by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
MEXICO CITY — Catholics in the archdiocese and beyond are invited to go on pilgrimage here with Archbishop Emeritus Joseph F. Naumann from March 5-8, 2027, through World Villages for Children: Sisters of Mary.
“If you want to see the Gospel in action, go there,” said Father Nicholas Ashmore, pastor of Our Lady of Unity Parish in Kansas City, Kansas.
“If you want to see how our Lord calls us to become one with the poor and live with the poor and how that can be transformative for the life of the whole region, go and visit,” he said.
Father Ashmore and Father Brian Schieber, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood, will be attending the pilgrimage.
They hope to have an additional priest or bishop sign up. A Spanish-speaker is a bonus.
Pilgrims will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Sisters of Mary Girlstown in Chalco, where Father Ashmore spent time this summer.
Archbishop Naumann visited Girlstown earlier this year and was inspired by the mission of the Sisters of Mary, who were founded in South Korea by missionary Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz.
“It’s like walking into the acts of the apostles when you go into this Girlstown,” said Archbishop Naumann.
“It was an extraordinary experience to see the impact of these Sisters and the joy and the hope that these girls have,” he added. “It really changes their lives.”
The Sisters act as mothers to more than 3,200 girls ages 12 to 17 living at Girlstown.
“[The Sisters] go into the poorest of the poor communities and often save these kids from all the various things that can occur — whether it’s human trafficking or the cartel or general neglect and abuse,” said Father Ashmore.
Once at the school, the girls receive an education to set them up for economic success, as well as medical and dental care and counseling.
Father Ashmore emphasized the spiritual benefits of a pilgrimage like the one to Girlstown.
“So many of the saints in the course of their lives had encounters with poverty that changed them,” he said.
“That encounter with poverty is not something optional for us as Christians,” he continued. “We can’t turn our head. We can’t turn away.
“We have to be able to have our heart broken by that in order for us to be able to truly have the compassionate hearts of Christ that he’s calling us to.”
He hopes many will join him on the journey next March.
“I would encourage anybody to go down,” said Father Ashmore, “because it will be an encounter with poverty, but it’ll be an encounter with the most joyous poverty that you’ve ever seen in your life.
“It’ll challenge your own presuppositions. It’ll challenge your own sense of comfort. It will call you to become a more generous person.
“And those are the ingredients for true joy.”
To learn more and register for the pilgrimage, visit: worldvillages.org/events/naumann-2027.
