Eileen Fitzgerald of College Park, Georgia, is back at her studies at St. Mary’s College at Notre Dame, Indiana after her most interesting and rewarding trip as a lay apostle to Mexico. She was one of a group of five students volunteers from her college who spent six weeks teaching among the poverty stricken, illiterate Mexicans and Indians in Jilotepec, a farm village high in the mountains, some sixty miles from Mexico City. The parish was that of Sts. Peter and Paul, and the church (which was always well attended with very devout people) was over 400 years old. Great is the need for Spanish-speaking workers in the land south of the border, and it is heartening to know that enthusiastic young women and men form our Catholic colleges are giving their time to do their bit for God and for better relations between Mexico and the United States. This endeavor could be called a religious Peace Corps. The endeavors of this group of American girls was so appreciated by the Archbishop Primate of Mexico, Miguel Dario Miranda, that he sent Eileen a personal letter of appreciation and gratitude at the end of their project.

For the first week Eileen and her schoolmates lived in a retreat in beautiful Mexico City. This house was operated by the Dominican Nuns. Here they were taught by a volunteer lay teacher from Washington, D.C. She instructed them in a world-wide method of alphabetization—a simplified way of teaching the Mexicans to read and write in their native Spanish. After this period of orientation, the girls left for their field work in Jilotepec where they lived with Spanish families who graciously gave them lodging.

The kind and appreciative pastor had these young lay apostles transported daily in a sturdy jeep over extremely rough, muddy roads, to three different towns where classes were formed. Some of the pupils were groups of Catholic Action high school girls who were eager to learn the simplified method of teaching reading and writing. They in turn are now working in their own communities teaching children and adults—thanks to these good will ambassadors form Georgia, Missouri and Pennsylvania.

Eileen and her companions made many good friends among the poor Mexican and Indian women who were anxious to join their sewing classes. These girls cut newspaper patterns (down on the dirt floors of dimly lit stone houses), showed the women how to cut the material that the pastor had allowed the girls to purchase, and then gave them lessons on the treasured treadle-type sewing machine. These talented natives were quite adept at hand sewing and weaving, but they had never had the opportunity of using a sewing machine before. Now the interested pastor hopes to obtain a few of these precious machines that are quite old fashioned to most women of the United States, but highly treasured in backwards Jilotepec, where the poor are so very poor.

Eileen and her friends saw many sights in Mexico which they will always remember: the magnificent Shrine at Guadeloupe; the exquisite beauty of the Cathedral of Mexico; the scenic grandeur of Acapulco; and the long, high mountain ranges, to mention a few. Unforgettable also will be the slums, filth and utter poverty that is the lot of teeming thousands.

The need is so great there in Catholic Mexico that it would be well for other college students in our area to consider joining a movement so worthwhile to assist the archbishop of our neighboring country. The people of Jilotepec could hardly comprehend that these young ladies had come over 2,000 miles from North American to help them.

Incidentally, Eileen traveled along by bus on that long trip into that strange new land. By the time these student workers had completed their classes, and it was time for them to report to the archbishop to give a summary of their work, they had become beloved by all who knew them. Many tears were shed when it was time to say “adios,” and these humble people presented the girls with parting gifts of whatever they could afford eggs, peppers, fruits and even live chickens!

On the feast of the Assumption the St. Mary, girls joined a pilgrimage of seven thousand people who walked six miles to a hill where the Blessed Mother had appeared years ago. An impressive Mass was held on the top of this hill where Our Lady’s image was left upon a large rock. Eileen brought back some marvelous pictures of this pilgrimage. How very devout these simple country peasants are!

Eileen is a scholarship staff student at St. Mary’s and she is a junior this year. She is majoring in Spanish and she has high hopes of returning to Mexico some day—this picturesque country of many contrasts. She is a member of St. John the Evangelist parish of Hapeville, where she attended grammar school. She then went to Sacred Heart High School and then graduated from St. Pius X High School. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald A. Fitzgerald.