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MARIACHI MASSreturns to Arizona cathedral

TUCSON, Ariz. – A blast of festive trumpetflourishes and guitarrón bass breaks the sol-emn hush of Mass on a torrid August desertmorning. Decked out in gold-embroideredsuits, nine musicians pick, strum and trum-pet the entrance hymn under tall stained-glass windows.

After more than a year of silence due to the

pandemic, mariachis are back playing Sun-day services at Tucson’s St. Augustine Ca-thedral, where the colorful and sonorous tra-dition dates back a half-century and fusesRoman Catholicism with Mexican Americanpride.

For the hundreds of worshippers gatheredin this Spanish colonial church, and othercongregations across the Southwest, theunique sound of mariachi liturgy is more

than just another version of choir. It evokes aborderlands identity where spirituality andfolk music have blended for centuries.

“Syncretism is the reality of this land, the‘ambos’ reality,” said the Rev. Alan Valencia,the cathedral’s rector, who grew up attendingmariachi Mass in “ambos Nogales,” or “bothNogales,” as locals refer to the two cities of

See MARIACHI, Page 3C

Mariachi band LosChanguitos Feos (Ugly

Little Monkeys) memberspreform for parishionersafter a morning Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral

Aug. 18 in downtownTucson. DARRYL WEBB/AP

Giovanna Dell’Orto ASSOCIATED PRESS

LIVING

In the 1990s some guys like me werereading books by wise thinkers in the“Men’s Movement” – Robert Bly, SamKeen, Michael Meade, Mark Gerson andothers. While in some sense this was anintentionally gentle response to femi-nism, at the same time it was an affir-mation of the complementary nature ofbeing human – female and male, yinand yang (non-binary wasn’t in ourthinking). To an extent, the movementwas concerned with guys “getting in

touch with their feminine side.” I couldsee the value in that, though I wonderedif my “good side” was always feminine,if there was good in being masculine too.

While in seminary we learned (menand women alike) that God could be un-derstood as feminine as well as mascu-line. Not only is Elohim – one name forGod in early Genesis – a plural “We” whoformed both male and female in theirlikeness, but the “Presence” of Godmeeting with Moses in his wildernesstent was feminine, and the Holy Spiritcould be seen as a feminine face of thedivine. None of this was emphasized, ofcourse, in a predominantly male Chris-tian tradition. Also unsurprising, wedidn’t hear much about the historic

Goddess traditions beyond Abrahamicreligions. Nevertheless, some of us grewcomfortable with tweaking the Lord’sPrayer to: “Our Mother (or Our Parent)Who art in heaven.” Oddly enough,that’s still fairly radical, even heretical,in many churches, even some “liberalprogressive” ones. Yet, for some of us,this is old news. Of course languageneeds to be updated, especially with an-cient books and theologies written andpropagated primarily by men.

Some threads of religious traditioncelebrate that human beings, if not God,have elements of both male and female.Many mystics seem to understand that.Moses, Jesus and Paul, not so much.Yet, we can find at least a few places in

Hebrew and Christian scriptures wherewomen are esteemed, or in some “spiri-tualized” sense, equal to men (Genesis:female and male both created in God’simage; Galatians: “In Christ there is nei-ther male nor female”). However, wom-en were rarely in leadership, and cer-tainly not writing scriptures.

In boyhood, male friends, cousinsand I were completely consumed byplay-acting as warriors, soldiers and he-men. We would slay all enemies, claim-ing victories over dinosaurs, Nazis andany other evil bad-guys. Protecting de-fenseless girls felt natural and “manly.”The “damsel in distress” motif seemed

Highland ViewsChris Highland

Guest columnist

Jesus, John Wayne and militant masculinity

See HIGHLAND, Page 3C

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the same name straddling the U.S.-Mexican border about 60 miles (100 ki-lometers) to the south.

“And that’s what we see in these ma-riachi Masses,” he added. “Faith andculture come together and grow.”

Mariachi forms the soundtrack todaily life here in the borderlands, ac-companying everything from backyardbarbecues and quinceañera coming-of-age parties to weddings and funerals.

Yet while mariachi is a popular genreat its core, musicians and parishionersalike say its emotional interplay be-tween trumpet, violin, guitar, vihuelaand guitarrón is a natural complementto the holy rites of Mass.

“The Mass itself is a reminder thatyou don’t just have mariachis you tip attableside in a cantina,” said AlbertoRanjel, who has been playing at the ca-thedral since he was 9 and now leads theensemble his father founded, MariachiTapatio. “It is a representation of myculture.”

Worshipper Leilani Gomez echoedthat sentiment, saying, “They bring toMass culture and art, together with thepresence of God. They make you feel thepresence of God.”

