September 3 Video

The first Sunday in September, we celebrated Hispanic Heritage in our worship service. Pat Rivera of La Sociedad Folklórica delivered the message, picking up from “Las Mañanitas,” which she sang for us. Our postlude was a mariachi band leading us to the fiesta.

The scripture passage was Ezekiel 36:26-27.

Videos of the full service remain on our livestream page until the Friday following the service. View a video of Pat’s message (including her song) below:

 

Pat Rivera addressed our adult education class back in February with a powerful statement on the importance of culture and the dangers of its erasure. Working with La Sociedad she attempts to preserve her Hispanic culture. La Sociedad Folklórica is a non-profit organization whose mission is to collect, preserve and pass on the knowledge of the customs and traditions of their Spanish ancestors, (some centuries old), to younger generations and the general public.

Pat is a Santa Fean by birth. She is a TEACHER by passion. Growing up in a family that valued education, her parents focused on providing the best schools they could afford for their children. Pat’s educational goal was to achieve a career in the business world.
What seemed unfortunate initially was that counselors encouraged Pat to focus on a business education degree rather than on a purely business degree. Everything changed, however. the first time she stood in front of a classroom of students. In her words, “she was home.”

Pat more than met her parent’s desire for a well educated daughter. She has a BA degree in Business Education followed by two MA degrees—one in Counseling and a second in Technology Education. She taught in the classroom up to the start of the Pandemic.

Pat’s love and focus on teaching has been acknowledged and honored through many professional awards, including the New Mexico Golden Apple Award, BootStrap Award, Santa Fe Leadership Award, and A Teacher who Inspires Award.

While no longer teaching in a classroom, Pat remains focused on the betterment of education in New Mexico through systemic changes. She works to ensure equity for all students, supports educational funding for our state, seeks to have curriculum that is developed by those who teach, and encourages teachers to accept children “where they are.” According to Pat,”Your heart must be in it – teaching is a calling not a job.”