At San Alberto Magno, Tlaquepaque, we celebrated the Sunday of the Word of God  by holding a Bible week from January 27 to 31, 2025. The week was based on the Editorial Verbo Divino (EVD) material titled “They Brought the News.” This program was primarily directed toward the women of the parish, though a few men also participated. Approximately 30-35 women and 4-6 men attended throughout the week.

The EVD material consists of dynamic sessions centered on a passage featuring a woman from the New Testament and her role in active evangelization. Each day, we focused on a different female evangelizer: the woman with the hemorrhage and Jairus’ daughter, the Samaritan woman, Lydia of Philippi, Mary Magdalene, and finally, we concluded with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Through these sessions, we explored significant aspects of their lives and how they serve as role models for the women of the parish in their own evangelizing mission.

Each 75-minute session included the enthronement of the Word alongside an image of the featured woman, the prayerful reading (Lectio Divina) of her passage, a brief biblical explanation, a silent moment of contemplative prayer, and a shared reflection in pairs on what participants learned from that woman and how they could apply her example in their lives as grandmothers, mothers, wives, and/or active members of the parish community.

On Friday, the closing day, we held a Holy Hour of Adoration, taking Mary, the mother of Jesus, as a synthesis of the Bible Week. Through active listening, the participating women and men learned from each other’s testimonies, which enriched their evangelizing mission while deepening their engagement with the Word of God.

One of the women who had the most significant impact on the participants was Lydia, the seller of purple cloth—a figure previously unknown to many. Since several of the attendees were professional women and working mothers, they strongly identified with her. Her story encouraged them to value their work, families, and roles as witnesses of Christ in their professional and family environments. This impact was evident as, in the following days, several of them visited the Verbum Bookstore in Guadalajara to seek and purchase material about Lydia (which we tracked) and other biblical women and Lenten resources.

As a Divine Word Missionary, this Bible Week was a deeply meaningful experience for me, and I am grateful for the participation of these women and men. I also appreciate the support of my fellow priests, who helped make this week possible. I am inspired and joyful to see how receptive the faithful are to the message and hope that it inspires them to follow Jesus more closely through the various ministries and activities of the parish of San Alberto and to bear Christian witness in their homes and workplaces.

Our faithful have a deep hunger for biblical knowledge and genuinely seek to apply these teachings in their family, work, and social lives. I am convinced that, as missionaries, we must continue fostering these encounters. Fortunately, EVD provides excellent materials and resources to organize Bible Weeks, adapting them to the specific needs and socio-cultural realities of each mission, parish, and ecclesial context.

Fr. Carlos Salcedo,
Parroquia San Alberto Magno
Tlaquepaque, Mexico