Javier "Padre Xavier" Enrique Guerrero Briones (1/2/34-12/7/84)

Father Xavier, religious and impelling shepherd of the regionals development

Even after his death, the huastecos continue remembering him, his origin, formation and arrival to Cuidad Valles.

On January 2, 1934, an ordinary priest of Lagunillas arrived to Cuidad Valles to become in charge of Parroquia de Sanitago de los Valles for ten days, as Father Carlos Moctezuma was found ill. Unknowing that it would be here that his pastoral work would be devoted to the area, but also to lay the foundations of the regionals development. This young priest was Xavier Enrique Guerrero Briones, whom would be known as Father Xavier. He was born on July 14, 1904 in the Municipal of Lagunillas, third son Tomás Guerrero and Adela Briones.

He was baptism in the Parroquia de Lagunillas by Priest (presbítero) Anacleto Medina, and his godfathers were Don Flavio Castro and Carlota Robles; his confirmation was performed by Bishop of San Luis Potosí, Miguel of Mora, and his first comunión took place in Parroquia (Parish) of Lagunillas, in an official mass given by the father Juan N. Martínez.

He attended elementary school in Cuidad Fernandez for the first three years of his education, it was there that his father was the acting secretary of the City Council. Fourth through sixth grade he studied at Zaragoza School. He passed his post-compulsory schooling at the University of San Luis Potosí, then he became part of the administrative body of the student magazine named "Juventud", where he became an editor.

Later he finished Council Seminary Josefino. During his first year there he attended classes of latin, humanities, philosophy and theology. His second year he attended the University of Pontifical in the City of Mexico. His third year attended the Seminary of Veracruz, in the capital of that country. And on this fourth year of studies rejoined the Seminary of San Luis Potosí, when the Father Miguel of the Mora was a Bishop.

Father Xavier, once said that he was imprisoned in the cellars of the Inspection of the Police in the City of Mexico with 200 seminares, and than on a second occasion they were stopped in the same place. He listened to the gun firings when Father Pro was killed. His guide in the Seminary was Presbítero Eulalio Bridge, who was Chaplain of the Sanctuary of Guadalupe of San Luis Potosí. He recalled, from his memories, that he received the sacred orders of the Bishop Miguel of Mora, the religious persecution in the Rome colony, in the City of Mexico, in a house improvised as a seminary, next to a small number of seminares.

Xavier Enrique Guerrero was ordain as a priest April 19, 1930 and celebrated his first mass by singing in the Sanctuary of Guadalupe. Previously and like his first ministerial work, he was sent to the Parroquia (parish) de Matehuala, as a cooperating vicar. A year and a half later he was assigned to the Parroquia de Rioverde, where Bishop Guillermo Trischtler y Cordoba also were for a year and a half.

By instructions of Bishop Trischtler, January 2, 1934, Father Xavier arrived at Cuidad Valles, with instructions to replace by ten days parish priest Carlos Moctezuma, but those ten days passed and the young presbítero continued there, not only in charge of the Parroquia de Santiago de los Valles, but was also entrusted with the Parroquia de Aquismón, municipal where his pastoral work deepened and he made all the necessary attempts to construct temples. One of them is in the indigenous mountain community of Tamapatz. During that time he also was in charge of the Parroquia of several municipals, among them is Axila, Tamuín, Tancanhuitz and Tampamolón.

In addition he acted as representative to Bishop Anaya in all the region as social religious labor. Father Xavier was not only limited his pastoral work, but he showed great care for the conditions in which the majority of the inhabitants of Huasteca Potosina lived. And therefore little by little he tried to do something to revert that situation. It began to turn into a gesture of important labor and social actions, he went as far as knocking on the doors of those that did not practice the catholic religion.

As part of his ministry he took the task of looking for resources amoung the catholics to build temples, achiving the construction of the Municipal Cemetery Chapel, as well as, the churches of San Juanita in the Colonia Bellavista and of San Martín de Porres in the Colonia Vergel.

Concerned of the conditions in which many older people lived, Father Xavier occurred to take the task of integrating a patronage pro construction a shelter and looked for economic supports and material, obtaining in just a short time a building which today is the Asilo de Ancianos de San Martín de Porres. He religiously showed, when he spoke, that education was fundamental to obtain progress in the region, which ia another reason why he proposed to open more schools so that all could have the opportunity to study. His legacy in that aspect is vast, to mention some of his works. Respectively, Carlos A. Carrillo and Leona Vicario

To these establishments others were added, like the Colegio Motolinía (school), Commercial Academy Potosina, Preparatori Valles (high school) and, then, Regional School of Professional Studies (EREP), which today is Campus Huasteca de la University Automona of San Luis Potosí.

The diseases of that era that plagued the vallenses and huastecos in general, were enough to motivate that health issue should also be a priority for Father Xavier, and as testimony of his concerns, he remembers the first installation of medical clinics and later the creation of the patronages of the General Hospital and the Red Cross. But be known that without a doubt for the faithful the most important legacy is the construction of the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe, today known as the Cathedral. Perhaps in his ministry and as laborer, this is one of the most ambitious project, and knowing that it required many resources did not scrimp on the effort to look for resources, and were told of those who knew him, even those that were not catholic remembered his labor. Father Xavier never seemed to rest, because besides its pastoral work and of manager and constructor work of the Valley and the region, he had time time for teaching, because he was professor in the Escuela Secundaria Federal No. 1 (junior hugh school) “Pedro Antonio Santos”, in Preparatoria Valles (high school) and in other educational institutions.

As a cultured and assiduous man of literature, he did not escape the temptation to be involve in the media and he did it as a contributors in the Semanario Valles magazine Valles, which was the most important source of communication in the region. He also participated as a commentator of radio on subjects of general interest on radio station XETR. His favorite sport was baseball and being a servant of God, his well-known recollections of his favorte team, one which he became fond of, was named the Red Devils of México, this he talked about when he was 80 years of age, and with several important projects still pending.

On December 7, 1984, Father Xavier passed away, event that brought about a great sadness in the majority of the inhabitants of the Cuidad Valles and the Huasteca Potosina, because his benefactor was called upon to occupy an important place next to the Creator, God.

As the 24th anniversary of his death, in the year of 1998, in his memory a bust in the vestibule of the Parroquiq Santiago de los Valles, which is his house.

In Cuidad Valles his family resides, his neice Carmelite Guerrero, her husband Raymundo Rodriguez and their children Patty, Javier, Carmelite, Betty and Tito Enrique the Rodriguez Guerrero, who remember the extraordinary lesson of life that Father Xavier inherited them, a presbítero that was not limited to his pastoral work, but went further looking for the communal property (bien comun).