The first canon of mariachi Mass wascomposed in Cuernavaca, Mexico, afterthe Vatican encouraged the incorpora-tion of regional musical traditions intoservices in the 1960s. Called the MisaPanamericana, or Pan-American Mass,it features a specific order of instrumen-tal arrangements, sung prayers andhymns, according to Dan Sheehy, direc-tor and curator of the Smithsonian Folk-ways Recordings.

At that time in the United States, theChicano civil rights movement wasblossoming, and mariachi musiciansmorphed from folksy troubadours tocultural heroes, “symbols of Mexicanidentity heightened here because ofmulticulturalism,” Sheehy added.

Hundreds of mariachi school pro-grams followed in the 1970s, when themusic began to be written down insteadof taught by lyrical training, said GeorgeBejarano, who in 1973 started playingwith the youth group Los ChanguitosFeos, or “the ugly little monkeys,” andwhose family has been in the border-lands “since before there were borders.”Also, female musicians began joiningthe traditionally male ensembles.

Mainstays of mariachi Mass includethe joyful “Pescador de Hombres,” or“fisher of men” – the Spanish-speakingfaithful’s equivalent to “Amazing Grace”for its popularity and ubiquity – and a

thrilling rendition of Franz Schubert’s19th-century classic, “Ave Maria.”

During performances of the latter atthe cathedral, Ranjel turns to face apainting of the Virgin of Guadalupe, pa-troness of Mexico and the Americas,and intones the Latin version of the lyr-ics.

“The prayer aspect of it is what I’mrespecting by singing it in Latin,” hesaid.

Four ensembles take turns perform-ing the 8 a.m. Spanish-language Massat the cathedral in central Tucson, oneSunday apiece per month. All volun-teers, they typically spend at least twohours a week in rehearsal and on Massday rise before dawn to prepare theirtrajes de charro, elaborately festoonedsuits that originated in Mexico and arecommonly worn by mariachi groups.

For musicians like Daniel Rodriguez,the leader of Mariachi Herencia de CucoDel Cid, a 20-year fixture at the cathe-dral and also Most Holy Trinity Churchin the city’s northwest, performing is away to give back to the community.

“When you sing or there’s music of-fered up to God, it’s like praying but it’smore powerful,” Rodriguez said. “For usto be a driving force through our music,to inspire people to come back and stayat Mass, that’s really powerful.”

On Sept. 18 Los Changuitos will fea-ture at a special Mass honoring victimsof the coronavirus pandemic, which haskilled nearly 2,500 people in Tucson’sPima County and silenced the mariachiservices from spring 2020 until they re-sumed late last month.

On a recent Sunday, the show keptgoing even after Mass was over, with

musicians serenading worshippers onthe palm-lined patio outside the cathe-dral. Wearing face masks against the re-surgent virus, people held up smart-phones to record the sights and soundsof a shared heritage they had sorelymissed.

“They bring unity to the church. It’smore spiritual,” said Diana Pacheco,who has attended mariachi Mass sincechildhood. “Without them, it was veryempty-feeling for us here.”

Victor Soltero, who has been wor-shipping at the cathedral for some 50years, also rejoiced at their return.

“It makes you happy,” Soltero said,“and what better way to come over andhonor the good Lord than having somebeautiful music that picks you up.”

Mariachi band Los Changuitos Feos preforms for parishioners during a morning Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral on Aug. 18in downtown Tucson. In 1960s United States, the Chicano civil rights movement was blossoming, and mariachi musiciansmorphed from folksy troubadours to cultural heroes, “symbols of Mexican identity heightened here because ofmulticulturalism,” according to Dan Sheehy, director and curator of the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. DARRYL WEBB/AP

MariachiContinued from Page 1C

There are many games I like to playwith my grandchildren. One of our favor-ites is “I Spy.” You may have played thiswith your own children and grandchil-dren. When it is my turn, I am told to al-ways use the sentence, “I spy with my lit-tle eyes something green, or blue, orwhatever color.” Even though it is achild’s game, it requires paying attentionand focusing. As I look for some objectthat is red or orange, I tune out all othercolors. Only the color that was called outhas my complete attention.

I often think, “Why can’t I have thatmuch concentration on Jesus in my dailyroutines?” Even as I see the other activ-ities going on around me, and hear thenoise of daily living, why can’t my eyesstay focused on Jesus?

As we read the life of Jesus as he min-istered to the people, we see that Jesus

healed many who were blind. Maybe themajority of his healings involved sight. Idon’t think this is coincidental, but hassome intentional instruction that pointsto our spiritual lives, lessons in how Godoperates. In Mark 8 Jesus touches a blindman twice before the man was able tosee clearly. The first touch involves theintroduction of the man to the world ofbeing able to see, even if the objects arenot clear. The second touch gives theman a clear focus on the world.

