The First Years

The first years after the foundation were full of twists and turns, stumbles, and ups and downs. The community started with one novice, Moses Lira; the second one, Father Domingo Martinez, would not enter the novitiate until the following year. Their first house was the "Casa de Los Tepalcates", a very humble house near the Villa de Guadalupe, with the most austere furniture that one could think of: the dining room table was a simple wooden box, with a newspaper for a tablecloth. Fr. Félix of Jesus was the formation director of the two novices. He had been loaned by his Congregation, the Society of Mary, for only two years, with the terrible uncertainty that that meant.
The novitiate moved from house to house, some only after a few days of occupation, due to the danger of being discovered by the government. Before settling in Tlalpan, the novitiate passed through many houses. Father Felix's permissions were temporarily extended until, finally, twelve years later, he was allowed to become part of the Congregation he founded. It was not until 1918 when the first pastoral community was founded in Tacubaya (Mexico City). Then other foundations would come. This was the beginning of a long, often painful road, which we are still building together.