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The Society of Our Lady in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico

he history of the Society in Nuevo Laredo is a history of the providence of the Father, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and our humble efforts to imitate Jesus with the aid of Our Lady – Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners.

SOLT Nuevo Laredo Parish and Medical Clinic Mailing address: Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Post Office Box 6464 Laredo, Texas 78042 Telephone: Nuestra Señora del Refugio Parish:      011.52.867.724.3625 Cuerpo de Cristo Clinc: 011.52.867.724.3354 Our Lady's convent: 011.52.867.710.2740 Father Tony ("Padre Antonio") Anderson, Pastor      padreantoniosolt@societyofourlady.net Padre Antonio's cell (U.S.): (956) 236-3654 Padre Antonio's cell (Mexico): 011.52.867.727.0926 Fr. Ed Roche's cell (U.S.): (956) 251-4694      mariarosamystica@societyofourlady.net

In 1991, a few months after this Mexican border diocese was created, Fr. Vince Albano and Sr. Mary of the Redemption, at the suggestion of Bishop René Gracida of Corpus Christi, entered into dialogue with the first bishop of Nuevo Laredo, Bishop Ricardo Watty, regarding the possibility of serving God’s children here.

The Bishop was pleased with the Society’s disposition to serve the poorest of the poor among his flock, both spiritually and materially, and to strive for the New Evangelization that Pope John Paul II had called for, so he invited us to serve the poorest area of the diocese, the western outskirts of the city of Nuevo Laredo.

Our Lady’s sisters were the first that were available to serve the new mission, and since 1991 there has been a constant presence of between 2 and 5 religious sisters hailing from Belize, Guatemala, Mexico and the United States. The priests of Our Lady’s Society who served with our sisters commuted for several years on the week-ends from Robstown, Texas, some 2 hours and 30 minutes away from Nuevo Laredo. Fr. Larry Tucker, SOLT and Br. Michael Brady, SOLT served in Nuevo Laredo for 3 years in the late 1990’s.

Starting at the end of the year 2000, the Society was able to provide a permanent priestly presence to serve the anawim with our SOLT sisters. We were given the care of the Chapel of Our Lady of Refuge which became the Parish of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners, on September 2, 2001, with Fr. Antonio Anderson, SOLT as the first pastor.

Since 2001 the demographic growth along the border has necessitated the construction of five new chapels in the suburbs farthest from Our Lady of Refuge parish. Our SOLT Ecclesial Team in Nuevo Laredo currently attends the following chapels (in chronological order of construction): Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, Santa Rita de Cassia, Santos Isabel y Zacarías, Santa Rosa, one chapel under construction and two others in planning.

Our Lady’s sisters initially worked in catechesis and evangelization in the Parishes of San Antonio and Dolores with local priests. We now work as a SOLT Ecclesial Team in the vast parish area of Our Lady of Refuge. In 2001 the parish territory was home to 20,000 people. As of early 2008, we now serve 90,000 people, and by the year 2010 we will have 120,000 faithful. Because of migration toward the border and a good birth rate, this is certainly one of the fastest growing areas of the Catholic Church. We are, in all probability, the biggest parish in the Diocese and one of the fastest growing in the world.

Besides our door-to-door evangelization, our counseling, our kerygma retreats our distribution of food and clothing, our teaching and our sacramental work, the Society has also offered medical care to our infirm brothers and sisters along the border. Our Mexico clinic, El Centro de Salud Familiar el Cuerpo de Cristo, was the inspiration of Fr. James Flanagan, our Founder, and Fr. Vince Albano; it opened its doors in November of 2000 with the help of Sr. Mary John Simon, SOLT, of happy memory. We serve Christ’s Body on the Cross here. Some patients pay a symbolic amount; many are treated without cost. Over the years several SOLT seminarians and sisters have served in the clinic, as well as several lay American volunteers who have been associated with SOLT.

Collaborating with the Society in the parish are another 3 orders of religious sisters and one diocesan priest who is an assistant pastor.

Sisters: Rosa Amalia Colay, Elena Colay, Marta Umul, Esperanza López, Guadalupe Jiménez, Guadalupe García, Lourdes Venegas, Reina Ramírez, Leticia Venegas, Mary John Simon Cassidy, Mónica González, María de los Angeles Ramírez, Teresa Pérez, Rosa Ventura, Veronica Xiquen, and Aurora Villagómez (a native of Nuevo Laredo).

Priests: Bob Rank, Larry Tucker, John McHugh, Paul Grala, Vince Albano, Alfredo Gaytan, Mario López, Antonio Anderson, Gabriel Uzondu and Ed Roche.

Deacons: Dennis “Nicho” Walsh, Elio Morejón and Martin Laird.

Seminarians: Emmanuel Balleza (native to the Parish), Alejandro Silva (native to the Parish), Raul Reyes (native to the Parish), Clay Hunt, Gordon Celender, John Robinson, Juan Antonio Villagómez (native to Nuevo Laredo), Antonio Maldonado, Steve Dougherty, John Kovacs, Patrick Prajnzner, Allen Hornbuckle and Scott Guiliani.

Religious brother: Michael Brady.

Lay volunteers: Dr. Cherie Bennett, Aimee Alexander, Vanessa Van Horn, Miriam Bianchi, Lulú Ruiz (from the Parish), Mark Walker, Margarita Denkewalter, and Nancy Ortega.

Lay corporate member: Dolores Villagómez (native of Nuevo Laredo).

Lay member: Tom Dowling.

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