Church responds with charity to immigrants

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Sister Pam Buganski places water bottles on local ranches and by the side of public roads. The water jugs are placed inside blue 55-gallon drums clearly marked with the word "agua" and are intended to provide humanitarian relief to immigrants.

Alfredo E. Cárdenas, South Texas Catholic

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In June, the Los Angeles Times wrote that south Texas had "become ground zero for an unprecedented surge in families and unaccompanied children flooding across the Southwest border, creating...a humanitarian crisis." Only a few days later, the local Corpus Christi Caller brought the story even closer home with a story blaring the headline "Mass graves of migrants found in Falfurrias." It was a call for the Church in south Texas to respond to the Gospel message "love the alien as yourself...(Lv 19:33-34)."

"People who are crossing the border should be responded to both in thought and action as brothers and sisters in the Lord," Corpus Christi Bishop Michael Mulvey said. "When human suffering and human need are in front of us we must respond according to the Gospel, in particular the Gospel of Matthew, 'whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me'."

Flag with aid sign can be detected in the middle of the unforgiving brush in Brooks County, calling immigrants to water and relief from possible death. Alfredo E. Cardenas, South Texas Catholic

With Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi taking the lead, the Diocese of Corpus Christi responded as Christ asks. The faithful in Corpus Christi quickly mobilized and collected some 10 tons of items--everything from non-perishable food items to over the counter medications for children. Local volunteers quickly drove the donations down to the Rio Grande Valley for distribution to the children.

"It was a great act of solidarity by so many people in the Diocese of Corpus Christi to respond to the needs of the children who were housed in the valley," Bishop Mulvey said. "This response of charity is what we are about as Christians. May we continue to act in this way in all circumstances where there is human need and suffering."

The discovery of bodies at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Falfurrias reminded everyone of the ongoing tragedy of migrants losing their lives in the unforgiving brush country of south Texas. It again called for a response to the Gospel.

As it happened, the Sisters of Notre Dame, Toledo Province, were in search of a diocese in which to serve the immigrant population. They were invited by Bishop Mulvey to work in the diocese and in particular to look at ways to assist in ministering to immigrants journeying through the diocese's southern border.

Sister Pam Buganski, who spent the last two years in Guatemala, volunteered to work in Brooks County with the newly organized South Texas Human Rights Project, whose mission is to "end death and suffering among migrant border crossers".

In addition to work with the Human Rights Project, Sister Pam will also work with deacons in the area to help in prison ministry; will help in Catholic Charities' Office of Immigration; and will assist with vocations in the southern part of the diocese.

The Human Rights Project recently offered an informative seminar at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall for local residents, landowners and law enforcement personnel. They also hosted a luncheon at the parish hall for participants with the Antorcha Guadalupana Runners who are running from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City to bring attention to the plight of migrants.

"There is not an immigrant community in Falfurrias. Some migrants work on ranches but most are just passing by," Sacred Heart Parish pastor Father Matthew Stephan said. "Highway 281 has always been a corridor, not a stopping point."

Still, Brooks County for many migrants becomes their final destination. So far this year Brooks County personnel have recovered some 55 migrant bodies. The county is in charge of recovering bodies found in the brush and for their burial.

Father Stephan has been at Sacred Heart for a quarter of a century. The cemetery where the bodies were unearthed bares the parish's name but the Diocese of Corpus Christi sold it to Brooks County in 1986. In his 25 years at Sacred Heart, Father Stephan has never been called to officiate at a burial service at the cemetery for unidentified immigrants.

The human smugglers, known as coyotes, drop migrants off in Encino south of the Border Patrol Checkpoint and "tell them Houston is around the corner," Father Stephan said. They bail out two miles past Encino, look for a way around the checkpoint through some very big ranches between Encino and Falfurrias. They get disoriented in the brush and often die. Since they are trying to circle around Falfurrias, in most cases locals do not meet or see them.

"Its very uncommon for them to come to our door," Father Stephan said. "You almost never see them to minister to them. If they come, we provide them humanitarian help, such as food and water. Most ask for use of the phone and a ride to Houston."

In order to reach out to the migrants where they are most vulnerable, Sister Pam and Eddie Canales with the Human Rights Project have begun to place water bottles on local ranches and by the side of public roads. The water jugs are placed inside blue 55-gallon drums clearly marked with the word "agua". Sister Pam believes the water stations are succeeding in providing some humanitarian relief.

Brooks County Chief Deputy Benny Martinez considers the Human Rights project as a resource, a branch of the Sheriff's Office. "They perform administrative stuff for the Sheriff's office when people call looking for missing people. They gather information. I filter through it and run it through Border Patrol. They are an asset for the office," Martinez said.

He said both his office and the Border Patrol agents approach their work with compassion to what is occurring. They understand some migrants are criminals, some are just persons of interest but most do not rise to that level. They try to treat every migrant with dignity. Still, they have a job to do.

Eddie Canales with the Human Rights Project points to one of many unknown graves of migrants who died while trying to cross the south Texas brush country. Alfredo E. Cárdenas, South Texas Catholic

"A cop is a cop. They have faith. They have to have faith to be out there," Martinez said. "That's where we get our everyday strength to come to work. It's through faith. We wouldn't be out there without that. You have to have that compassion, the Holy Spirit in you to guard you through these situations. The compassion is there, the faith is there but there are people out there that will challenge you."

Since June, Martinez said there has been a significant decrease in the number of immigrants being apprehended or "recovered".

"We have seen a decrease from 400-500 to 100-200 monthly in detentions and we are maintaining at 55 deaths in the county," Martinez said. He attributes the lower numbers to the weather and help Gov. Rick Perry sent to the border. Martinez said the Texas Guard has rescued some 500 immigrants since initiation of the governor's help.

Martinez thinks it is important for the Church to stay active in the area, which is remotely situated and far from traditional and needed services.

"The face of Jesus is written in every human being's face. Therefore we must respond accordingly," Bishop Mulvey.