October 15 is the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila. This year, the community of Santa Teresita, still newly relocated on their temporary pasture land, set aside the concerns of these difficult days and took the opportunity to celebrate their titular feast day. For them, this day would include honoring Saint Teresa, rejoicing in who they are as a community bearing her name and celebrating eight youth graduating from school.

     The celebrations began with Mass in a makeshift chapel. Father John Goggin led the worship. He spoke about the life of Santa Teresa, about how she was not happy with material things in life and yearned to deepen her relationship with Jesus. He exhorted us all as Christians to follow Teresa’s example of developing the interior life.

     During Mass, a visitor from California gave the community an icon of Mary and Jesus for their chapel. This was blessed and set with the statue of Santa Teresa.

     When mass ended, Father John and those of us who had come with him from San Lucas were invited to a house next to the chapel for lunch. Our meal was a delicious, typical dish of rice, beans, chicken, and tortillas. We ate with Florencio Gutiérrez, director of the school, as the church band played praise and worship songs on guitar, bass, keyboard, and horns.

     Don Florencio told us about his experience in teaching and in directing the school; he has been doing this for many years. In the earlier days of the parish’s outreach to the fincas, kids made their way in to San Lucas Tolimán to go to school. At first, cars were sent for them. As the numbers grew, they began to pile into the backs of pickups to come to school. Later, when it became too impractical to transport so many children, teachers were sent to them instead. Now, the teachers are from the communities themselves, serving their own families and neighbors.

     Señor Gutiérrez directs the school in Santa Teresita, but he himself lives out of town. Elsa Veronica Morales, the teacher who has been instructing and preparing today’s graduates, is from the community.

     It is common to celebrate the completion of sixth grade, since the availability of and the opportunity to attend junior high and high schools can be rare. The eight youth being celebrated on this day will fortunately be continuing their education.

     Following lunch, several men prepared an outdoor stage for the graduation ceremonies, hanging banners and balloons and setting up rows of chairs and benches. As I waited for the program to begin, I spent time meeting several children and youth. They asked the usual question: "How do you say _____ in English?" Almost every young person I meet wants to learn English.

     The youth who were moments from graduating stayed together in a group, nervous and shy of my camera; they are usually begging to have their picture taken.

     The ceremonies began with the presentation of the national and school flags, the singing of the national anthem, and the saluting of the national flag. A teacher called the eight candidates for graduation to the stage by name. They each came up through an arch made by the two flags, symbolizing that this movement in their lives was made possible by both their national culture and their local education.

     Señor Florencio Gutiérrez, Señora Elsa Veronica Morales, and Father John Goggin presented the diplomas. Don Florencio and Father John received hand-woven, heart-woven banners as remembrances of the occasion. Their support for the community and the education of its young are unquestionably worth appreciation and honor.

     Following the awards, each graduate was again called by name and applauded as he or she left the stage. The national and school flags were then dismissed. The civic portion of the program had ended; it was time for the artistic program to begin. Dances, skits, and humor took the stage as the community continued its celebration not only of the graduates but also of the community of Santa Teresita.

     It is excellent for this community, in this time of struggle, to be able to celebrate themselves in this way. They have lost much in terms of the land they had worked and grown up on and known for many years, but they have not lost their ability to call themselves us and to celebrate what that really means for them: their community, their family, and their present home in the kingdom of God.