Teens provide aid to migrants at the border

Two groups of teenagers from parishes and schools within the Archdiocese of Newark dedicated a week of their summer break to embark on a cross-country mission trip, offering humanitarian aid to migrants at the Catholic Charities Respite Center in McAllen, Texas.

“It seemed great to help people in need while serving and connecting with God in the process,” said Jack Lebiedzinski, a parishioner at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish who attended the mission trip.

The first group, who arrived at the Border on July 18, included 15 teen girls from St. Dominic Academy in Jersey City, Lacordaire Academy in Montclair, and Mount St. Dominic Academy in Caldwell, as well as five chaperones from the schools.

*Volunteers Kiran Murthy-Uppal and Jack Lebieddzinski from the Helping Hands Mission Group push carts full of supplies from the warehouse to the respite center for distribution to families.*

The second group, comprised of 10 youths from St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Montclair, St. Teresa of Avila in Summit, and St. Catherine of Siena in Cedar Grove and dubbed The Helping Hands Mission Group, were accompanied on their trip by Father Benny Prado, pastor of St. Teresa of Calcutta Church, and five other adult volunteers from St. Teresa of Calcutta. Their mission trip began on July 22.

The groups crossed paths at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle in McAllen, Texas, where they both stayed at the Basilica Hotel during their respective journeys. They also celebrated a bilingual Mass together.

Sister Norma Pimentel, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, greeted the teens as they arrived in McAllen. Throughout the following seven days, the teenagers engaged in charitable work under Pimentel’s guidance. This included serving warm meals for refugees, welcoming them to the Respite Center, providing supplies, entertaining children during adult documentation processes, and maintaining center cleanliness. They also spent a lot of time at the on-site warehouse organizing and packing clothing donations for the migrants.

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At night, the teens from the Helping Hands Mission Group reflected on their days’ work at the respite center by praying the rosary and walking the stations of the cross at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle. The iconic outdoor stations, which the basilica is known for, are made up of 30 life-size bronze statues placed along a mile-long path on the church grounds.

After St. Teresa of Calcutta Church hosted Sister Pimental for a talk in December 2022 about the work the Missionaries of Jesus are doing at the border, Father Prado made it his personal mission to send a team of volunteers to the border. He recognized that the opportunity to give back to refugees in need would be especially meaningful for the youth of the parish.

*Teen volunteers Celia Valenti and Isabel Pierre from the Helping Hands Mission Group serve meals to migrants as they arrived at the respite center.*

Building on an existing ministry at the parish which aids local refugees in resettling, the parish community rallied together to raise funds and develop a plan to bring the teenagers to the border to aid in the humanitarian crisis.

Father Prado, who is an immigrant from Nicaragua, said that the trip was inspired in part by the hospitality he received as he started his own journey into the United States.

“In 1987, I came to this country through Texas. I experienced coming into America the same way many of these people are experiencing it,” Prado said.

Elizabeth Woodall, the principal at St. Dominic Academy and one of the five chaperones who accompanied the school group on their trip, said a major theme for the trip was the dignity of those the students were serving.

In the evenings following their service, the group met for a debriefing on the day reflecting on Catholic social teachings. Additionally, the girls were tasked with maintaining prayer journals to document their trip experiences.

“It was so humbling in so many ways for all of us. We live so far away from [the border], but to see these human beings and to know what they are going through… It was just so profound,” Woodall said. “We talked with the girls a lot about the Catholic Church’s teachings on social justice.”

Ava Ciauro, a student at Mount St. Dominic Academy, said her Catholic faith compels her to give back to her community and employ the resources she’s been blessed with to promote love and kindness.

“Gratitude is a practice that can be lost within the stress and conflict in life, so I realized the importance of appreciating it all,” Ciauro said. “I also wish to emphasize the importance of donating what we don’t need to those who truly need it, such as clothes, as these things that we take for granted can sometimes be hard to find.”

Kaitlyn Ferris, a senior and head preacher at Mount St. Dominic Academy, said meeting and working with families at the Respite Center broadened her horizons.

*Erin Toomey gives two thumbs-up to the camera as distributes supplies including toiletries, over-the-counter medications, and more to families.*

“I learned how much these families put their lives on the line just to be able to come to America, and how some are completely starting from nothing,” Ferris said.

Valentina Herrera, a student at Cedar Grove High School and a parishioner at St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church, said her parents’ immigration journey prepared her for the trip.

“My parents’ immigration experience taught me the importance of helping others and giving back to the community,” Herrera said. “I wanted to attend this mission trip to impact and help those in need positively.”

Many of the teens said that the most profound part of the mission trip for them was caring for and playing with the migrant children at the center.

“Playing with the children who were staying at the respite center is one of the things that stuck with me the most,” said Giada Contomo, a youth group member at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish. “We all danced together, played games, colored, and hugged. They were so excited to do such simple things like coloring… They really showed me what is like to truly be grateful and to keep smiling even when things aren’t great.”

Cecilia Valenti, a parishioner and youth volunteer at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, said that the trip brought her a new spiritual perspective.

“Being Catholic to me is following the commandments and practicing the sacraments. It also means to be a giver, and to be a Jesus-like figure to those who need care,” she said. The refugees showed “gratitude for the simple things,” and that witnessing their strong faith has made her more grateful for the life she has, she said.

“This experience has made me understand why so many people want to be a part of the freedoms that this country offers,” Valenti said. “I will be more grateful for what I have after seeing how little the migrants have but still had a smile on their face.”

Although Father Prado said he has gone on many mission trips around the globe, this one hit especially close to home for him. “It is in my heart, it is in my life.”