Dirty Words, God’s Language?

Talk about “holy $#^#&!” Father Frederick Loos, an American who has lived in Mexico for the past four decades, is not afraid to use any means necessary to preach the Gospels. As the Mexico City Journal/New York Times reports: Frederick Loos was cussing like a sailor the other night, which was surprising given that he […]

Talk about “holy $#^#&!” Father Frederick Loos, an American who has lived in Mexico for the past four decades, is not afraid to use any means necessary to preach the Gospels. As the Mexico City Journal/New York Times reports:

Frederick Loos was cussing like a sailor the other night, which was surprising given that he is a Roman Catholic priest and his foul-mouthed discourse was delivered from the pulpit to hundreds of faithful gathered before him.

He spoke of God, the need to serve him and how he can transform lives. But interspersed in his sermon was the most colorful of street Spanish, which brought smiles to the faces of many of the gang members, addicts and other young people pressed in tight to listen.

Riddled with incredible drug-related violence in recent years, Mexico has seen its share of hardships. The violence reaches all walks of life: politicians watch their every move, entire families have been known to disappear, and even clergy must watch who they criticize or reprimand.


Fr. Loos, however, is one of those ministers who actually seeks out the criminals, the drug addicts, and the poor. Religion is important to them, too, something that other drug cartels have taken advantage of. But Fr. Loos is on a mission to reach them in a way that cartels cannot. Some of the worshippers come to church high or stoned. Instead of money, many give up their drugs in the collection plates. These are the people that Fr. Loos reaches out to, the ones he seeks to connect to. He defends his, um, eccentric language by saying

“When you go to China you have to speak Chinese,” the priest explained afterward, slipping out of his vestments. “If you’re speaking to kids you use their idioms. I don’t think God is offended if it brings them closer to him.”

These youths come to church bearing statues of St. Jude Thaddeus, one of the apostles and patron saint of hopeless causes. In the U.S., as elsewhere, St. Jude has typically been the forgotten saint (often confused with Judas) and the saint that women predominantly turn to. Many men even ask women to intercede on behalf of them with prayers to St. Jude.

With Fr. Loos’ presentation, we may have a Mexican version of unorthodox evangelization. With many in the U.S. still contesting whether mediums like Rock n’ Roll or Hip Hop, paintballing or soccer camps, are effective at getting the message out, Fr. Loos just continues giving out a healthy dose of the Good Word, replete with many of his own not-so-good words.

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