Refugee and Immigrant Assistance in the Rio Grande Valley

The work continues, as the many Catholic Charities workers and volunteers seek to address the needs of the women and children who have come to us from Central America and Mexico.

Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley is coordinating the diocesan response to this humanitarian crisis. "Is this a crisis?", people ask me. It is for the children, and therefore it is for us. They are  frightened, desoriented, and often dehydrated. Having lived on sparse and unhealthy sustenance for the four to six weeks it took to travel through the interior of Mexico, their digestive systems cannot easily adjust to a regular meal. 

Here, a little boy looks at his new shoes.

We have two sites operating currently. One at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen and the other at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville. Thanks to the cooperation of city officials in McAllen, Pharr and Brownsville, we are able to provide meals, a change of clothing and most importantly a friendly face to soothe their fears. In McAllen, the mothers and children can take a shower and change clothes and eat something healthy before going on their way. We are hoping shower facilities will soon also be available at the Cathedral site in Brownsville.

These are some of the shower facilities set up at Sacred Heart.

And the clothes made available. 

And the supplies for baby and toddler needs. 

We have received many donations from local individuals and organizations. Trucks arrived last week carrying food and clothes and water from the generous response of the people of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Food and clothing are being received by the Food Bank in Pharr, Texas, for later distribution as needs arrise.

What happens to the children and mothers who come to us? Well, first they are detained and processed at local Border Patrol facilities. This process can take many days. These facilities were not designed to handle so many women and children. Conditions are very crowded. It is vital that federal law enforcement find a way to let qualified persons go in and see these children, give them hope and encourage them not to despair. At that early stage of detention they are in need of a human face that hears their cries and asses their human needs. Catholic Charities, and others are prepared to coordinate this kind of assistance. 

Once they are processed by federal law enforcement, many children and mothers find their way to our transition centers, like the one pictured above in McAllen. Many do not. Those that do, find the kind of assistance I described above. Also, doctors and physician assistants check for immediate medical needs. Dehydration is the most common problem. Sometimes it is a life-threatening problem. 

As many have said, what we are seeing unfold in front of our eyes is a humanitarian and refugee reality, not an immigration problem. For our part, the Church must respond in the best way we can to the human need. At the same time, we ask our government to act responsibly to address the reality of migrant refugees. A hemispheric response is needed, not simply a border response. And we ask that the government to protect the Church's freedom to serve people. 

 

The whole Valley owes Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ, Director of our Catholic Charities, and her little army of assistants and volunteers a huge debt of gratitude. What they have been able to do is amazing, especially in serving as a catalyst for Valley-wide support and cooperation. And to the parishioners and volunteers serving at Sacred Heart in McAllen, and Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville, a profound thanks for showing us all the face of a generous commitment to serving with open hearts and open doors those in need. The Lord Jesus Crucified and Risen is indeed among us. He is in the one who suffers; He is in the one who serves.

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Catholic Youth Renovation Project 2014

I am very proud of our youth in this diocese, for many reasons. So many of them give of themselves so generously in the service of others. The Catholic Youth Renovation Project is a perfect example of what I mean. For five years now, youth and adult volunteers from the parishes around Mission, Texas, give a week's time to an intense experience of fixing-up homes in the colonias on the western side of Hidalgo County, near St. Anne's Church in a Pueblo de Palmas, and it's missions.

They put new siding on the homes.

They add another room to create more family space in the homes.

They enjoy the experience of working as a community of believers.

And they even persuade their bishop to get on the roof and demonstrate the use of a nail-gun :)

 

This year members of the Hidalgo County Sheriff's department lent a strong helping hand to show support for the community out-reach efforts of the youth.

I was able to spend some time today visiting also some of the families whose lives were being impacted for the good by the CYRP. The youth and their adult mentors get to know the families, the children, and something about the mystery of grace. Because the fact is that we cannot reach out to help someone else without ourselves receiving more in return. This "more" is the joy of a real human encounter, and a real sharing of life.

My favorite photo of the day! A visit with a grandmother and her 5 grandchildren, while a young man continues working on their home in the background. 

