Diaconate Missionary Trip to Mexico City and Chalco, Mexico
On May 30 and 31, 2025, a group of Deacons, along with Father Paul Yi, made a missionary trip to Mexico City and the World Villages of Children, in Chalco, Mexico to investigate whether to make this mission trip a part of diaconate formation in the future. Attending on the trip were Deacons Mark Berard, Terry Bellon, Billy Francioni, Tim Messenger and Joe Perry. Diaconate Aspirant Hunter Hardin attended as well.
Upon arriving in Mexico City, the group visited the church where Blessed Miguel Pro’s remains are interred, and then visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The group also served lunch to homeless men at a soup kitchen operated by Missionaries of Charity Fathers (founded by Mother Teresa) and then visited the former novitiate house of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers.
From there, the group travelled to Chalco, a small town near Mexico City to spend time at the World Villages for Children, a boarding school that serves the poorest of the poor in Mexico. The school is operated by the Sisters of Mary. Approximately 40 sisters operate this boarding school that boards, feeds, and educates approximately 3,200 girls, ages 11 to 15. These girls come from poor villages in Mexico where they lived in poverty.
The World Villages for Children was founded by Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz. There are 17 World Villages for Children in the world. In addition to the girls school in Chalco, the sisters also operate a boys school in Guadalajara that houses 1,500 boys.
After spending the afternoon meeting the girls, sharing a snack with them, and then playing basketball with the girls, the deacons and Father Yi did a Eucharistic Procession through the five dormitories that house the girls. The Eucharistic Procession was an incredibly moving experience for Father Yi and the Deacons. The girls showed an incredible amount of reverence to the Eucharist, all falling to their knees as the procession made its way through the buildings.
The second highlight was celebrating Holy Mass with all 3,200 girls who were assembled in an enormous Olympic-size gymnasium. Following Mass, the girls did a concert for the deacons and Father Yi.
Going forward, it is the plan of the Office of Diaconate Formation to make this missionary trip available to deacon candidates during their summer break. Would you like to support our deacon candidates in this endeavor? Contact Deacon Terry Bellon ([email protected]) for more information.
