OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“We can’t allow more tragedies like these. They cannot be repeated … Innocents have died because we have done everything to keep them from finding a dignified life … The desert speaks, and we can hear the shouts of the land telling us that our policies have consequences. (Bishop Mark Seitz at the Interfaith Service for Justice and Mercy at the El Paso U.S.-Mexico border Feb. 26)
Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, holds photos of two migrant children who died in U.S. custody; he spoke during the Feb. 26 Interfaith Service for Justice and Mercy at the Border near Sunland Park, N.M. (CNS photo/David Agren)
In the shadows of the desert sunset, hundreds gathered on both sides the Tex-Mex border to grieve the deaths of 7-year old Jakelin Caal and 8-year old Felipe Alonzo, who died in U.S. detention custody last month.
Families of all denominations from both sides prayed together through the iron slats of the border wall which El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz described as “a great scar across our land, dividing us.” He held up the photos of the young migrants, while borderland bishops blessed the dusty ground with holy water, asking all to hear “the shouts of the land.”
That night, nearly 600 refugee women and children detained by the U.S. Border Patrol, were dropped off in downtown El Paso to be cared for by faith communities from all over the city. Volunteers greeted the frightened weary migrants with food, clothing and shelter, including beds and showers. Meanwhile, 14 bishops from both sides of the Texas-Mexico border met for three days with 100 persons with decades of experience working among migrants and refugees in the United States to discuss how best to respond to the current “crisis.”
At the end, all gathered with newly-arrived refugees to celebrate the Eucharist. As everyone held hands, San Antonio Texas Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, a Mexican immigrant himself, assured all that no one was alone in this journey, that God was present and that Jesus and his Mother — Our Lady of Guadalupe — were holding all in their arms.
The Tex-Mex bishops then released this powerful declaration which was immediately and wholeheartedly supported by the U.S. Conference of Bishops:
“Driven by situations of extreme violence and poverty, many immigrants come to our border, in large caravans or small groups. We urge everyone to discover, in these brothers and sisters who are suffering, Christ in need, and to give them the support they require, without assuming they are criminals, as they are sometimes perceived. The reality is different: many of them are victims of criminal elements in their own countries as well as along the course of their journey to the border.
“As bishops of the border between Texas and Mexico, we reiterate our commitment to continue to provide all the help our migrant brothers and sisters need, each distinct diocese joining with various religious and civil organizations that work in support of the immigrant. We appeal to governments, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they not adopt policies that have the effect of increasing the suffering of the most vulnerable. As pastors, we encourage our faithful to join ourselves to the God of hope and life, so that he may help us to welcome, protect, promote and integrate immigrants, as requested by Pope Francis. ‘Let us not grow tired of doing good.’ (Galatians 6:9)”
Here in Hawaii, we can welcome, protect, promote and integrate immigrants through Free Citizen Workshops hosted by a wide collaboration of faith communities, unions, universities and non-profits. The next one is March 30 at Harris United Methodist Church. For more information, go to www.citizenshiphawaii.org.
Sharing the journey of migrants and refugees is a main theme of the Catholic Relief Services Lenten Rice Bowl this year. Bishop Larry Silva urges us all to participate in CRS’s efforts “to share the journey, and to witness to Jesus by helping others in need survive and thrive.” (See his letter)
For more information on how we can share in the journey of our human family worldwide visit the diocese website www.catholichawaii.org. or www.officeforsocialministry.org.
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
STORY OF HOPE: CHRISTYAN DHATHCROOS OF SRI LANKA
Christyan Dhathcroos and son (CRS photo)
Christyan Dhathcroos is from a farming village in Sri Lanka, but he spent half of his life in India. He and his family fled there during Sri Lanka’s civil war. He was only 14-years-old when they left. When he returned to his homeland 16 years later, Christyan was 30, and the family farm was in shambles. He and his father found their fields covered in trees and filled with rocks. With a wife and family to provide for, Christyan needed help. For a refugee, returning home after so many years can be challenging. That’s why CRS is helping Christyan and others like him rebuild their lives. That means helping to clear overgrown sections of farmland and ensuring those farms have access to water.
Christyan is now growing rice, pumpkins and peanuts. Because of the assistance from CRS, Christyan can give his family things he never had. Things like education. Because his family was always fleeing violence during the war, Christyan never completed school. “I want to make sure my three children are educated,” he says. “That’s my dream. No one in our family has finished their education, but I know my children will.”
Christyan’s dream is coming true. With the profits from the family’s farm, Christyan can send his 4-year-old son, Godwin, to a private Catholic preschool. It’s worth the money to Christyan to help Godwin achieve his dream of becoming a scientist. Christyan isn’t just teaching his family that they can achieve their dreams with the help of a good education — he’s also making sure they understand the importance of helping others. “When we had nothing, CRS came and helped us, and now we have what we need. We should help others too.”
SHARE THE JOURNEY
If refugees are able to return home, they often must rebuild what has been destroyed of their lives. That’s why they need support to begin again.
FACTS TO CONSIDER: SRI LANKA
Population: 22,409,381
Size: 65,610 square miles; slightly larger than West Virginia
As Sri Lanka continues to recover from a decades-long civil war and the devastating effects of recurrent natural disasters, including the 2004 tsunami, CRS has focused on rebuilding and helping those displaced after the war.
CRS’ Puthiya Vidiyal, or “New Dawn” project, supports safe and dignified lives for families who have returned to Sri Lanka after living in camps in Tamil Nadu, India, by strengthening agriculture livelihoods, training in employable skills, reducing violence and obtaining civil documents.
Through Caritas, CRS sponsors the National Peace Program, designed to bring people together from across ethnic and religious divides to ease tensions that were the roots of the civil war.
—Catholic Relief Services
