“It’s Good To Be Here”

 “It’s Good To Be Here”

By: Gabrielle Jones and Isabella Montecucco

Overview

“It’s good to be here” are some parting words of Micheal Castillo, the organizer of the Encuentro project, left with us. Although it was in regards to a personal story that allowed him to connect with God once again, he wanted to impart the importance of one’s presence in the face of hardship. As we watched the sunrise for the last time here in El Paso, we knew we had a full day ahead of us. Walking around downtown, we were able to appreciate the meaningful murals with stories and messages of strength and hope. We stepped into the Sacred Heart Church for the last time this week to celebrate Mass with the community, and had our last immigration lecture back in the common room. With a filling lunch, Father Rafael Garcia and Brother Hector, two men who were with us through our week-long journey, led us in a reflection. It brought strong emotions of consideration, desolation, consolation, impact, and hope. With that, we had dinner and our final goodbyes with everyone here. 

Murals

Sister Cities/Ciudades Hermanas by Ramon Cardenas and Christian Cardenas

This mural depicts two sister cities, Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, separated by the dried up Rio Grande river. The chain link fence with faces peering through represents the border and separation between each city, despite the land being the same on either side, which is depicted through the twin sisters. The buildings lining the streets of Ciudad Juárez were painted to be more people focused as they cover basic needs like a dentista (dentist), panadería (bakery), and a women’s shelter. On the other hand, El Paso is painted to be more industrial and business focused. The mask at the top of the mural represents Indigenous Mexican culture, showing that the roots are the same in both cities.

Sins of the Father by Victor Mask Casas

With multiple images centering around the reality of immigration on the mexican-american border in the past, this artists touches on the connections between the sterilizations of Mexican-American citizens crossing the Ciudad Juárez and El Paso border and the gassing chambers that the Nazi’s used during the Holocaust. These images were painted to critique “Mayor Tom Lea II, known to be a racist, classist, xenophobe and germaphobe,…[and] implemented inspections” in order to discriminate and dehumanize.

Contigo by Christin Apodaca

Black and white, outlined and shaded, the woman looks back behind her with a strong, yet stoic uncertainty. She blends in with the thorned cacti around her, risking her security traveling through the desert. This artist was highlighted as she doesn’t intend for her murals to be innately political, instead wanting admirers to interpret it however they see it.

Segundo Barrio mural by artist unknown  

This Aztec goddess, Tonantzin, is infused with the Virgin Mother Mary through the feminine fertility of the earth. She is painted as a sturdy tree trunk with the roots of her people’s ancestors breaking the walls and cement that restricted her. With her halo and fire, she is both Holy and strong, igniting the hope in her people. She is able to break boundaries through the love and history of her community.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church Mural by local students

This mural, containing so many different images representing the lives, history, and faith of the people in the community. From the El Paso alligators, to the Virgin Mary leading migrants to safety, to Father Rahm on his bike, to Pancho Villa eating some Chico’s tacos, and many more details, we get a representation of all the meaningful moments that inspire hope.

Mass

As Mass was about to begin, Father Rafael greeted us and asked for volunteers to participate in the readings. After one of the parish women greeted us so kindly with small gifts to take home, Father began by announcing our LaSallian presence. Singing and reading in both Spanish and English, the mass today was bilingual. Two of our students, Leah and Alex, represented La Salle by presenting the first and second scripture readings in both languages, a proud moment for our EOL leaders and especially the Brother traveling with us. Even though the church wasn’t full, we were graciously welcomed and acknowledged by a warm community full of love and faith.

Immigration 102

“People have the right not to migrate.” This was said by Heidi Cerneka, a Maryknoll Lay Missioner, who works towards helping migrants from Latin America get to safety. This quote comments on the idea that most people want to stay in their home country because of family, friends, places, memories, and most importantly, the feeling of home, but oftentimes are forced to flee because of persecution or threats. This discussion covered the basics of asylum seeking and human trafficking, including stories such as when a mother abandoned her one chance at asylum to rescue her daughter from gang violence. 

“Help me understand why you think this…” are the words that should be asked when you hear a point that differs from our own. Heidi tells us to “keep the door open” because immediately “telling someone they are wrong is the same as not listening.” The extremes of politics cloud our judgement, and cause complete flips in policy and agenda between different presidencies, something that can be quite unhealthy for the stability and progress of our country. 

We can’t unsee nor un-hear anything we have experienced here at the border, creating a situation where we need to act on everything we have learned. 

The EOL Retreat

Gathering in the common room for our last and final reflection on our collective experiences this week, we really had the opportunity to pause, breathe, and think of all the shared experiences, memories, and lessons we gained through this immersion 1628 Miles away from home. With Father Rafael leading, and Brother Hector, Hugh, Micheal Castello, CP and CB supporting, we contemplated all that this trip made us feel, reflect on, struggle though, learn from, and the motivation that comes along with it. After time for personal reflection in the bright sun, the group came together for discussion. 

What impacted us? 

• The border splitting what is seemingly the same land, and how which side you were born decides your entire life

• Seeing the border patrol trucks almost everywhere we went 

• The murals depicting all that we learned in the lectures 

• The red X that seemed so close yet unreachable, signifying the other side of the fence

What caused the feeling of desolation? 

• The sad history of immigration throughout the past of our country, along with many others 

• The Venezuelan mother sharing her story full of pain and sadness, but still with perseverance 

• Seeing the small, dirty and abandoned shoes and clothes of little children on the other side of the fence 

• Hearing that there was no point in going to the shelters because they were completely empty 

• How so many immigration programs have been denied/lost in our recent history

The feeling of consolation? 

• How so many people were willing to take time to educate us, and bring us in to their close community 

• The new bonds and friendships that were made through the La Salle and Cathedral partnership 

• Hearing the strength and love come from migrants who made a new life for themselves 

• The motivation and praises coming from those who dedicate their time and energy into helping protect human dignity 

• The willingness and desire that all of us have to be a part of this immersive experience, learning about our brothers and sisters that are separated just through physicality, not emotionally

Hopes

With all the hardship and painful experiences we listened to, finding hope for the situation was truly difficult, especially in the recent year. However, Mr. Powers asked a simple question to each presenter: 

“What gives you hope in these dark times?” 

While every response was different, they all highlighted the importance of community. From shelters being worked by volunteer staff, to organizations finding ways to combat the new restrictions around immigration, and to communities lifting up and supporting each other despite their own hardships, these are the ways we need to live in order to help our pròjimo, or “the person right next to me.”

The long distance between Portland, OR, and El Paso, TX, can cause us to ignore and become desensitized to this issue because physically, we are so far away. It’s easy to feel like it’s not our responsibility to help, as we blame it on the government, politicians, or media, but the real solution is taking responsibility to unite ourselves and find a balanced middle ground that can provide both the security of our borders and the safety of migrants trying to find a better life.

The scriptures we read put our Catholic Social Teachings into a more applicable perspective. These two verses from the bible were presented by Father Rafael to provoke thoughts about how we should apply our morals and values to how we think and empathize regarding the border and migrants.

“Arise and go, For this is no place rest” (Micah 2:10). 

“Surely we are not blind, are we? Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say,‘We see,’ your sin remains” (John 9:41).