University students serve migrant families at the border

Students from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) Newman Center spent a Saturday in April serving migrant families at Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen. They met up with three students from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Campus Ministry. Together, they delivered care packages and volunteered their help in the kitchen, dispensary, and children’s care. They all served lunch to over 250 people.

Chiara Catipon is one of three campus ministers serving at TAMUCC. She said it took two carloads of students 2.5 hours to drive from Corpus Christi to McAllen. “The students chose to help migrant families at the border so that they may live out their faith through Lenten almsgiving. And to learn more about Catholic social teaching, which they had discussed during a Synod session,” she said.

They prepared beforehand by getting Covid tests, preparing the hygiene items for men and women, and new toys and coloring books for children. 

In addition to the students of TAMUCC Newman, another participant included Amanda Gomez, Program Director for the Financial Empowerment Program & Suit Up Program within the Crisis Assistance and Self-Sufficiency Services Department at Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi.

Reshma Philip, an international student at TAMUCC, said the people they served in the Respite Center ranged from infancy to old age.

“When we finally reached the Respite Center around 11 a.m., I knew that whatever would happen after that would be a new experience for me. After security check-in and dropping off the care packages we had collected from students, I went inside and saw many people looking at us because they thought we were new incoming migrants,” Philip said.

“They had stories of unheard cries, unexplained failures, and yet —never-ending hope. When I started smiling, they smiled back and started socializing with me,” she said. “It was challenging for me to understand their stories, as I don’t speak Spanish, but their eyes expressed how much pain they had gone through to reach the United States.”

“The children are so adorable, and we played with them for a long time. When we had to leave and say ‘goodbye,’ I saw their sad, innocent faces. It was so heart-breaking that it made me walk without looking back because my heart was so heavy; it made me cry. Then one little girl came, hugged me from behind, and uttered the word “gracias” (thank you),” Philip said. “The trip was an eye-opener for everyone because it made us realize how blessed we are in the comfort of our homes.”