Faithful Flock to See Statue of Santo Toribio, the Immigrants’ Saint
In The Los Angeles Times, Esmeralda Bermudez reports on the popularity of Santo Toribio Romo Gonzalez, a Catholic saint who is believed to protect immigrants. Romo Gonzalez, a Mexican priest who was killed in a religious uprising in 1928, is said to miraculously appear to immigrants trying to cross the border. As a result of his popularity, tens of thousands of pilgrims journey to his hometown every week, and the town recently built a mobile statue of the saint that is currently traveling around California. “I owe him everything,” said Jose Ochoa, who immigrated from Mexico in 2005 and came to see the statue when it visited his church. “I couldn’t imagine dying without coming to see him to say thank you.”