I spoke to the youth after visiting some of the sites, and told them they are an example of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and member of his Church: They work together, go outside of themselves together, to extend a helping hand and to offer a smiling face to another; they pray together, go out and serve together in a common love for the ones that Jesus loves. 

And while I was there I got a quick interview or two in with the local media. I always wondered what it looked like from the camera-man's angle!

Many thanks to the young people who work so diligently to make better the lives of others. Thanks also to the adult volunteers, the business sponsors who send food and water, and to the families who share their homes and lives with our young people during this week. And thanks be given most of all to God, who inspires such goodness in the hearts of so many.

No wonder I am the happiest bishop in the country!

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"Voy pa Roma"

Jeje... Y la gente me pregunta si tengo cita con el Papa. No, les digo, es que me toca visitar la parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Refugio en Roma, Texas. Me encanta visitar a Roma, uno de los pueblos de la frontera con raíces en el siglo 18; ubicado en el lado este de la presa de Falcón; uno de los pueblos que se salvó de la inundación creada por genio humano cuando detuvieron el Río Grande y Bravo para dar luz a la presa en el año 1954, cuando "Eisenhower y Cortines se saludaron de mano", como decían mis abuelos. 

Así es. Fui para confirmar a los jóvenes este Domingo del Corpus. Todos muy animados y llenos de fe: 

"Jóvenes", les dije, "no se olviden de los despreciados, porque tales buscaba Jesús; el mundo juegue su juego con la mentira, diciendo que algunas personas importan y otras no. Jesús manifestó la verdad: bajo la mirada de Dios Padre, cada vida humana importa. Él pasó su tiempo buscando a los rechazados, los despreciados. Hoy Él estaría con los niños no-nacidos, con los ancianos desrespetados, con los pobres marginalizados, con los indocumentados, y con los enfermos aislados. 

Y no busquen como jugar el juego de contról y poder, porque Jesús no buscaba eso; nunca dijo que "hoy te haré un favor, pero mañana me debes". El mundo da favores para cultivar el contról. Cuidado con eso. Si un estranjero te ofrece un billete de cien dólares, hay que preguntar "¿que quiere este?" Porque tal vez te va decir que "mañana me debes". El diablo le ofreció a Jesús las riquezas del mundo, pero Jesús sabía que el Mentiroso ofrecía favores para poder decir que mañana me debes algo. 

La vida no debe de ser un juego de contról como el de los "Hunger Games".  El juego del mundo gira por medio del desprecio de los pobres, la mentira, el contról y la muerte. Jesús llegó para acabar con el juego. Por eso murió y resicitó. El juego del mundo lo crucificó; el poder de Dios lo resucitó, para efectuar y confirmar definitivamente que el reino del pecado, o sea, el juego del mundo, ha llegado a su fin; vale la pena hacer el esfuerzo para vivir algo mejor; el Crucificado ha resucitado. La verdad triunfa sobra la mentira, y la vida sobre la muerte. No tienen ustedes que jugar el juego; la vida es un regalo, y Jesús a resucitado. Vivan en la esperanza de la victoria de la verdad y la vida, y con eso darán su testimonio delante de los poderes del mundo."

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Immigrant Assistsnce

We must stay focused on the needs of the children and those mothers who are with them. They are frightened, in need of food, water, clothing and in some cases medical attention. 

I am grateful for what Catholic Social Services here in the Rio Grande Valkey has been able to do to help coordinate a Church and community response to a rapidly developing human crisis. I am also grateful for so many volunteers, Catholics and non-Catholics, who have responded with compassion and seek to offer what help they can.

The Church will continue do all that we can to address the immediate needs of the women and children. 

Now is not a time for political posturing. Rather, it is a time to respond to persons who are in need. Obviously it is important that local government, as well as state and federal jurisdictions act responsibly in addressing the needs of women and children. The Church, for her part, sees the face of Jesus in those who are in any kind of trouble, or are in need of a helping hand. We see Him in the children who are with us now; and I see Him in those who give of themselves to serve their needs. That is who we are. 

It is vital that a spirit of cooperation prevail throughout the Valley so that the situation can be addressed in a way that upholds and respects the human dignity of the immigrant population. 

