| October 2, 1913, Miguel and fourteen of his companions from the novitiate at
Llano entrained for exile in the United States. Miguel’s heart must have been
breaking as he waved goodbye to the much loved family at the station. His
goodbye to his beloved "Doña Pepecita" was made with a brave wave of his big
white handkerchief; he was never to see his saintly mother again. These
Mexican brothers, and the other groups of exiled Mexican Jesuits who later
joined them, were given a warm welcome at the Jesuit novitiate and house of
formation in Los Gatos, California. For a year, they stayed and tried to
carry on their studies, in spite of a lack of Spanish books and the crowded
conditions. |
Portrait of Pro |
Photograph and Relic | At last, when there seemed no hope of returning home, the Jesuit
superiors sent them to Spain. The novices owed untold gratitude to their
American hosts in Los Gatos, and they never forgot their warm welcome. At
the same time, the Jesuits in Los Gatos remembered the novices, and none of
them could ever forget the enlivening tales and vivid descriptions of Mexico
which sprang from the heart of our Blessed in "a charmingly confused mixture
of English, Latin and Spanish words." Today, the former novitiate is still a
Jesuit residence. Miguel’s presence is still very much felt there. In the
chapel is a blood relic; a handkerchief which was dipped in the martyr’s
blood at the time of his execution. |
