Robot 6
Man of faith dons Man of Tomorrow for children’s Mass
Father Humberto Alvarez isn’t a typical Catholic priest. Every Sunday, the 40-year-old dons a tunic emblazoned with images of Superman, Batman and Spider-Man, and, armed with a Super Soaker loaded with holy water, delivers a special Mass to the children of Saltillo, Mexico.
It’s an unconventional approach, but one that appears to work, drawing parishioners young and old to the service. Alvarez told Zocalo magazine, that he embraced the superheroes because, “We talk about attitudes of struggle and effort to achieve overcome fears, find peace and forgiveness.” He began using the water gun to bless the congregation following a series of fatal shootings in Saltillo.
While not everyone agrees with Alvarez’s tactics, he’s undaunted, saying, “Jesus was different and always sought justice, we must follow his example.”
(via ComicMix, lainformacion)
16 Comments
Apostate
February 22, 2013 at 12:07 pm
This guy > Orson Scott Card
Rob
February 22, 2013 at 12:34 pm
The 8 years I spent being an altar server, I worked with a lot of priests. Some boring, some TOO smart (20 minute homily including 4 minutes going into history a little too in-depth), and some just amazing human beings too. I wish I had had the opportunity to work with someone like this.
Lee
February 22, 2013 at 1:09 pm
I always get a kick out of people who get upset about this stuff. I big point of the New Testament was you weren’t subject to laws and practices of religious faith other than your faith in Christ.
As long as this guy is propping heroes as religious idols people complaining are just looking for something to complain about. Content of his message is much more important than something as trivial as a water gun or superhero robe.
Aaron B.
February 22, 2013 at 1:14 pm
I am disappoint.
I thought this was another MARVEL lawsuit article…
Aaron B.
February 22, 2013 at 1:15 pm
Or DC lawsuit article, I should obviously clarify. But hey, it doesn’t look like the guy’s doing any harm. Go forth and super-soak.
Martin Gray
February 22, 2013 at 1:33 pm
What a lovely fella! Nice one.
somedamnthing
February 22, 2013 at 1:38 pm
Just reminds me of Azzarello’s terrible run in Superman. :/
James
February 22, 2013 at 1:56 pm
This guy sounds awesome, though I’d love to explain what happened to Spidey in One More Day to him and see his reaction.
nefisto
February 22, 2013 at 3:08 pm
What a nice surprise.
Kooblah Khan
February 22, 2013 at 5:30 pm
I aint Catholic—so if they are ok with it, who am I to argue,lol?
Flip Maker
February 22, 2013 at 5:33 pm
I’m Jewish. I want to see a Rabbi wearing a yarmulke with a green lantern logo on it. SOMEONE MAKE THIS HAPPEN YESTERDAY!
David Fullam
February 22, 2013 at 6:21 pm
Bout time we had a good Superman story.
Superman
February 23, 2013 at 11:25 am
I’m Catholic, and I think this is awesome. This is what ministers of all faiths need to make their #1 priority: reaching young people with a positive and inspiring message. What better way to do that then with the four-color “prophets” of the modern age? I learned more about morals and values from reading comics than I did attending Mass. That changed when I got older, but my love of those heroes (Superman, The Batman, Captain America are my favorites) has remained, and they continue to inspire me. It’s about time Christianity today finds some creative and positive ways to reach modern culture.
Lewal
February 23, 2013 at 11:51 am
Ugh. It bears mentioning that neither Super-Man or Batman are capable of being Christian. But hey, what does character integrity mean? We should totally just use popular characters to push our agendas… not like anything bad ever came of that…
Camoron
February 23, 2013 at 1:43 pm
@Apostate, but we don’t even know his views on gay marriage!
Andrew
February 24, 2013 at 9:08 am
Truly disturbing. While Superman and Batman may be every bit as fictional as Jesus, at least they don’t pretend to actually be real and have superpowers.