 The care of the sick was a major focus of his ministry, as well as teaching the catechism to the children of the parish.When he was stationed in Cocula, Jalisco, he taught classes at a minor seminary established within the parish.As a result of the increasing tension between the Catholic Church and the government of Mexico, in 1917 the Archbishop of Guadalajara, Francisco Orozco y Jiménez, issued a pastoral letter on behalf of the bishops of Mexico—most of whom were then in exile in the United States—in which he detailed the sufferings he was enduring for defending the rights of the Church against government interference.