San Pedro Apóstol Church, Maltrata, Mexico
Over 1,500 people of Hispanic background make Northfield and St. Dominic their home. About a third of them are from the Mexican city of Maltrata in the state of Veracruz. Another third come from cities and villages within 50 miles of Maltrata. In February of 2006 Father Denny Dempsey, accompanied by three other members of St. Dominic, spent a week in Maltrata. They stayed with relatives of some members of our parish’s Hispanic community, joined at Masses in the parish of San Pedro Apóstol, met with groups from the parish, visited homes, delivered letters and packages from relatives in Minnesota, picnicked, hiked and celebrated with them.
During the second visit in 2007, Fr. Denny and Padre Ernesto Ceronio, pastor of San Pedro Apóstol, signed an accord making us sister parishes. We have intentionally kept the focus away from fundraising and work projects, good in the help they can provide, but tending to be “giving” by us Americans and “receiving” by the Mexican people. We have preferred to center on the development of personal relationships as brothers and sisters in the same family of God. Financial support and assistance on work projects may become part of the relationship in the future, but these will be organized by the parish of San Pedro Apóstol. Our role will be to work along with them, not for them.