Cardinal’s sermon on the mount prays for peace on the border

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MOUNT CRISTO REY, N.M. – On the narrow edge of a cliff more than 2,000 feet up Mount Cristo Rey, the march came to a sudden halt. The slight morning chill of fall settling in the desert became more apparent, blowing past a slow procession ambling in both directions. The line of trekkers had been backed up all the way to the 11th Station of the Cross: Jesus is nailed to the cross. This was truly a pilgrim’s Passion play. On the morning of October 31, an estimated 30,000 followers celebrated the Feast of Cristo Rey, an annual pilgrimage and Mass at Mount Cristo Rey. The approximately five mile procession to the top of the 4,675-feet-high peak brought young and old throughout the border region together for different personal reasons but united in faith.

Instruments create beautiful music—but who creates the instruments? David Armenta, for one

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EL CENTRO, Calif.–When David Armenta was all of 15 years old, with little cash in his wallet and a lot of musical spirit in his heart, he wanted a “super cool” guitar that he could not afford. But, instead of running to the local music store to put his dream guitar on layaway, Armenta did something different–he decided he would rather make his own guitar. “I taught myself (to make guitars),” said Armenta, now 23 years old and a communications major at Imperial Valley College in Imperial, Calif. His first investment was a set of carpentry tools he got for the bargain price of $20 at an auction. “You don’t need a lot of tools to make a guitar,” Armenta said, pointing to his head.

The Desert of Inspiration

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IMPERIAL VALLEY, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Education in 2003 called the Imperial Valley the most illiterate county in California. Despite that bad rap, however, this desert valley next to Mexico is home to an artistically literate community of young and old poets who say this area gives them uniquely positive and negative inspirations. “The negative is that the valley is boring, isolated and full of mean people,” said Mark Garcia, 42, a poet from Calexico, “while the positive is that it’s peaceful, slow-paced, and there are some nice people as well.  This is what I call my desert of inspiration.”

Poet Sandra Hernandez, 38, of Calexico writes, “I had precious moments, I had terrible heart breaks, I had arrogance thrown at me… In this deserted paradise I call my home”. The valley people, rather than the vast, lonely desert inspire local poets.