Bishop gathers with farm workers at pre-dawn Mass

By Teresita Kontos, Coordinator of the Pastoral Campesina program 

Bishop Weisenburger celebrated the annual Mass to honor the work of farmers in Yuma County. 

At 3 a.m. on Friday, December 1, the priests and deacons of the Yuma Vicariate gathered together with Most Reverend Edward J. Weisenburger to celebrate the yearly tradition. 

The Mass was celebrated in the old Mercado del Sol located north of Main Street in San Luis just a few meters from the border where hundreds of agricultural workers gather every day to go to work in the fields. 

This year, we had the honor of receiving as guest concelebrants Rev. Rudy Valenzuela of the Diocese of Mexicali and Rev. Thomas Florek, SJ, executive director of The Catholic Migrant Farmer Network (CMFN) who traveled from Chicago, Illinois. 

Bishop Weisenburger began his homily thanking the farmworkers, “The food that nourishes us every day is possible, thanks to you. You are in the fields working very hard, so that the children of God can be fed.” He recalled the recent feast of Christ the King; Jesus taught in the Gospel, “When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, care for the poor, you are actually doing all these things for Him.” Bishop Weisenburger shared a message of hope and left those gathered with these words: “You are witnesses of the Kingdom of God by collecting the good seeds of the Earth, and you are witnesses of his Kingdom by planting the seeds of faith in our world.” 

After the Mass, Bishop Weisenburger, priests, and deacons stayed to participate in the convivio and enjoy the burritos and champurrado prepared by local parish communities. 

We thank Bishop Weisenburger and all of the priests and deacons who accompany us every year to celebrate faith and life with farmworkers. Also, we thank the choir of St. Jude Thaddeus for their beautiful songs, and all of those who in one way or another helped to make this event possible. Finally, I want to express my deep gratitude to the Pastoral Campesina team for these 10 years of pastoral accompaniment to the migrant and immigrant farmworkers.