Father Francisco, his family, and Our Lady Refuge of Sinners

Another reason I am interested in Father Francisco Vizcarra Ruiz is his great devotion for Mary, Mother of God, who is known by many names, including the one I am about to discuss here.

Francisco Vizcarra Ruiz was born to Onofre Vizcarra and Paulina Ruiz, Onofre’s third wife, during the early morning hours of October 4, 1883, at the Hacienda de San Isidro Mazatepec, Jalisco, Mexico.  A successful businessman and wealthy land owner, Mr. Vizcarra had high hopes for his only son.  That having finally been blessed with a son, he would groom Francisco, to take over the many successful businesses, wanting Francisco to become a successful businessman and land owner, at the beginning of the 20^th century.

Instead, as one writer has said, God apparently answered the mother’s prayers – not his father’s – because Francisco decided at a very young age to forsake a business career and to enter instead the seminary in Guadalajara to receive formation as a priest.

My paternal grandmother, Regina, was one of Fr. Francisco’s sisters.  On my father’s side, I had one sole surviving aunt, Tia Luz Agraz.  She lived in Zapotiltic until she passed away in 2016.  Tia Luz was 103 years old.   Since 2006 I had visited her every year during my trips to Mexico.  She lived with and was cared for lovingly by a family who had known her since the time Tia Luz was assisting her uncle, Fr. Francisco at the parish rectory in Zapotiltic.  Tia Luz, like her uncle Fr. Francisco were very devoted to Our Lady Refuge of Sinners, a very Mexican traditional devotion to Our Lady.  I have heard several versions of why our family, to this day, continues our annual trips to Mexico in devotion to Our Lady.  I shall explain what I know about this devotion.

In 1883, Onofre Vizcarra encouraged a long-standing tradition in his own family to say prayers and hold gatherings in honor of Mary, the Virgin Mother of Jesus, under one of her many holy titles, Mary, Refuge of Sinners  (In Spanish, Nuestra Señora, Refugio de los Pecadores, and sometimes Maria del Refugio).  In order to foster this devotion, regular gatherings occur – monthly and yearly – in honor of Mary Mother of God. These prayer gatherings – novena prayers, rosaries, and frequent daily prayers – are fostered within parish groups and private gatherings of families.
A painting of “Madonna and Child” is involved.  In July 1717, the Jesuits commissioned a painting titled Our Lady Refuge of Sinners (Refugium Peccatori) to venerate in their Italian mother church in the town of Frascati.

In 1720, Jesuit missionary priests started to order copies of the Frascati painting to be made so they could widely circulate the image and inspire the devotion in Mexico.  Today most Mexican churches still display this particular image, the one copied from the Frascati, Italy painting.  The paintings are found “front and center,” not far from the ubiquitous images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or sometimes within side altars or even in sacristy rooms where priests put on their vestments before Mass.

Onofre Vizcarra’s devotion for Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners was so deep that around the time Fr. Francisco was born, Don Onofre purchased a faithful reproduction of the Frascati Madonna and Child painting for their home chapel at Hacienda de San Isidro Mazatepec, Jalisco.

Fr. Francisco grew up praying Rosaries kneeling with his mom, dad and sisters, before this specific image of Our Lady, so throughout his priestly life it is natural that he encouraged the same practice at parishes where he served as pastor.  And, within Fr. Francisco’s family, as his sisters married and left their parents’ home, they also continued this devotion from generation to generation.  Today, the children and grandchildren of Fr. Francisco’s nephews and nieces, whether living in Mexico or outside the country continue to gather annually during the final week of July in devotion to Our Lady Refuge of Sinners.  To my knowledge, our branch of the family has gathered annually since before the 1950’s.   “Get together” fiestas preceded by a Novena of Rosaries and Holy Mass have occurred include Guadalajara, Zapotiltic, San Luis Potosi, Aguas Calientes, Colima, Monterrey, and maybe other cities as well.

On the official calendar of the Church, the traditional feast day of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners is August 16. In Mexico, the liturgical feast day is observed on July 4. She is the patroness of California, and the two archdioceses of California celebrate the feast on July 5.

