Friday, December 12, 2008

El Milagro de Nashville! The Miracle of Nashville! $221,000 debt of Our Lady's paid off with one check; congregation erupts in cheers, praise



With the words "Este es todos", Father Joseph Patrick Breen tonight told the congregation of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church that its $221,000 debt has now been paid off because of a generous donor.

In a little more than one year, Breen has raised $1.5 million in a bad economy to pay for the church, and now turn it over to the Hispanic people of Nashville. The congregation erupted upon hearing the news, and Bishop David Choby was moved to tears. Father Fernando Garcia, pastor of Our Lady's and seated to the right of the bishop in the picture below, embraced Breen.

"It is yours" means that the church now belongs under the direction of the Hispanic people of Nashville and is officially recognized as a self-sustaining congregation by the diocese.




The news, coming on the feast of Our Lady, sent a powerful message of God's greatness and the power given to Our Lady by her son.

The church has the largest congregation in Tennessee of more than 5,000 believers. They filled the church 10 deep behind the pews in some places for the mass. Father Breen was kind enough after the mass in meeting with me to give my late mother some of the credit in making this miracle moment happen.



Sadly, no TV news media was on hand to record the heroic and joyous moment. One can only guess if the print press was there. It continues to be the most credible criticism of the news media that it does not care about positive news. And so it went with tonight's miracle.

The congregation of mostly working poor Hispanics has contributed $100,000 to the securing of their church. Yet the media will not report this fact. It portrays Hispanics as takers, being gang members; or Hispanics are ignored when it comes to portraying patriots, workers or voters.

No wonder Nashville is home to the heinous 287 deportation program destroying Hispanic families and shackling pregnant women before and after labor. It also home to a Jan. 22 referendum that would foolishly make English the langugage of business for Nashville government.

Despite these gross and inexcusable failings of morality and good journalism by the media, this miracle moment must not be lost. The media, Councilman Eric Crafton and Sheriff Daron Hall cannot prevail against these good people. Our Lady is here to protect and safe, just she was north of Mexico City on Dec. 12, 1531.

And so in keeping with the Advent season and its hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", we proclaim with even more faith that "God is indeed with us".

Blessed be the Lord!

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