Sandra Tirado, left, has transformed the corner of the Tirado family home into a special place where she, her husband Vicente and their four children can give thanks to God each night. Also pictured are children, Carla and Alexis. (BEN TORRES/Special Contributor)
By Constanza Morales
Special to The Texas Catholic
Moved by the promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sandra Tirado decided seven years ago to transform a corner of her home into a special place where she, her husband and four children will meet every night to give thanks to God and ask for His protection.
Tirado,46, a parishioner for more than 20 years at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, never imagined that the corner she diligently decorated through the years, would one day serve as the perfect sanctuary when she faced one of the most difficult times of her life: her husband’s battle with illness.
It occurred in the Spring of 2020 and in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown as local hospitals were functioning at full capacity.
Vicente Tirado, a Eucharistic Minister since 2018 at OLPH, had to be hospitalized due to complications with his spleen and blood cells.
“We went through very hard times,” Sandra recalled of the days her husband was battling the illness.
The couple, originally from Guanajuato, in the northern-central region of Mexico, are devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe and joined the charismatic group Kenosis in their parish five years ago.
In the group, the couple learned about the Bible and participated in prayer assemblies.
Seeing Vicente sick, Sandra feared for his life, but never lost her sense of peace nor her trust in God.
“I rested my hope in Him,” she said. “I focused on my prayer at home, being with the Lord and offering my suffering to ask for the healing of my husband.”
After a week in the hospital, Vicente was able to come back home. Just as he has been regaining strength in the last year, he has witnessed the growth of his love for the Eucharist.
“When I first started distributing the Body of Christ, I was very nervous,” he recalled about his first days serving as Eucharistic Minister at OLPH. “With the passing of the days, my fear was replaced by a sense of serenity that made me feel much more in love with the Eucharist.
“Today I’m in love with Christ and I feel I want to serve Him without limitations,” Vicente added.
The Tirados are a living example of what Pope Francis said last March when he declared a special year dedicated to the family, which also coincided with the fifth anniversary of his encyclical, “Amoris Laetitia.”
The Holy Father affirmed that: “Getting married and sharing life is something beautiful. It is a committed journey, sometimes difficult, sometimes complicated, but it is worth cheering up. And on this lifelong journey, the wife and husband are not alone; Jesus accompanies them”.
Every night in the bosom of their home, Sandra and Vicente Tirado feel the company of Jesus. The spouses offer their prayers and thanksgiving at their family altar.
“The most important thing for us is to know how to be an example of Christ wherever we go” Vicente said. “We have seen his mercy manifest in our lives and that is why every day we come here to show our eternal gratitude,” his wife added.
Editor’s Note: “Faces of Faith” is a regular feature in The Texas Catholic that highlights parishioners at the various parishes throughout the Diocese of Dallas and how their faith has impacted their lives.