In 1938, when Fr. Francisco arrived as Pastor at Zapotiltic, he began to emphasize parish religious observances, organized and enhanced prayer groups and liturgical celebrations. In this way the pastor shepherded his flock toward a stronger faith in Our Lord.  There was already wide-spread devotion in the region for the Crucified Jesus, Our Lord of Forgiveness (In Spanish, El Señor del Perdón).  Fr. Francisco noted that, due to the upheavals to social religious life caused by the Mexican government to fully prohibit all Catholic public and private practices the prior decade,it had been almost ten years since Zapotiltic had celebrated this liturgical feast and town-wide fiesta.  All such Catholic observances had, of course, been prohibited between 1926 and 1929.

There are many favorable and heart-warming stories about the work of Father Francisco Vizcarra Ruiz as Pastor, such as how he successfully re-established the celebration in honor of El Señor del Perdón.  An event that has given the town a degree of notoriety for what presently is an annual week-long spectacle and parade-filled fiesta that draws local crowds and tourists from all around and even internationally.  YouTube videos show how things are celebrated now.  Happily, the liturgical significance of the event has not been lost in Zapotiltic as parade footage of this Zapotiltic celebration shows.  This no doubt makes Fr. Francisco smile from heaven.

Relatives and friends comment how he labored heroically against seemingly insurmountable odds to improve the spiritual and social welfare of his poor parishioners.

A Zapotiltic parish school founded in 1912 now bears his name to honor the loving and dedicated pastor. Fr. Francisco founded many youth and adult musical bands, but in fostering excellence in scholastic achievement, he outdid himself.  For example, in 1949, Fr. Francisco had assisted the principal and teachers in upgrading teaching methods, discipline and morale to such an extent, that the school in this small mountain village, attended by poor students from rural homes was recognized for the excellence in its pedagogical methods and the high scholastic achievement of its students..  Normally rural schools did not receive such recognition.  The school was certified as a member of the Academia National de Mexico, meaning that students’ grades and graduation diplomas were to be given credit at any school in Mexico.  On page 82 of the official Parish Record, written in Fr. Francisco’s hand, my grand-uncle describes the achievement. .

People still talk about how he used his inherited leadership skills in business administration – and often his personal wealth – to seek innovative ways of bringing the Good News and peace of our Lord to his parishioners.  How he gathered support among community leaders for a truly new concept when he became Pastor of Zapotiltic parish.  Beginning in 1942 he helped to organize a private “agricultural community bank” to give “micro loans” to poor campesinos.  This empowered the thousands of small farmers in Fr. Francisco’s parish who had been forced to sell to greedy money lenders who paid little to nothing for their crops to finally begin to see profit from their harvested crops and to have disposable income.

This is the plaque on the monument honoring Fr. Francisco Vizcarra Ruiz, in the front courtyard of the Church, Zapotiltic, Jalisco, Mexico.

The Priest and his Parishes

Francisco became Father Francisco on 2-August-1908.  He was 24 years old.  The first few years after seminary he served in certain assistant positions as assigned by the Mexican archbishops, then gradually in parochial vicar positions, and finally he was assigned pastor duties at various parishes within Jalisco state.  His final 20 years were spent as pastor of Zapotiltic parish, beginning in 1938.   He obviously left his (or rather, Our Lord’s) mark in the hearts and minds of Zapotiltic.  Many still carry prayer cards asking for his intercession in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Zapotiltic was under the jurisdiction of Guadalajara’s Archbishop until 1972, when Zapotiltic became part of the newly formed Diocese of Ciudad Guzman.  That is why the Bishop of Ciudad Guzman generously allowed me to receive his letter of introduction while I visited church facilities in Guadalajara.

A complete list of the parishes in which my grand-uncle was sent as a priest before arriving in Zapotiltic in 1938 is readily available in several published documents, one of which is here.

My very brief research work (more needs to be done)

The reader will soon see what I job I have taken on by trying to describe the life of my grand-uncle, with the limited resources at hand.  The task seems overwhelming.  I am not a historian nor much experienced in the many types of research necessary to give a complete biography.

