On both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, Catholic communities gather each August to celebrate San Lorenzo.
In Clint, Texas, the tradition has continued for more than a century at San Lorenzo Catholic Church, where thousands gather for the annual Fiesta de San Lorenzo. Some travel miles on foot to pray and pay their respects before joining the celebration.
Across the border in Mexico, San Lorenzo is honored with a celebration that includes an Aug. 9 evening pilgrimage and a midnight Mass at San Lorenzo Sanctuary in the neighborhood also named after the saint in Juárez.
The feast day of San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence) is on Aug. 10, honoring a Roman deacon who cared for the poor and was martyred by being burned alive on a large gridiron in 258 A.D. in Rome. He is the patron saint of librarians, chefs, comedians, firefighters and the poor.
Chuy Domínguez, Fiesta de San Lorenzo co-chair, said other festivals or kermeses may draw big crowds for their food or live music, but at San Lorenzo Catholic Church, it’s about the saint.
An annual pilgrimage from San Elizario to San Lorenzo Catholic Church in Clint takes place before dawn on Aug. 10.
“For here, it’s the saint. People walk for miles and miles,” Domínguez said. “And we have people that start walking around the fifth of the month, and then they come in here. First thing they do is they go and pay their respects to the church, to the saint. And then after that, then they open up and enjoy the festival, and we gather anything from 30,000 to 35,000 people in a three-day festival.
“People that are paying their respects to the saint because they ask him for different petitions pertaining to their health and to their families,” Domínguez said. “And I’ve seen people that come in here and they all kneel down at the entrance of the church, and they’ll go on their knees all the way to the altar.”
Fiesta de San Lorenzo is a Clint tradition
The Fiesta de San Lorenzo in Clint goes back to the early days of the church, which was built in 1914. Domínguez said the festival began as a way to raise money to build the church, with community members collecting donations 25 cents at a time.
Back then, people traveled by horseback and took wagons to El Paso to get building materials, a trip Domínguez said could take a day and a half.
“Those were hard, hard years,” Domínguez said. “They would build adobes during the week, and then the following week they would lay the adobes. So it was kind of a long process, but it was from the bottom up.”
The tradition of supporting the church continues today, with money raised from food and other sales during the fiesta going back to San Lorenzo Catholic Church.
The celebration includes matachines who dance in honor of San Lorenzo, along with food and other activities like a cake walk. It is one of the largest church festivals in El Paso County.
The Fiesta de San Lorenzo continues through Sunday, Aug. 9.
Gaby Velasquez may be reached at gavelasquez@elpasotimes.com; @gabyavelasquez on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Clint, Juárez celebrate San Lorenzo with more than 100-year tradition
Reporting by Gaby Velasquez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gaby Velasquez, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
