Happy New Year!

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Feliz Año Nuevo a todos
mis amigos and faithful readers!

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St. Francis completes renovations

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  A new ambo and altar were installed at St. Francis de Paula in San Diego.  Photos by Father James Farfaglia When Father James Farfaglia arrived for his assignment at St. Francis de Paula in San Diego in July 2021, he found much of the 110-year-old historic structure needing repairs. Three years later, under Father Farfaglia’s leadership, the parish is not just celebrating a renewal but a remarkable transformation of its much-beloved church, a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire parish community, whose invaluable contributions have been the backbone of this restoration project. On Friday, May 31, 2024, San Diego High School Coach Bo Ochoa and ten high school football players installed the new altar and ambo (pulpit), marking a significant milestone in the restoration of St. Francis de Paula. These new additions have enhanced the church's aesthetic and spiritual significance, bringing fresh energy to the parish.  After Bishop Michael Mulvey approv...
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Sports is not the be-all, end-all of life

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  Manuel Esparza scored the lone touchdown against Cotulla in the 1963 opener. By the end of the season, Esparza ranked as the number 10 rusher statewide from all divisions and earned all-state honors. (Photos from Alice Echo News .) Manuel Esparza, Jr, a starter for the 1964 state basketball team, was born May 5, 1946, to Margarita and Manuel Esparza, Sr., whom he shared with his sister, the late Ramona Esparza.   Like most teammates, Esparza attended St. Francis de Paula Catholic School, a vital part and foundation in his life.   “My father passed in the fifth-grade year, and this really hurt,” Esparza recalled.   “I really missed my father and the encouragement he gave me in everything I was involved in.”   Fortunately, his mother, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, priests, teachers, coaches, and other adults guided, supported, and greatly influenced his life.   “They helped me stay focused and close to the church,” Esparza said. He move...
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Duval County Tejanos is accepting orders for shipping

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(At the end of this month, September 2024, my new book, Duval County Tejanos, An Epic Narrative of Liberty and Democracy, will be available for shipping. Below, I share part of distinguished Texas historian Arnoldo de Leon's Foreword for the book. This is only part of his piece, but it provides readers with ample information to whet their appetite for a good story.  After reading it, I invite you to order your autographed copy at the link below the blog . ) ********** The history of Mexican Americans (Tejanos) in Duval County spans more than two centuries. In Alfredo E. Cárdenas’s survey of that history, people of different origins—immigrants from Spain and Mexico as early as the eighteenth century, joined in the nineteenth century by newcomers from the United States and Europe—descended on land belonging to Indigenous groups, and on that section of the brush country of South Texas sought new beginnings. Frustrating their occupation were numerous problems. During the last half of t...
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