For the Rev. Canon Luz Cabrera Montes, home has many sounds, flavors, and memories.
She was born and raised in Houston in a Salvadoran family, but El Salvador was never something distant. Throughout her childhood, she returned to the country almost every summer, building a connection to the people, traditions, music, and everyday experiences that became part of her understanding of home. luz hhm final
Today, as she serves at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston and raises her own family, those memories have taken on another meaning. They are not only reminders of where her family comes from; they are traditions she now has the opportunity to pass on.
The Sounds That Take Us Home
For Luz, one of the strongest connections to her Salvadoran heritage has always been music.
Growing up, music was an important part of family life. She remembers listening to Los Hermanos Flores and experiencing the traditional music and dances that connected her family to El Salvador. Among those memories is “El Carbonero,” a song and dance deeply associated with the country and with the cultural traditions she experienced growing up. luz hhm final
The sound of cumbia can still bring those memories back.
But home can also have a flavor.
For Luz, it can be as simple as the taste of green mango with salt and lime — one of those small sensory memories capable of connecting the present with summers, family, and another place. luz hhm final
Growing Up Between Houston and El Salvador
Although Houston has always been home, Luz grew up with El Salvador as an important part of her life.
She remembers returning there every summer until she was about 18 years old. Those trips created memories that have remained with her and helped her understand not only where her family came from, but also the importance of keeping culture and traditions alive. luz hhm final
That connection to both Houston and El Salvador has accompanied Luz throughout her life and ministry.
Today, she serves as a canon at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston. Her path in the Episcopal Church began as a teenager at Iglesia Episcopal San Mateo and eventually led her into ordained ministry. In 2021, she was ordained as the first Latina priest from a Spanish-speaking parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
Her story reflects an identity shaped not by choosing between cultures, but by carrying them together — family, faith, Houston, and El Salvador.
Passing It On
Perhaps the meaning of those traditions becomes clearest now that Luz is a mother.
Her daughter is four years old, and Luz now gets to introduce her to some of the same things that helped shape her own childhood.
That includes the music of Los Hermanos Flores. It includes Salvadoran traditions. And yes, it also includes green mango with salt and lime. luz hhm final
What once connected Luz to the generations before her is now something she can share with the generation that comes after her.
It is a reminder that heritage does not live only in the places we come from. It lives in what we remember, what we practice, and what we choose to pass on.
For Luz, home can be Houston and El Salvador. It can sound like cumbia. It can taste like mango. And sometimes, it can be found in watching her daughter discover something that once helped her understand where she came from.
What takes you home?.
