in Mexico City that catered for French citizens living here. They were not too affected by the conflict – they kept a low profile and Mexico City was not a conflict zone.

The war, while it was a bloody and cruel conflict, popped up several interesting characters – including Frs  Aristeo Pedroza and José Reyes Vega, who both became Generals in the Cristeros’ Army. Aristeo was known as the “Pure One” for his moral discipline. Fr Reyes on the other hand was known for his dissolute life and cruelty in battle. A cardinal called him a “black hearted assassin”! Both priests were killed in action.

Father General Miguel Anguiano Márques and some of his troops. He died in Mexico City in 1975.

The film centres around the character of General Enrique Gorostieta Velarde, who, bizarrely an anti-clericial liberal atheist, took up the military leadership of the Cristeros Army. Gorostieta did so motivated by the high pay he was offered, a desire to defend the rights of his wife (played by Eva Longoria – former desperate housewife!) to practice her faith and probably some political ambition. Apparently he took to wearing a crucifix and asserting that God was his strength. I’m off to see it tomorrow!

I've been in Toluca now for three days. Fr Jean, the Mexican Provincial, and a seminarian, David, picked me up at the modern clean (unlike LAX!) airport in Mexico City. David drove, and got lost twice, which pleased me. I was totally lost! The journey to Toluca took an hour and 40 minutes - almost all of it on a motorway and in the built up area of Mexico City. It is big! Very big - more than 20 million souls live in Mexico City.
I'm living for the moment in the Marist Parish of St Bernard of Siena. The parish is near the place I'll eventually be living in, the Centro de Proyección Universitaria (known as the CPU). The CPU is under going remodeling as it'll become the Mexican Province's formation house. It's scheduled for completion in August.
This is the parish church:

I'm in community here with Frs Jean and Oscar (the parish priest) and David - Fr Jean was born in France, but has lived here for more than thirty years. The other two are Mexicans. Both Jean and David leave in a month or so. David goes to Rome to continue his studies at the new international Marist theologate there and Jean will go to another house in Mexico (here they refer to Mexico City as "Mexico" or sometimes just "DF" - for Distrito Federal). Other Marists will come here in August, along with the seminarians.

Here's some initial shots of the interior of the parish church - which, by the way, dates from the 1600's!

The interior of the Church

La Virgen Dolorosa

El Divino Niño

 Loads of statues in the church - cared for with great devotion, but perhaps not quite as we would like them!













Toluca lies at 2667 metres above sea level. I've been a bit breathless if, say, I climb the stairs too quickly, and I have had a bit of a headache, but these effects are disappearing as I acclimatize.

The nights are cool - even cold - at night and so far, sunny and warm during the day. The air is very dry. It rained briefly yesterday evening but dried up quickly. The city has an alpine feel about it, similar to what I experienced in the Andes of Peru - thin dry air and bright sun.

The metropolitan city population is 1,610,000 which only puts it at eight in the list of largest Mexican cities! It is clean and well maintained - although the traffic is totally chaotic! People seem to stroll rather than stride as in other large cities. Perhaps because of the altitude?