of heart—poverty, cultural loss,suicide, alcoholism, migrants whocross into The Nation from Mexico,drug trafficking, and much more.
But when he talks about his ministry, Vásquez is cracking jokes oneminute, explaining the subtletiesof evangelization in the next, andtopping it all off with a quote fromDolly Parton.
He quite likes the line fromDolly Parton in Steel Magnolias(although, he warns, “you reallydate yourself when you quote thatmovie”). “Laughter through tears isone of my favorite emotions,” Parton declared in the 1989 comedy. It’sa fitting quip for a friar who spendsevery Wednesday at the jail, knowshis people only get the Eucharist
VÁSQUEZ takes timeto check in withparishioners. Thesocial and spiritualneeds of the missionintersect.
VÁSQUEZ repairsthe cross on top ofOur Lady of LourdesShrine in the village ofComobabi, Arizona.
