Written by
Sr. Gail Young, SSS
June 11,
2013
As the
Sisters and I reflected on the reading of Joel this morning during our prayer
time, the words that stood out for me were “Be not afraid” and “God is among
you” because they bring a deep comfort to me as we lift up the work of the
people who are on the frontlines and bring attention to the stories we will
hear today. All throughout the day, these words were with me.
We arrived
with a gracious welcome at Annunciation House by the wonderful volunteers,
faith leaders, and Mr. Ruben Garcia who is the founder and director of this
amazing volunteer-run nonprofit organization. The Annunciation House truly
lives out their mission statement, which states:
“In a Gospel spirit of service and solidarity, we accompany
the migrant, homeless, and economically vulnerable peoples of the border region
through hospitality, advocacy, and education. We place ourselves among the poor
so as to live our faith and transform our understanding of what constitutes
more just relationships between peoples, countries and economies.”
Mr. Garcia introduced the five speakers today
including Sr. Simone Campbell: Sister Lourdes Lopez, DMRS, working with the
unaccompanied minors; Guillermina, who is a Mexican Political Asylum-seeker;
Sra. Maria Luz, who gave her talk on what it is like to be a Social Security Widow;
and the last speaker, who was anonymous, named Maria. She covered her face with
dark sunglasses and a sheet over her head. She stated, “It is sad to live in
the shadows and that we need comprehensive immigration reform now.”
It was
heartrending to me to hear the continuous violence that goes on in Mexico. It
brought tears to my eyes when I listened to a story from a mother. Guillermina’s
two brothers were both killed in Mexico just a matter of days from each other,
by organized crime groups. This led Guillermina and the rest of her family to
flee to El Paso. They were denied two times before they were accepted to seek
asylum. She and her family have been staying at the Annunciation House where
they are given hospitality and support. In 2012, 9,206 sought asylum but only
126 cases were granted. Guillermina believes that if she would had stayed in
her country, she may not have lived to share her story with us today. How many
others have devastating experiences like Guillermina?
We gave the
ladies hugs and told them we won’t forget them and will work hard to advocate for
them. We will continue to raise our hands and voices for just, comprehensive
immigration reform now!
For more
information about the Annunciation House, please visit www.annunciationhouse.org.
