Students' faith journey takes them to the border to witness the life of migrants

Four students from the Academy of the Holy Angels (AHA) in Demarest recently spent a week at the Arizona-Mexico border meeting migrants and the volunteers who courageously try to help them.

Their journey included stops in Tucson and Douglas, Ariz., and a visit across the border to Nogales and Agua Prieta, Mexico, said AHA’s Public Relations Manager Jennifer Crusco.

The trip, which took place Feb. 18 to 22, was organized by AHA’s foundresses and sponsors, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and was led by Director of Mission and Ministry Joan Connelly. Participating students included Grace Cuttita of Glen Rock, Jacqueline Garcia of Bergenfield, Chloe Rodriguez of Leonia, and Emma Spadora of Ridgewood.

This trip left me with a better understanding of the journey migrants take and the struggles they face. Something I will never forget is the faces of the migrants and the stories they shared with us.
Holy Angels student, Grace C.

The trip to the border, which focused on providing aid to immigrants, is among the five ministries on which the School Sisters of Notre Dame Atlantic/Midwest Province focus. The ministries include dismantling racism, addressing climate change, sustainable development in Haiti, promoting justice for immigrants, and ending human trafficking.

Thirteen years ago, the sisters established their ministry in the border town to serve volunteers and organizations that reach out to migrants in the sister city of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, and support humanitarian aid efforts in the Arizona desert. The sisters offer hospitality and an educational experience for those who wish to learn about the issues of immigration as they relate to the border.

A part of the sisters’ ministry is to bring people to the border so they can experience challenges firsthand, while shedding light on the complexity of the issues faced by migrants, Connelly said.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame also run a program called Border Advocates for Justice, which memorializes migrants who have died in the desert in Cochise County, Ariz. Handmade wooden crosses are carried into the desert by a group of volunteers, and planted at the sites where people have lost their lives trying to reach the U.S.

During their trip, the AHA students planted a cross in memory of José Peralta Noperi, a migrant who froze to death while trying to reach the U.S. border. The cross placement and a subsequent prayer service was led by Gabriel Espino, an indigenous person of the Yaqui people and a Deacon at Immaculate Conception Parish in Douglas, Ariz.

The group also participated in a Healing Our Borders prayer vigil for other migrants who died near the border.

“The names of migrants who have died in Cochise County in the past 22 years were remembered by the group,” said Connelly. “Names on individual crosses were announced aloud one by one.”

In Tucson, the students visited Casa Alitas, a family shelter sponsored by Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona where immigrants receive shelter, meals, clothing, and assistance.

Travelers enjoyed a “Cowboy Dinner” at the ranch where they stayed in Nogalez, Ariz. Pictured with Academy of the Holy Angels students are Sister Judy Gourd, SSND, and Sister Lucy Nigh, SSND, (both at left); Dean (center), who takes care of the animals on the ranch; and Irene (at right), caretaker of the ranch. (*Holy Angels* )

To learn about immigration law, AHA students attended a hearing for 20 people arrested for illegal reentry at the federal courthouse in Tucson and visited Keep Tucson Together, a free legal aid service that assists migrants.

“Seeing all these people coming together in prayerful and practical ways to support migrants was important for the girls to see,” Connelly said.

In Agua Prieta, Mexico, the students visited a women’s sewing and gardening co-op. Established by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, it supports local women to sell products and earn a living. Students shared lunch with some of the women who participate in the co-op.

AHA student, Garcia, said she made a heartfelt connection while speaking with three female immigrants from Guatemala, where her parents were born. She said that she saw her father and mother reflected in these women.

“The oldest one sort of had the same story as my father because, when she was eight, she started to work in a factory,” Garcia said. Her father began working on a coffee farm when he was eight years old.

*The School Sisters of Notre Dame established a gardening and sewing cooperative to provide opportunities for local women to make money and provide for themselves.* (*Holy Angels*)

While in Agua Prieta, the students visited two resource centers funded by Frontera de Cristo, a Presbyterian border ministry located in the sister cities of Agua Prieta, Sonora, and Douglas, Ariz. They visited the Migrant Resource Center, which provides attention to the needs of migrants deported daily from the U.S. including food, water, Café Justo, first aid, and other medical attention, and access to a shower, a change of clothes, and a place where they can rest. This was followed by a visit to the Centro de Atención al Migrante Exodus, an overnight shelter established by the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures.

The group met and dined with a border patrol member named Obie, a friend of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

“Obie estimated that, on any given day, the border patrol picks up between 50 to 70 percent of people who are trying to come into the USA,” Connelly said. “He said that he treats the people who he is processing with respect, and generally gets respect in return.”

Obie told them how technology and drones are being used to track migrants and provide information in the desert.

*A student is “smudged,” a practice of many indigenous cultures at the start of a cross-planting ceremony. The smoke is created from burning a natural substance called copal.*

Site visits also included the Mexican Immigration office in Nogales, Mexico, where Connelly and the students spoke with families trying to move to the U.S. A Green Valley Samaritan volunteer who traveled with the students also drove the group to two other shelters in Nogales: San Juan de Bosco and Casa de Misericordia.

“At San Juan Bosco, we met a Guatemalan woman and her two sons. She had recently received an appointment to speak with American immigration officials. This was a result of assistance she received at the Jesuits’ Kino Center also in Nogales,” Connelly said.

During their trip, the students discovered the relevance of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s role in Mexican history as a religious figure as well as her role in Mexican nationalism and identity.

“I think the girls found it interesting to learn about the importance and significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the indigenous people, and the connection to the earth and Creation that the indigenous people have,” Connelly said. “I think the girls were able to see their faith from a new perspective.”

Cuttita, one of the students on the journey, said that the experience gave her a deeper appreciation for her family, the safety of her hometown, and her access to education.

“At the end of each day, we are able to reflect and open up to each other,” she said. “The experiences during this trip and encounters with the migrants are raw and emotional. This trip left me with a better understanding of the journey migrants take and the struggles they face. Something I will never forget is the faces of the migrants and the stories they shared with us.”

Featured image: The School Sisters of Notre Dame also runs a program called Border Advocates for Justice, which memorializes migrants who have died in the desert in Cochise County, Ariz. Pictured, visitors from Academy of the Holy Angels participate in a cross-planting in the desert in honor of José Peralta Noperi, a migrant who froze to death while trying to reach the border.