For the record he is a list of the key writings that have come to my attention:

• Several published books of Zapotiltic historian Aurora Munguía Cardenas, a Religious Sister still living and writing in her home town;
• Additional resource and historical notes that Sister Munguía has shared with me, along with the names of people she knows who have been helpful in my research;
• The hand-written notebook of professor/writer Jose de Jesus Santiago Arce;
• Various brochures such as the one written in support of erecting a monument in honor of Fr. Francisco that now stands in the courtyard in front of the magnificent parish church designed and erected through the efforts of Fr. Francisco.
• I have in my possession and have read various signed commentaries by many persons attesting to the effect Fr. Francisco had on their lives, including an article written for the Laredo Historical Society by my sister, Ina Agraz de Pool, who also personally met Fr. Francisco Vizcarra Ruiz;
• Photographs of events that occurred between 1939 and 1959 in Zapotiltic which several Zapotiltic families have shared with me since 2006;
• Interviews I have conducted in Jalisco since 2013.
• Notes from the Archivos Históricos de la Arquidiócesis de Guadalajara
• Photocopies of newspapers and books published during the life-time of Fr. Francisco, from:
  • Historical Archives from the University of Guadalajara
  • Comisión Episcopal de Causas de Los Santos, Arquidiócesis de Guadalajara

Guadalajara Newspaper historical records that happen to be available online.  The hemeroteca of the Guadalajara newspaper, El Informador is a rich resource of historical information, especially to learn about world happenings as they were affecting Mexico between 1938 and 1958.

Unresolved Questions

During my most recent annual trip to Mexico in July 2016, I decided to perform as much research and interviews as my 10 day stay in Jalisco would allow.

• With a letter of introduction signed by El Excelentísimo Obispo Rafael Leon Villegas, Bishop of the Diocese of Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco, the archivist at the Archivos Históricos Ave María of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara allowed me to review and take notes (no copies allowed) from a certain dossier concerning Fr. Francisco.
• I spent several hours reviewing the relevant issues of a weekly Cd. Guzman newspaper that I found within the excellent historical archives maintained by the University of Guadalajara.
• I performed Internet research in digital hemeroteca (archive) websites from Jalisco and Colima newspapers.
• I reviewed and scanned photographs and documents offered to me by various individuals over the past six years that I have been visiting Zapotiltic to visit my elderly (103 years old) aunt, Tia Luz, whose life intersected with that of Fr. Francisco as I will detail in my notes, below.
• I have attempted, with limited success, to index and catalog the fast-growing copies, scans, notes, and audio and video files that I have gathered.

During my most recent trip to Jalisco in July 2016, I interacted with many individuals, read articles, researched archives, and asked as many questions as time would permit.  I gathered details from individuals whom I met by chance, from relatives, from acquaintances, and the official historian of Ciudad Guzman.  I tried to learn as much as I could by interviewing priests who knew or knew of Fr. Francisco.  I even was granted a brief interview with the Guadalajara auxiliary bishop as well as the Media Spokesman for the Cardinal of Guadalajara as well as the priest responsible for the archdiocesan office through which a Cause of Sainthood can begin.

I spent hours studying historical archive records, writing notes, and taking photocopies of scraps of paper, documents, news articles and document that mentioned Fr. Francisco such as pamphlets, flyers and copies of newspaper articles relevant to Fr. Francisco’s life.  I was able to travel to Cd. Guzman, Guadalajara, Zapotiltic, Sayula, Tuxpan and Colima during my 10 day visit.  I now have a better understanding of Fr. Francisco’s life from the information I have gathered.  But my time in Mexico this year was limited for the job I wish to perform.  I was unable to spend the necessary time to visit all the parishes where Fr. Francisco served as a priest, or even where he was born and baptized.

So, yes, I am disappointed at my inability to build a complete story of Fr. Francisco’s priestly life based on solid documentary information.  Nevertheless, first, for those who do not know much about Fr. Francisco I hope that the NOTES and my assumptions and opinions I have formed by “reading between the lines” will make interesting reading.  And for those who already know about El Sr. Cura Francisco V. Ruiz, I hope this paper will expand their appreciation for the faithful courage, organization skills, and apostolic fervor of this priest.

Most importantly, I invite anyone reading these NOTES to contact me and to share their stories about Fr. Francisco.  I am especially interested in locating documentary, audio/visual or personal resources that could enlighten me and the world regarding life of Fr. Francisco.