Photo: Araceli Martínez / Impremedia
The parishioners of the Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles de la Placita Olvera church sat at the table for the first time during the covid pandemic – 19 to share bread and salt outdoors over Thanksgiving lunch thanks.
The feast was joined by the homeless who live around the church, in tents, and everyone who was hungry.
The day laborer, Víctor Serrano, got a good plate of food, filled with chicken mole, Serrano ham, mashed potatoes, abundant vegetables and bread. “My sister invited me to come to eat. She is a volunteer of the Church ”, says Victor.
And he adds that this Thanksgiving has a lot to be thankful for. “Thank God I have not gotten sick with covid. And he did hit me, I didn’t realize it. But here we are giving thanks for health and daily bread. ”
With the help of volunteers, Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles served 300 meals in the courtyard of the parish where tables were placed under a tent. The attendees enjoyed the food, listening to the happy notes of the pianist Julio Espinoza and the singer Dalia Rodríguez. Also the guitarist Óscar Chávez made them happy with his chords.
The food was served after the mass of the 10 of the morning that was officiated by Father Arturo Corral , parish priest of the Church of the Placita Olvera.
It is already a tradition that the Church of the Placita Olvera, as it is popularly known to this parish, serve food to the homeless on Thanksgiving.
“Last year, we also served 300 meals, but packed to go due to the pandemic. We had to take care of ourselves and keep our social distance “, says Father Arturo, as everyone calls him.
” This year unlike the other years, When the Thanksgiving meal is exclusively for the homeless, we made an exception to invite all the parishioners, volunteers and their families. But in reality it is open to all ”, says the priest.
To Luciano Moreno Gándara, a Mexican immigrant from 79 years, they served him twice. “I asked again because I was hungry,” says Luciano, who lives in a room in Chinatown, just one block from the Iglesia de la Placita.
“This is my neighborhood. Every year I come to eat here on Thanksgiving Day. I no longer work and many years ago I separated from my wife, so I have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving Dinner. My wife returned to Mexico many years ago; and took my two children. They live in Cancun. The good thing was that they learned English and have good jobs there. I didn’t want to go back. ”
With everything and that Luciano is practically alone, without family in this country, he says he has a lot to be thankful for . “I’ve been 56 years in the United States. I came at 23 years. And I thank God that I have no diseases. ”
Father Corral was happy to see the parishioners eating again around a table on Thanksgiving Day, and especially after the fatal toll in deaths and infections left by the covid – 19 in the Latino community.
“Today in the message of my homily, I said that our lips should give thanks for all the blessings that we have received, after the dark clouds that we have passed through the pandemic. ”
He urged the parishioners to raise their hands to give thanks for the food, and for all the good people who have blessed you this year.
“I asked them to thank those who have it for the blessing of work, for the capacities that God has given us, for the joyful moments, for the gift of family and our children.”
And he ends by saying that he has asked God for a parenthesis so that this year does not darken again due to the pandemic.
In addition to the Church of the Placita, the Catholic Church of the Blessed Sacrament (Blessed Sacrament) of Hollywood delivered almost 3, 000 meals to the homeless.