Footnote to “A Legacy of Love”

        

Silvia Gonzalez, Director of "Los Amiguitos" speaking with
Addan Rafael Flores Vivas, local artisan who accepted the commission.

On March 17, 2012 our Mission blog shared with our readers the joy and excitement of the 25^th anniversary celebration of the Mission’s Day Care Center, “Los Amiguitos”.  For that event, a statue of St. Vincent Pallotti was commissioned to mark the event and also to be a visible sign of gratitude to the Pallotines of the Immaculate Conception Province of New Jersey who have been the primary benefactors of the Center.  However, the artisan who was commissioned  did not honor his promise of having the statue ready for the date of the celebration. Since the pedestal was in place, a statue was needed.  So we looked to local artisans in the village of Dzitya known for their work with stone and wood.  We could not have been happier with the results and regretted that we did not consider local artisans in the first place.

From right to left, Addan Rafael Flores Vivas, his son Addan de Jesús Flores Martín who actually worked on the statue and José Luis Cauich Tuz, the brother in law to Addan de Jesús who helped set the 100 kilo stone statue on its pedestal.






 

 



Don Fermin Cetz Can, who has completed a number of construction projects for the Mission including the most recent work, preparing the pedestal for the statue of St. Vincent Pallotti.

Vincent Pallotti was born in Italy in 1795 and died in 1850. During his lifetime he was a champion for the poor and also founded the Society of the Catholic Apostolate.He was canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1963. His followers are the Pallotines and to this day, they have an international presence. They follow St. Vincent's motto, "The love of Christ impels us." (Caritas Christi urget nos).

Present day children and staff of
 "Los Amiguitos"
 pausing in their daily activities to have their picture taken with Saint Vincent Pallotti.