Encuentro in El Paso

Dave Murphy – Portland Chapter

Lise LeTellier and my wife Crystal and I were among ten people who participated in a week-long Encuentro Immersion in the El Paso, Texas, area, organized by the Maryknoll Office of Formation and Immersion. Lise shared a presentation and these photos with the NSFA.

Participants in the Encuentro Immersion met in mid-January and stayed at the Columban Mission Center in El Paso.

We encountered the current realities at the US/Mexican border, to which thousands of refugees continue to travel, fleeing violence and poverty in their own countries. The Columban Center, which has been standing with refugees, migrants, and victims of violence in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez for over 25 years, hosts immersion groups throughout the year. 

Our week included a visit to Sacred Heart Parish in El Paso, where Father Rafael Garcia’s large operation provides overnight shelter, meals, haircuts, and immigration resources for thousands of refugees. In addition to preparing meals at The Holy Family Shelter, the group also met with members of the US Border Patrol, who presented their responsibilities in securing the border and keeping refugees safe and healthy.

One of the most impactful experiences of the trip was crossing the border into Juarez and meeting with several organizations that provide various services and resources to those in need. Although Juarez’s significant poverty and violence are driven by cartels and government corruption, many amazing people work on the Mexican side of the border to do God's will in the face of danger and injustice. 

The Santo Niño Clinic and Montessori School works with disabled children and their families in the poorest part of Juarez and has been operating for over 20 years. Father Bill Morton is Pastor at Corpus Christi parish along the border in Juarez and he runs the Columban Mission Migration Ministry, offering food, clothing, shelter, and legal and medical assistance to migrants who are returned to Mexico because of the US Migrant Protection Protocols (MPPs). 

A public library was created during COVID by Catholic Charities in Kansas City to deliver books and homework for students, provide scholarships, and help with after-school support. 

The group also met with Sister Betty Campbell who lives in solidarity with the poor in a small house called Casa Tabor. She advocates for the rights of migrants and leads discussions with Americans visiting Juarez on educational trips.  

After listening to several presentations, my opinion is that many of the forces causing the refugee crisis are the result of military, police, and government agency corruption, particularly in Mexico, as it relates to dealing with the cartels.

This article first appeared in the May/June 2023 Not So Far Afield.