Since 2014, parishioners of St. Mary Magdalen Parish have supported our sister parish, Santa Maria de Guadalupe in Mexicali, Mexico. Since becoming our pastor, Fr. Nick has organized small groups of parishioners on annual visits, and the Mexicali Mission ministry – spearheaded by Sharon and Alex Henthorn-Iwane — organizes various fundraisers throughout the year. In March of this year (2026), Fr. Nick and five parishioners (Sharon, Alex, Laura, Jennifer, and Sally) visited for a weekend. Here is a slideshow presentation, and here is a link to a photo album of this trip.
The main goal of the Mexicali Mission ministry is to support the needs of our sister parish as defined by its parishioners and its pastor, Fr. Roberto Corral, O.P. (Prior pastors have been Fr. David Bello, O.P., and Fr. Miguel Rolland, O.P., all priests of the U.S. Western Dominican Province.)
In the past, for example, we provided air-conditioned portable classrooms that were used for after-school tutoring of neighborhood children and continue to be used for catechesis for the many children of the parish. We also helped support the outreach they were doing during the height of the migration crisis, when hundreds of migrants were stuck in Mexican border towns such as Mexicali.
In addition to their own needs, the parish serves their poor neighbors in need by delivering hundreds of bags of groceries each month to those in need, as well as providing other support for those trapped in poverty (often due to the injury of a primary breadwinner, occasionally one injured in one of the many maquiladoras [factories] surrounding the city), and those who live in shantytown conditions, with no electricity or running water.
If you are moved to participate, please visit the parish Offering page and select ‘Mexicali’ for a one-time or periodic donation. Your may also send or drop off a check at the parish office. Thank you in advance for your support.
Welcoming Visitors from Mexicali!
We are planning to welcome guests from Mexicali during the 2026 Mary Magdalen Festival: the Rivera Family (Alvaro Sr., Laura, and their children, Alvaro Jr., Ricardo and Andrea), parishioner Rosy Montaño and hopefully a contingent of the three Dominican Sisters in charge of the parish children’s catechesis: Hermanas Raquel, Ilde, and Mariana.
The Riveras and the sisters are all musicians, and we are especially eager to invite them to share their gifts at this year’s Festival, which will feature a special event highlighting the musical talents within our community. They will also be playing at the Masses throughout the weekend.
Please make sure to get to know them if you’re in town in July. Mark your calendars for the weekend of July 24-26, 2026
Past Updates and Videos
Video of our February 2023 trip to Mexicali: Reconnecting with Our Sister Parish Post-pandemic
Virtual Greeting to Mexicali for the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe December 2021
We sent a video in honor of our Sister Parish’s Feast Day, Our Lady of Guadalupe, in December of 2021 when we were limited by the pandemic in our visits and from gathering. Noa Henthorn-Iwane compiled this video of memories from the year, featuring beautiful music from Andy, our choir members and others from our community. Enjoy.
Virtual Greeting from Mexicali for the 2021 Mary Magdalen Festival
Parroquia Santa María de Guadalupe sent us videos in honor of our Festival. Noa Henthorn-Iwane compiled this video. Enjoy.
Virtual Greeting from Mexicali for the 2020 Mary Magdalen Festival
- A video greeting from Dona Maria Teresa Bastidas.
- Dominican Mission Foundation Newsletter, Summer 2020 .
- The Rivera family performs “Pan de Angeles en San Sixto” (tr.Bread of Angels, St. Sixtus) from the Order of Preachers of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.
Past Ministry Updates
Since 2014, St. Mary Magdalen has maintained a sister Parish relationship with the Dominican Parish (Parroquia) de Santa María de Guadalupe in Mexicali, Mexico.
Mexicali is a city of over 1M, the capital of the state of Baja California, and is right on the border across from Calexico, CA. The Parroquia serves a poorer section on the eastern side of the city and has a main church and three chapels (Capillas).
On a voluntary basis, parishioners from St. Mary Magdalen have been donating to and supporting the Parroquia by funding some small capital projects including building and outfitting climate-controlled spaces for catechism. In addition, our regularl support helps the Parroquia meet other pressing needs as they arise. Our giving is administered by the Dominican mission foundation.
Since 2022, parishioners of the Parroquia at St. Mary Magdalen have also been donating to support a scholarship fund for two sisters, Laura and Citlali, to attend Catholic school. Laura and Citlali are part of the Parroquia, have gone through some difficult family issues, and were identified by a lay leader, the late Maria Teresa Bastides. Update: This initiative has since been discontinued as of 2024. We hope to use the funds collected for educational equity needs identified by the Mexicali community in joint discernment with the ministry leaders. Anyone who has donated to the scholarship fund will be contacted once a plan is in place for its use.
Sharon Henthorn-Iwane is the primary contact for both the mission giving and the Laura and Citlali scholarship fund.
Opportunities to Give
Mexicali Guest travel expenses: If you’d like to help defray the cost of the Mexicali parishioners’ travel to Berkeley, you can choose to donate to the general Mexicali Mission Fund here and you can put a note on the second page that comes up. Thankfully, the only real cost is roundtrip airfare from San Diego which has been kept very reasonable. Transportation and lodging are all being provided by the SMM parish and the generous hosting of Sally Smith.
June 2023 Update
Welcoming Visitors from Mexicali!
We will be welcoming seven guests from Mexicali during our centennial Mary Magdalen festival:
The Rivera Family (Alvaro and Laura and their grown children Alvaro Jr., Ricardo and Andrea)
Javier Elizondo (the sisters’ uncle)
Betty Valdez, our new bilingual PoC in Mexicali who is helping us to manage the scholarship initiative on behalf of the girls.
Please make sure to get to know them if you’re in town for the festival. Sally Smith will be hosting a party at her house for all the Mexicali guests as well as housing the Rivera Family(Thank you for your hospitality, Sally!). All Mexicali Mission friends are welcome- Please mark your calendar!
Some Sad News
We learned this week that Maria Teresa Bastides passed away on June 25th in Ensenada after a bout of illness. We are awaiting more details about her funeral, etc. Maria Teresa was a key lay leader who helped us, along with Father Miguel Rolland, to establish a real connection to the parish. Maria Teresa also visited twice in Berkeley, even providing a response to the main talk at a prior Mary Magdalen Festival. She will be sorely missed. Alex and I will be attending her funeral mass in Mexicali next Saturday, July 8 at 11am. If you would like us to bring a card or pass on condolences please let us know.
February 2023 Update
Visiting Mexicali and Reconnecting with the Parish:
- Father Nick, Juan Carlos Soto, Alex and Sharon Henthorn-Iwane traveled to Mexicali in February. This was our first chance to reconnect in person with the parish since right before the pandemic started in 2020.
- It was a real gift to have Juan Carlos with us, as he is fluent in Spanish.
- We visited the catechetical centers at the main church and at the Capilla San Martin de Porres in Flores Magon (one of the neighborhoods within the parish). We were blessed to be able to see them in action, with lots of kids in class!
- We met and got to know a recent addition to the Dominican friars serving the parish, Father Roberto (who we subsequently learned had spent time at Saint Mary Magdalen in Berkeley).
- We attended a birthday celebration for Father Bart and spent time with parishioners.
- We attended mass at two of the chapels during our visit, the main chapel at Santa Maria de Guadalupe Church and the most financially challenged chapel in Via Zapata.
Fr. Miguel Rolland, O.P., past pastor, with parishioners on Palm Sunday.