The Missionaries of the Holy Spirit presented a masquerade gala dinner and concert September 21 at the Holy Trinity Banquet Hall to raise money for Missionaries in the process of making their perpetual vows and ordination to priesthood. Funds earned at the event will be used for education, healthcare, housing, and various other expenses for the religious order.
Félix de Jesús Rougier founded the congregation under the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 25, 1914, in Tepeyac, Mexico City. Pope Pius X recognized the charism and gave the name Missionaries of the Holy Spirit. The Spirituality of the Cross was the initiative of Blessed Concepión Cabrera de Armida and approved by the Holy See thanks to the pastoral zeal of the first archbishop of Puebla, Mexico, Mons. Ramón Ibarra y González.
“We remain united, drawn together by the Holy Spirit, who gives life to our shared spirituality and mission. The Works of the Cross and the Family of the Cross are expressions of the same divine love, passed down through our founders and witnessed not only by them, but also by many others through whom the light of Christ has shone upon us,” said Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, in his invocation. “As Father Félix taught us, it is our responsibility, particularly as Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, to cultivate and protect this unity. Let us remain vigilant, ensuring that the Holy Spirit continues to be the bond that holds us together as we serve the Lord for the salvation of all souls.”
Following dinner an operatic concert was performed by José Rubio, baritone; Claudia Chapa, mezzo soprano; Rafael Moras, tenor; and Gloria Kim, pianist.
Rubio’s recent debuts have been with the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Berlin Staatsoper, and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. His credits include principal roles for the Cincinnati Opera, Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, Nashville Opera, the Shanghai Grand Theater, and the Jiangsu Grand Theater in Nanjing.
Chapa has performed with the Houston Grand Opera, Arizona Opera, and San Diego Opera. She serves as curator of Hispanic and Latinx Programming with the Austin Opera and will be featured this season with Opera San Antonio in Pirates of Penzance, Dallas Opera in Romeo and Juliet, and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 2.
Moras is a native of San Antonio and was a longtime parishioner of Holy Trinity Church. He is a graduate of Plácido Domingo’s LA Opera training program and has performed with the LA Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Utah Opera, Arizona Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera.
An advocate for music in higher education, Kim was most recently a faculty member at Mannes School of Music. A native of Austin, she holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas, and a doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota.
A festive live auction featured vacation packages to Cuautla, Mexico; Valle de Bravo, Mexico; Big Bear Lake, California; Port Aransas; a dinner with Archbishop Gustavo; a dinner party with the Missionary of the Holy Spirit Brothers in formation at their Theologate House; a cooking class with Sister Esy Silva Sanchez, FSPS; and a private house concert by José Rubio. Dozens of additional items were available at a large silent auction.
Two awards were also presented during the evening. The Dove of Service Award was given to Father Domenico Di Raimondo, MSpS; and the Dove of Love Award was presented to Rubio.
Serving as a backdrop to the celebration was the recent beatification of Father Moisés Lira Serafin, the first Missionary of the Holy Spirit, was began his novitiate with the founder of the congregation, Father Félix, as his novice master. Father Moisés was beatified at a Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on September 14 in a liturgy celebrated by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, perfect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican.
Pope Francis described Father Moisés as a priest who dedicated his life helping people to progress in faith and love for God. He prayed that this witness and apostolic zeal may encourage priests.
