Despite the cold, warmth filled the room, helped by occasional laughter prompted by a tall, bearded man in flowing black vestments who offered comments while playing with the children.
He was the Rev. José Luis Cacho who, along with the Rev. Jesús Ubierna, had come to the Coastside from Toluca, Mexico, for two weeks. Both members of the Misioneros Pasionistas — a religious order they said stretches over five continents — were on a mission, coordinated by Sister Isabel Zarate of Our Lady of the Pillar Church in Half Moon Bay, to meet with Spanish-speaking residents to study faith and build community.
  
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“St. Paul of the Cross said the cause of all the evil in the world is that we have not meditated on the Passion of Christ and what it means,” said Cacho. “The strength of the world is not the economy or economic means, but rather the love Christ gave to the world.”
Their goal for the participants was “to try to strengthen their faith, give a space where they can reflect and meditate, and the ability to talk with the missionary priests,”
said Ubierna.
“We feel, in the first place, we’re missionaries sent by God, and this enhances their faith,” said Cacho.
In the first week, the priests held Mass daily at Our Lady of the Pillar and St. Anthony’s Church in Pescadero, and visited the sick. In the second week they organized “family assemblies” for groups of fieldworkers and women, many who are single mothers who work in local restaurants, said Sister Isabel. The assemblies were styled after early Christianity, when believers opened their homes to read scripture and discuss the new faith.
“They have a hunger for God and spiritual need,” said Cacho. “We try to instill a sense of community.”
That sense of community is vital, say the priests.
“They have lost their roots with their homeland, and there is an aloneness they feel,” said Ubierna. “A very important challenge is, to feel part of a group. … It helps them relate to one another, and they need that relation.”
Several “area coordinators” ran the meetings along themes like life issues viewed through faith, faith itself, commitments to be made by the faithful, or spiritual love.
“This is so older generations do not forget God and new generations can grow with God,” said coordinator Irma Flores.
The priests, with nuns involved with the work, try to give families the experience of church -- not just in a building but also in the home and community, said Sister Rafaela Aguilar, of the order Las Hijas de la Pasion de Jesucristo y de Maria Dolorosa, who accompanied the priests to the gatherings.
“The important thing is faith and sharing together, not only like friends, but as people who believe,” said coordinator Margarito Gomez.
“This mission makes a difference to people hungry to know about the Word of God,” he added.
He led an assembly in an open garage, with 10 adults and six children under 5. The adults listened to the coordinator or engaged in conversation while the children clutched stuffed animals or romped on exercise equipment.
“If you’re stuck, you can feel overwhelmed with heaviness. But to be able to read, speak or think in faith, you can alleviate the burden and feel like flying,” he said.
The lessons could help attendees through hard times said coordinator Irma Hernandez. “Now we know each other by name,” she said. “When there are hard times, there is not the sense of loneliness.”
Cacho gave his blessing at each assembly. The mission was a spiritual and personal success, he said. “It’s like a deep personal fulfillment, what Jesus said. … You see it back a hundredfold.”
The priests say they hope the coordinators and participants will continue meeting to share and grow in faith and friendship, with support from the local parish priests and sisters.
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