The migration phenomenon is as old as God’s creation. We see in the Book of Genesis and other parts of the Biblical story that God entrusted humans with the care and keeping of migration upon the Earth. There are many reasons why people have chosen to cross the borders between nations at different times in history, and in our case today, between the United States and Mexico. As human beings, they are exercising the right to move and migrate within God’s creation in search of a better life. Many also hope to find better opportunities for study and work or to reunite with other family members. Many others come fleeing war, political, domestic or gang violence. Others come seeking what they envision as the “American Dream”. Unfortunately, many die on their way and never reach their “promised land.” They come alone, in groups or in caravans, many with families. Their place of origin ranges from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, and many other places as far away as the Middle East, Africa and China. Some speak English or Spanish; others communicate in French or the language of their indigenous communities. While their circumstances may differ, most come looking for something beyond themselves and their country. Some do not know where they are going but see this movement as their only viable choice to find peace and betterment for themselves and their families.

This is how Sister Lourdes Teresa Toro, MSBT, describes the migrant and refugee experience, based on her time on mission at the U.S. and Mexico borders earlier this year. Sister Lourdes, along with Sister Maria Rincon, MSBT, journeyed to border towns to serve the refugees and migrants as they navigate the ways and system for entering the United States. In a very Trinitarian way, Sister Lourdes served at three locations – McAllen, TX; San Antonio, TX; and Nogales, AZ (and its twin city, Nogales, MX). At these locations, the sisters worked with organizations and ministries already in place at the border alongside other religious men and women, as well as lay volunteers of all ages. Sister Lourdes helped mostly with the efforts to provide some of the immediate basic needs, including food, shelter, clothing, and medical treatment. These organizations also provide psychological counseling and legal assistance to those who are transitioning their lives into a new place, culture and language, as they leave behind their loved ones, their native land and their possessions.

A Very Trinitarian Mission
For Sister Lourdes, her mission at the U.S. and Mexico Border felt somewhat familiar. The goal of this mission harkens back to the beginnings of the Missionary Cenacle Family, and the work of our founder, Fr. Thomas A. Judge, CM. At the time when Fr. Judge was ordained a Vincentian priest in Philadelphia in 1899, the Church in the United States faced the task of absorbing thousands of immigrants from the Catholic countries of eastern and southern Europe. He sought to find those abandoned souls, in risk of losing their faith, and bring them back to the Catholic Church by fulfilling their physical and spiritual needs. A native of Puerto Rico, one of Sister Lourdes’ early missions was in Atlanta, GA, serving a growing and diverse Hispanic immigrant population. This became for her an “opening door” to the migrant phenomena. Additionally, her studies in Cultural Anthropology also included analyses of the cultural and social impacts of migrant communities. As a religious woman, the Biblical stories of migration especially resonate with her, like the Israelites wandering the desert in search of their Promised Land and the Holy Family fleeing for Egypt to escape the threat of violence.

For many migrants and refugees, their faith is what sustains them. Sister Lourdes heard many men and women share a similar message about their journey: “We know that God and the “Virgencita” are with us and will protect us… we trust that we will get to something better.” Despite the violence or difficulties that uprooted their life, and the terrible conditions and unpredictable days that followed, still they cling to the Lord – “the God who walks with His People, God who protects and provides through other people too,” as Sister Lourdes put it. For her, this is the “Living Word,” a reflection of their faith and the mystery of the Incarnation.

While serving at the border, Sister Lourdes participated often in meditations and reflections with other volunteers. One particular day, their time together focused on this prayer that Sister Lourdes says, “Made me think how much of the migrant phenomena is in the Bible,”

“The Immigrants’ Creed” by Jose Luis Casal

I believe in Almighty God,
who guided the people in exile and in exodus,
the God of Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon,
the God of foreigners and immigrants.

I believe in Jesus Christ, a displaced Galilean,
who was born away from his people and his home, who fled
his country with his parents when his life was in danger.
When he returned to his own country he suffered under the oppression of Pontius Pilate,
the servant of a foreign power. Jesus was persecuted, beaten, tortured, and unjustly
condemned to death.

But on the third day Jesus rose from the dead,
not as a scorned foreigner but to offer us citizenship in God’s kingdom.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the eternal immigrant from God’s kingdom among us,
who speaks all languages, lives in all countries,
and reunites all races.

I believe that the Church is the secure home
for foreigners and for all believers.
I believe that the communion of saints begins
when we embrace all God’s people in all their diversity.
I believe in forgiveness, which makes us all equal before God,
and in reconciliation, which heals our brokenness.

I believe that in the Resurrection
God will unite us as one people
in which all are distinct, and all are alike at the same time.
I believe in life eternal, in which no one will be foreigner
but all will be citizens of the kingdom
where God reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Migration with Dignity and Justice

When you start to think about it, the border crisis seems too big and complex to resolve easily. But to Sister Lourdes, it appears simpler: “Migration with dignity and justice” is the goal. She encountered many people along the way, witnessing moments when their human dignity was recognized. There was this father she met, who was diligently watching over and caring for his four children. His wife had left the family and returned to Mexico. He remained, seeking to re-enter the United States with his children. He considered this best for them all at the time. To Sister Lourdes, this father’s steadfast love and care for his children reflect our own God the Father’s endless love for all of us.

Another memory involved a family from a French-speaking African country. They did not know any Spanish, and very little English. They kept to themselves mostly, in the predominately Spanish-speaking facility. Another volunteering Sister checked on them and was able to welcome them with her knowledge of French. “We are dealing with human people, human families. That’s what the church responds to, and we as missionaries must respond to.” For Sister Lourdes, this mission at the border emphasizes aspects of the MSBT charism as well. “How do we live what we believe?” she asks, “All this is part of the Preservation of Faith.

Sister Lourdes shares, “Our specific mission is the ‘preservation of the faith in those areas and among those people who are spiritually neglected and abandoned, especially the poor.’ (MSBT Rule of Life, Chapter 5) ‘It involves confessing the truths of our faith; demonstrating Christianity in action by providing human services to the needy…working for peace and justice;…and fostering faith among all who seek reasons for living and hoping.’” (MSBT Constitution 5.1)

How to Help
Many people wonder what they can do to help the situation at the border. Providing financial donations or donations of clothing, food, and other supplies to organizations that serve at the border is a great place to start. Sister Lourdes specifically worked with two Catholic Charities locations, the Migrant Resource Center in San Antonio, TX and the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, TX. Sister Lourdes also spent time on mission at the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, AZ and Nogales, MX. You can find links to the websites for these organizations below, where you can find more information about how to get involved. Some of these locations are accepting volunteers as well!

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of San Antonio https://www.ccaosa.org/
Catholic Charities Rio Grande Valley https://catholiccharitiesrgv.org/
Kino Border Initiative/ Iniciativa Kino para la Frontera https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/

Your prayers are also a significant way to help.

Pray for the men, women and children who face the impossible choice of uprooting their lives in hopes of something better.

Pray for the individuals and families, the youth and elderly, who must make this journey.

Pray for the volunteers who serve with much love and dedication but with so little resources, and the border patrol agents who work within the limitations of what the law allows.

Pray for legislators and political leaders, that they design and approve resolutions that both respond to the dire circumstances the migrants and refugees face and protect the citizens of the country in which they arrive.

Pray for those who have died in trying to cross the Border… in the desert, the jungle of Darien, the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and many others…having been deceived by unscrupulous people they never fulfill their dreams for a better life.

Pray that we all be welcoming and hospitable people, witnesses of God’s love and mercy for ALL.