By Fr. Jesse Esqueda, OMI

On Tuesday, July 2nd, Provincial Father Raymond Cook, Vicar Father Antonio Ponce, Father Eleazar, Father Steven and Father Jesse met with the Bishop of Ensenada to coordinate dates and collaborate on other details about the new mission. The bishop told the Oblates that Ensenada has been a very forgotten place in terms of evangelization.

Currently, there are only 40 diocesan priests and 10 religious priests in this very large diocese, with distances of up to nine hours from one end to the other. Many people see Ensenada as a place to vacation, but the reality is very different. Unbeknown to others, there are many migrants who have come from Mexico and have been deported from the United States in the peripheries, of Ensenada. Poverty and homelessness is a problem in Ensenada that continues to grow because of the rapid migration.

There is a great need for evangelization in these areas. However, with only 40 priests, it has been very difficult to evangelize many growing communities in the periphery of the city and in rural areas. Given the limited number of priests, there is only one priest who is dedicated to the homeless, many of whom come from the United States and other parts of Latin America.

Poverty is very prevalent in these areas, and protestant denominations have grown due to the lack of resources available from the catholic church. This has made the Ensenada diocese one of the poorest in terms of evangelization. For this reason, the bishop of Ensenada is very grateful that the Oblates are establishing a mission. The bishop has demonstrated great interest in the idea of a mission because he knows the strong need that Ensenada has at this time. The Oblates are also very happy to be able to carry on the work of St. Eugene, which focuses on going to places where there is much need and where no one else wants to go.

Father Eleazar Manuel and Father Steven Montes will serve in the parish of Sacred Heart, which is about 40 minutes from downtown Ensenada. Sacred Heart is a parish with three mission churches and many other needs. This area includes high population of young adults who travel by bus to the University of Ensenada, which is about 30 minutes away. This will be a great place to develop Oblate youth programs and vocation ministry.

On Wednesday, August 7th at six o’clock in the evening, Fathers Eleazar Manuel Lopez and Steven Montes will have a welcome mass at Sacred Heart church. This is the beginning of another great mission adventure of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Baja California. Please pray for our missionaries!