New archdiocesan Immigration Ministry and coordinator support growing needs
Father Alex Gaitan has worked to curtail gang activity within Chicago’s immigrant community; brought to the forefront the mental health crisis among immigrants in Atlanta, Ga.; aided in citizenship classes and passport processing for immigrants at the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in San Gabriel, Cali.; and helped hundreds of Mexican farmers experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic in Fresno, Cali.
In 2022, Father Gaitan, a Claretian devoted to justice and peace, was called the Archdiocese of Newark’s St. Joseph’s Church in Jersey City, where he has been part of a United Nations Ministry. Recently, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R, Archbishop of Newark, appointed Father Gaitan to head the archdiocese’s newest ministry to support immigrants through local church communities.
Our duty as Catholics
The Church’s commitment to welcoming immigrants is deeply rooted in its history. With over 22 verses in the Bible that advocate for the acceptance of immigrants, the Church has a long-standing tradition of aiding immigrants to the U.S. As stated in Leviticus 19:34, ‘You shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’
Father Tim Graff, Director for Social Concerns and Secretariat for Parish Mission and Vitality, expressed his optimism for the ministry’s future. He noted that the ministry’s launch is a testament to the archdiocese’s enduring legacy of welcoming immigrants into its parishes and communities. He looks forward to parishes continuing this tradition of hospitality towards our brothers and sisters.
“The parish is often the first place that newly-arrived people come to for help. It is a place where their faith is nourished and can be expressed. The Church is their home,” Father Graff said. “By offering pastoral care and pointing them to programs that can help, we want to accompany them in their transition to their new home.”
In his 20-plus years working with migrants, Father Gaitan witnessed immense faith from the immigrants and refugees he has worked with.
“They seek out the church because it is a place where they can be restored and rebuild their lives in a safe place, something most have not known for a long time,” Father Gaitan said.
Calling at an early age
Born in Columbia, Father Gaitan had a missionary calling at an early age but said life derailed his pathway to the priesthood. At the same time, he sought a degree in international business and helped his family recover from an earthquake in 1999 that took the life of his grandmother and destroyed the family home.
“As I reconstructed the home, I was reconstructing my life. I think I had a common experience with immigrants who lose their homes and have to reconstruct their lives,” Father Gaitan said.
In 2003, he answered his missionary calling and headed to the U.S. to join the Claretian Missionary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Chicago. There, he helped form the Peace and Education Coalition. This coalition partnered with criminal justice officials, council members, and public school officials to fight gangs that were luring immigrants into their lifestyle and to advocate for better education for immigrant youth, he said.
The group promoted education rather than revenge over the gang-related death of a loved one and fighting poverty. In 2014, the partnership finally resulted in the creation of a public high school where none had existed for years, he said.
In 2011, Father Gaitan was ordained in the parish where he had helped so many as a seminarian and deacon.
In 2013, the Claretians transferred him to Corpus Christi Church in Atlanta, Ga. The parishioners had come from 92 different countries. Masses were held in five different languages and two different rites. The men worked in agriculture, cement, and with trees and resided in trailer parks with their families. There, he discovered the mental health issues the immigrants suffered. He hosted retreats to help the men and women deal with the pressures of living in “a limbo experience,” Father Gaitan said.
Although Father Gaitan primarily served Hispanic parishioners, he was deeply concerned about the many Burmese residents in the parish who lacked a Mass in their native language. They worked 12-hour days in poultry plants and suffered greatly from asthma. Despite not understanding Burmese, Father Gaitan learned to celebrate the Mass in their language, which had to be sung because “the Burmans believe the truth must be sung.” He felt that “the Lord used him to communicate the truth to these people.” Additionally, the parish was home to many Sudanese whose stories deeply touched Father Gaitan.
“They would show me their catechism books, the only thing they carried through the desert, and some of the pages still contained the sand,” Father Gaitan said.
He also witnessed that some groups did not prioritize higher education and showed a lack of respect for women.
In 2018, he was again transferred to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in San Gabriel, Cali., where he was part of a Hispanic prayer group of 400 people. There, he learned the problems of those who could not find housing and the fear of being deported after so many friends and family members had been and disappeared. The fear also led many not to seek citizenship, which would ultimately give them a sense of relief, he said.
He and other members of his community partnered with the Department of Justice to help people through the system to become citizens. He also helped hundreds of children of immigrants get passports so they could visit family members who had been deported or returned to their country.
In 2020, he was again transferred to Fresno to become a pastor at St. Anthony Claret Parish just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the parishioners were farm workers and considered essential workers. He launched a food drive feeding over 9,000 over nine months. But, he said, he was also conducting six to seven funerals a week, which took a toll on him.
Following a brief reprieve, he was transferred to the Archdiocese of Newark to St. Joseph’s Church in Jersey City, where he serves on the United Nations ministry, joining together with other religious orders to watch, review, and analyze the proceedings of the United Nations, especially on matters of justice, peace, climate. Their reports are sent to the different departments of the United Nations. He has served as an interpreter for people in immigration court. He also visits people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Elizabeth, teaching them the rosary, hearing confessions, and just listening to their fears and worries. Recently, when five men were released from the facility at 8 p.m., Father Gaitan was the one they called for a ride.
“They had only the clothes on their backs. They were detained in Texas as they crossed the border and moved to Elizabeth. They were just looking for a safer life,” he said.
Envisioning the new ministry
When Cardinal Tobin spoke with Father Gaitan about heading the Immigration Ministry, he didn’t hesitate.
“The immigration problem really hit a crisis beginning in 2023. Our help is needed now more than ever,” said Father Gaitan.
He has identified areas where the archdiocese, in partnership with others, can provide assistance. Father Gaitan aims to establish ministries in parishes with immigrant populations to facilitate access to ESL classes and driver’s licenses, provide guidance on enrolling their children in schools, and help in setting up bank accounts. He also wants to create partnerships to help navigate the legal system and to obtain passports. Additionally, he hopes to raise awareness in parishes and schools to combat xenophobia.
Sept. 23 -27, the Immigration Ministry Office at the Archdiocese of Newark and the Instituto Biblico Claretiano de las Americas will celebrate National Biblical Migration Week at St. Joseph Parish in Jersey City. The event will take place 6-8 p.m. The presenter will be Bible Scholar Father Manuel Villalobos, CMF. The event is in Spanish with English simultaneous interpretation. Link to register is www.ibicla.org.
“We are pleased that Father Alex is bringing his own history of ministry to immigrants to this new office. His years of dedication and experience will greatly bless this ministry to our parishes,” Father Tim said.
Father Gaitan can be reached at 973-497-4338 or alex.gaitan@rcan.org.
Featured image: Shown at a Pastoral Migratoria Dinner on July 20 (from left to right) are Sister Path Murphy, Father Alex Gaitan, lay minister Luis Mesa, and Sister Joan Persch. Sister Joan and Sister Pat have been accompanying immigrants who are in Detention Centers in Illinois and are about to be deported every Friday since the 1980s.