Maybe we have been touched byGod’s saving grace, yet the spiritual pathand understanding of God’s purpose isblurred and so out of focus. God, throughthe Holy Spirit, is waiting to touch usagain with a healing grace so that we seeJesus clearly. God wants us to have the“mind of Christ,” which only comeswhen Jesus is our only focus. “I spy withmy own little eyes, Jesus, resurrectedand living with me.” These two works ofgrace, saving and sanctifying, can pro-duce a clear image of Jesus and his plansfor us.

Recently, I read a devotional piece byDennis Kinlaw from his book, “This Day

With the Master,” in which the dyingthief on the cross was portrayed. Theman painfully turned his head towardJesus and said, “Lord, remember mewhen you come into your kingdom.” Wedon’t know anything about this man, ex-cept that he was a thief. Perhaps he hadstood on the edge of the crowds and lis-tened to Jesus as he taught and healed.He may have even slipped silently intothe back of the synagogue from time totime. But we really don’t know.

Just what was it that caused thishardened thief to call Jesus “Lord,” andknow that Jesus would come in his king-dom? Kingdom? Jesus was hanging onthe cross just like the thief, naked, beat-en, accused by the same court, aban-doned by all but a few women and John.“Lord?” Lord of what?

The thief saw something in Jesus thatthe church, the political world, and may-be even his followers could not see. Thisman looked beyond the immediate, vis-ible world and saw an invisible world be-yond himself. His eyes were opened tohis spiritual poverty and recognized theone who could satisfy his need.

All of us have had our eyes blindedfrom seeing the invisible world by thesmothering burden of original sin. Theburden is so great that we cannot be de-livered without help. In the Wesleyantradition, God gives to each of us a giftenabling us to see our need and turn ourhead toward Jesus. This gift is the “pre-venient grace” which goes before us giv-ing us the desire to seek God and theability to respond. This grace was givento the man on the cross, his eyes wereopened, and he saw the invisible king-dom with Jesus as Lord. Grace was of-fered to both men, but only one acceptedthe free gift. Only one responded with aplea for forgiveness and recognition ofthe one who forgives.

Are our eyes open all the way? Do werecognize the one who is Lord of bothvisible and invisible worlds? Are we fo-cused consistently on Jesus who is ableand willing to take away our spiritualblindness?

This column is the opinion of the Rev.Tim McConnell, retired Methodist minis-ter. Reach him at tim.mcconnell915@gmail.com.

What do we really see? Are our eyes open to God?

DevotionalTim McConnell

Guest columnist

to permeate almost all of the shows wewatched and books we read. Cringewor-thy now, the worst thing we could call aboy was “wuss” or “woman.”

When I became a teenage crusaderfor The Man of Galilee, a muscularChrist with a swagger like John Wayne, Iproudly joined the Army of Salvationfighting alongside other gladiators forGod, soldiers wielding the “sword of theSpirit.” As defenders of the gospel, weput on “the full armor of God” to fight thecivil war of faith beside our Command-er-in-Chief, Jesus. None of us ever

asked why the battle between Good andEvil, God and Satan, never ended. Andwe neglected to ask why God, and Jesus,needed us to fight for them. Couldn’tthey fight their own wars?

As we got older we were expected tobe “Men of God,” strong and faithfulprotectors of women, children andAmerican Christianity (though this wasnever said aloud). Jesus was our broth-er-in-arms, our model for true manhood– rugged and tough, yet loving and will-ing to sacrifice his life for others. Nowonder in the Christian story God be-came a man and not a woman!

In her book, “Jesus and John Wayne,”Kristin Kobes Du Mez, professor of his-tory at Calvin University, writes thatstrong male figures like John Wayne be-

came popular icons of rugged manhood.Though he never actually fought in awar, Wayne “would come to symbolize …a nostalgic yearning for a mythical‘Christian America,’ a return to ‘tradi-tional’ gender roles, and the reassertionof (white) patriarchal authority.” As sheexplains: “Like Wayne, the heroes whobest embodied militant Christian mas-culinity were those unencumbered bytraditional Christian virtues. In thisway, militant masculinity linked reli-gious and secular conservatism, help-ing to secure an alliance with profoundpolitical ramifications.” For many be-lievers, “these militant heroes wouldcome to define not only Christian man-hood but Christianity itself.” Heroesmatter.

I wonder, do we hear so much about“values” because, like Wayne, the “vir-tues” are seen as too weak or “femi-nine”? Kristin Kobes Du Mez minces nowords when she calls this a “cult of mas-culinity.” She concludes her timely bookwith a challenge. To understand thetears in the fabric of our communities,we need to appreciate “how this ideol-ogy developed” to resist and dismantleit.

Chris Highland served as a ministerand chaplain for many years. He is ateacher, writer and humanist celebrant.Chris and his wife, the Rev. Carol Hovis,live in Asheville. His latest books are“Friendly Freethinker,” “Broken Bridges”and “A Freethinker’s Gospel.” Learnmore at chighland.com.

HighlandContinued from Page 1C