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Priestly ordination

Congratulations to Father José Garza, who was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Brownsville on Saturday, June 14, at Holy Family Church in Brownsville. 

He will begin his priestly service at the parish of Saint Joseph the Worker in McAllen, Texas. 

The priesthood is a three-fold gift, manifesting the pattern of grace in the Church. It is first of all a gift from The Lord Jesus to the Church, a sign of his personal care for us, that the Eucharistic Mystery, and all that leads to it, and all that flows from it might be perpetuated in our midst. 

It is also a gift of a community of believers given to The Lord for his service. For the local Church offers this man to The Lord, and He, in the person of the bishop, accepts him, blesses and sanctifies him for his mission. It is The Lord who inspires this desire in the Church to offer the gift of one of her sons.

And, finally, it is a personal gift from the man who presents himself to The Lord through the Church, as he freely accepts the call of the Church to offer himself for the Glory of God and the salvation of the world. This interior desire to offer oneself in this way is also a grace inspired by The Lord, who gives a vocation to the priesthood so that a man might lose himself in service to the Kingdom of God, and thus, truly, find himself. 

And by this three-fold giving, the Church lives the "way of the gift", and is given the joy of a new priest. 

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Conferencia Episcopal,... Y mis libros

Esta semana viajo para Nuevo Orleans para la reunión de la conferencia episcopal de los EEUU. Como siempre llevo algunos libros para acompañarme durante el curso del viaje y las actividades de la conferencia. Este año traje el libro "Four Cultures of the West" del historiador John W. O'Malley, y la novela "El pintor de batallas", escrita por el autor Arturo Pérez-Reverte. 

Hubiera traído el libro "Skin Game," de Jim Butcher, pero lo terminé antes de salir de viaje. Un día me pondré a escribir algo sobre esa novela, y sobre toda la serie "The Dresden Files." Un día,... 

De todos modos, el libro/ensayo de O'Malley propone que la tradición occidental desde los tiempos de los griegos antiguos, y los profetas del Antiguo Testamento incluye cuatro grandes culturas. La palabra cultura aquí Implica ambientes the formación, estilos de presentación, y dinamicas de procedimiento humano. Según O'Malley estas culturas se han manifestado continuamente en el mundo Mediterráneo y en aquellos ambientes geográficos donde esa cultura se disemino. Habla de la cultura profética, la cultura académica, la cultura literaria y la cultura artística. En cierto sentido las cuatro están en constante contacto, y a veces en competencia. En ciertos momentos una domina sobre las otras. Les recomiendo este estudio. 

Aprecio todas las novelas que he leído de Arturo Pérez-Reverte. La serie del Capitán Alatriste, "La piel del tambor," "El tango de la guardia vieja," "El club Dumas," han sido experiencias ricas de lectura. Leer a AP-R siempre implica entrar dentro de un mundo intenso donde la dinámica humana y las relaciones interpersonales presentadas revelan el sutil juego entre la desesperación y la posibilidad de esperanza en la vida. ¿Cuál es el motivo dentro de mi que más me mueve para  echarle ganas a la vida? En este sentido considero estas novelas expresiones de la cultura literaria (en el sentido que explica O'Malley), que sondean las luces y sombras de nuestra época actual. 

Jeje, pero no quiero que vayan a pensar que llego a estas reuniones de obispos solo para leer novelas y estudios académicos. También tenemos trabajo que hacer. Quizá sea actividad que resulte en algo que sale de nuestra cultura profética. Ciertamente tendríamos momentos para manifestar nuestra cultura artística. Tengo entendido que vamos a celebrar la Santa Misa en la catedral de San Luis, sede episcopal de esta arquidiócesis y templo de alto valor artístico. La belleza religiosa, expresión de la cultura de la fe, también tiene su lugar en nuestras reuniones;)

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A few recent events,...

... Confirmations are on full throttle, til the end of June. Here a few of the littler ones at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Raymondville want a picture too:)

Here at a Vocations Retreat with a few young men thinking about the Priesthood. Pray for them!

Here with a family of long time parishioners at Saint Joan of Arc parish, in Weslaco, at the dinner after the Mass celebrating the 85 years since the founding of the parish.