Tea with the saints inspires, informs, creates friendships

Terrie Rios, from left, Norma Rodriguez, Roxy Peña, Belinda Estrada, and Karen Vaughn sit together at the Dec. 4, 2018 Tea with the Saints meeting at Pax Christi Liturgical Center.

Dayna Mazzei Worchel for South Texas Catholic
 

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St. Teresa of Avila was a strong and independent Carmelite nun who wasn’t afraid of controversy. 

The 14th-century reformer eventually succeeded in helping to create a reformed order called the Discalced Carmelites whose lives are devoted to prayer and piety, when she saw her original Carmelite Order become a place which accepted people according to their material possessions.  

St. John the Evangelist was one of Christ’s original 12 apostles, who leaned his head on Christ’s chest, next to his heart at the Last Supper. He stood at the foot of the cross as Jesus died and took Christ’s mother into his care afterward. 

These two saints and the lives they led were just part of an ongoing monthly study group called Tuesday Tea with the Saints, which meets at the Pax Christi Liturgical Retreat Center on Calallen Drive.  In 2018, the group studied saints who have experienced an apparition of Our Lady, which includes St. John the Evangelist and St. Teresa of Avila. In 2019, they plan to focus on the missionary saints, which include St. Paul and St. Francis Xavier.

“It’s important for people to study the saints so we can continue to imitate their lives through their virtues,” Pax Christi Sister Guadalupe Cervantes, says about the group she co-leads.

“It’s important for people to study the saints so we can continue to imitate their lives through their virtues,” Sister Guadalupe Cervantes of the Pax Christi Sisters Order says about the group she co-leads with Stella Hatch, a Liturgical Assistant and lector with Pax Christi.  

“For about an hour, we talk about the story and life of the saints and explain their story. All in the Diocese of Corpus Christi are welcome,” Cervantes says.  

Over plates of snacks, water, and of course, tea, served hot and cold, group members can learn about the lives, sacrifices, and differences these saints made in the world around them. During the past five years, the Saints of Mercy and the Healing Saints have all been studied. Each year brings a new group of saints and people who want to learn about them. 

Stella Hatch, a Liturgical assistant and lector with Pax Christi, helps lead the monthly Tea with the Saints meetings.  Dayna Mazzei Worchel for South Texas Catholic

Tuesday Tea with the Saints was created based on a similar-named group based in San Antonio, says Hatch, who is also the photographer and spokesperson for the group. She also does the background research on each saint, while Cervantes does the presentation. 

“We called them and said we wanted to start a study group here, but we decided to call ours Tuesday Tea with the Saints,” says Hatch, who is a retired teacher from Tuloso-Midway Independent School District. The San Antonio group gave their blessing, and Tuesday Tea with the Saints was created five years ago.

“I’ve learned to slow down and to be more reverent. I have also gotten to know Mother Teresa Santoyo, the founder of the Pax Christi Sisters,” Hatch says.

Others who meet regularly there to have tea and study the spiritual lives of the saints say they have not only learned a great deal, but have made some new friends. Roxy Peña says although she attended Catholic schools, she didn’t know much about the saints. Her friend Norma Rodriguez invited her to come and meet the group. 

 “It’s nice to come and learn,” Peña says. 

Karen Vaughn, seated at the same table, says Tuesday Tea with the Saints has served as an inspiration to her since her husband passed away more than a year ago. 

“I have learned about the suffering of the saints and what they have been through and I have made some new friends. They do a lot of work to prepare and I enjoy the snacks and tea,” she says.  

Terrie Rios says she shares the knowledge she gains at meetings with her grandchildren. 

“I tell them the saints are their friends,” Rios says.  

And the group has fun traveling while they learn and pray. They took a recent trip to France, Spain and Portugal, and visited the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Spain and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, also in Spain.

“This year, we went to see the relics of St. Padre Pio at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle-National Shrine in San Juan in the valley,” Hatch said. “Three busloads of people came from all over the community.” 

For more information about Tuesday Tea with the Saints at the Pax Christi Liturgical Retreat Center, St. Joseph Hall, 4601 Calallen Dr., call (361) 241-2833 or go to  www.paxchristisisterscc.org.​​​​​​​