"Like a Buddhist Sand Painting"

One of the Sisters working at Nazareth-Loretto is Sister Kate O'Brien, IHM from Monroe, Michigan. She compares working in the clothing room to what happens when the monks destroy all their work after they've spent days creating a mandala of sand.  It's a very apt image. 

Having hurt my foot on day one, my mobility has been a little limited and so most of my time has been spent in the clothing room.  With the help of the refugees and other volunteers we put it in order so that when the time comes the refugees can hopefully find a change of clothes for themselves and their children. Sometimes they'll also find shoes, gloves and hats when we have them. Each one also gets a new set of underwear and socks.

After 100 or so people go through it in a day and bags of donations are dropped off, the room usually looks like a whirlwind passed through and the organizing needs to start all over again.  It's great, though, as people walk out the door to see them in the clothes they have selected.

As I walked around a little more today I saw some of the people charging the ankle bracelets ICE gives them. They are so big that one of the volunteers had to help cut pant legs so people could change their clothes since they couldn't get the tight leg of their jeans over it.  They have to be careful in selecting pants that there is a wide enough leg to fit the device.

Tomorrow is the first day of the New Year.  Let's pray the world situation gets better so the refugees can stay in their own countries and not risk the incredible journey they have to make. 

"Prospero año nuevo",
Sister Elaine

From Sister Elaine Hollis SSJ in El Paso 12/30/15

The weather continues to be harsh. We have a great need for gloves (especially for kids) or hats they can be used.  We have some baby size hats but not any that fit children or adults.

We had about 100 refugees come in yesterday and many can't get out due to weather conditions and transportation holds up all across the country.  We are hoping some can move on tomorrow as they expect more to be coming through. It's quite an operation they have going here.  

Doreen Glynn CSJ, who used to work in the Rochester Diocese, has been here for the last few weeks and hopes to return to Albany today if she gets out;  I'll miss her.  We just had a Sister of Mercy arrive yesterday; she couldn't get back to Chicago from New Mexico due to the weather, so came directly here, a few days early.  

Please keep all of us in your prayers, especially those seeking refuge here, especially in these challenging conditions.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year,

Elaine

El Paso blanketed in snow

From Sister Elaine Hollis in El Paso 12/26/15

Out my window at 5 pm it is beginning to look like a winter wonderland as snow covers this city of the "Sun Bowl".  They are not used to snow like this and will probably need to close down some highways.
I hope people on their way north have a warm place to stay this night. 

I arrived here on Monday and have mostly found myself working in the clothing room where I helped by holding babies so mothers could shop for a clean outfit for themselves and their children. Today I helped at the laundromat where we washed and dried sheets and towels from the shelter for three hours.

 In today's El Paso Times was an article about the immigrants which at times quoted the director of Annunciation House, Ruben Garcia.  I will quote from it to give you an idea of the situation here:

"About 250 migrants from Central America had arrived at Annunciation House shelters between Monday and Thursday.

Annunciation House has assisted the government in housing many of the new migrant families that cannot be detained at Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities. 'Some of the migrants are indicating to us that they are fleeing to keep from starving,' Garcia said. Between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30, the Border Patrol- El Paso Sector apprehended 690 family units, compared with 49 family units for the same period in 2014, and apprehended 571 unaccompanied minors compared with 163 for the same two months in 2014. Garcia said that some of the new arrivals come from regions that are experiencing drought. 'We're seeing a lot of families from Guatemala who indicated to us that there is severe drought, and who depended on corn to subsist. Those who had small storefronts to sell food products became targets of extortionists, and there was no one they could turn to for help,' Garcia said. 'We are seeing families with children that are malnourished.'"

In this Christmas season may we continue to be aware of and pray for all those on journeys into the unknown. May they find that the doors they knock on are opened to them with warm welcomes awaiting.



This is what El Paso looks like today. You can only imagine what hardships the refugees are experiencing in this cold!

El Paso is a Stop on the Journey…Trying to Put it Together!

What are the graces and learning's from spending time in a refugee shelter? Both Old and New Testament readings provide food for reflection. God holds out a promise which is repeated over time to people who are on a journey, who have suffered the loss of their homeland, who have been driven into slavery, and who still have hope in the God who saves.

In the busyness of trying to provide basic necessities to people who have none in the Nazareth Shelter, it is easy to get lost.  It is easy to think that I am the giver and “they” are the receivers.  Nothing could be farther from the truth! I can only offer a few brief stories.

Early on, I met a man from Guatemala who spoke very good English.  He had worked for a company in Rhode Island for five years before he returned to Guatemala. He was with his 17-year-old son. They had left quickly because the son had been recruited by a gang and the father did not want him to join. Part of the initiation he said was to kill people! They had but two days to leave the country before the gang would come back and perhaps kill them or family members. He had to move his wife and three other children to his in-laws where they would be safe for a while. He told me that an American friend from Rhode Island had been visiting when the gang members came and he could be a witness to the encounter. His former employer wanted him back.

The 17-year-old son was a college student. Both father and son spent their time at the shelter helping others. They arranged the food shelves in the kitchen. They helped clean in the dining room. They assisted a Brazilian man who did not speak Spanish with his young daughters.

Some women were victims of domestic violence.  A husband told his wife he would kill her if she and her daughter did not leave the home.

One of the women who helped fold clothes in the clothing room had just lost her husband who had been shot in Juarez the previous week!

Some had walked for months and found work on the way to support themselves. A woman spoke of generous Mexican families who took them in and helped them on the way. Some had money and were able to travel by plane or bus to Mexico.

Most had only the clothing on their backs. These were the “lucky ones” who had come through Juarez and had been processed and released by ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) to come to the shelter where volunteers would contact their families or friends and arrange transportation for them if their families could provide money for tickets by bus or airplane.

Most of those who were processed were given ankle bracelets that would track their whereabouts until they reached their destination. The devices can only be removed by the judge who will determine if their case meets the criteria for credible fear. If it does not they will be deported!!

One evening Sr. Marlene, a Sister of Mercy who was a friend of Martha’s, came to dinner at our convent. She is a designated legal representative who flies to Dilley one week a month to represent the women and children in the Detention Center there. The conditions she described were horrendous. If families arrive together, ICE separates the men and sends them to another facility.  If a man is travelling with a child and the mother is not present, the child is taken and can be placed in foster care.

Ruben Garcia has told us that decisions made by ICE are arbitrary and not pre-determined.

A favorite custom along the border and in Mexico is the celebration of Las Posadas, a nine-day novena where the custom of asking for lodging for Mary and Joseph so that there will be a safe place for Mary’s child to be born.  Refugees, be they Syrian or Central American, are looking for safe places to raise their children. Who of us, facing life and death circumstances for our family, would not do anything possible to keep them safe? 

I learned a few more life lessons. It is so easy to make pre-determined judgments about people.  I think of my own reactions. When I hear Texans, I think of people who hate immigrants. In El Paso I saw people of the greatest generosity who continually pour out support either by bringing food, clothing, and other material goods or by volunteering to work in the Center.   

Systems, like ICE, are problematic. Yet I met an employee who provides transport to refugees to the Center. When she saw what was going on, she asked if the Center needed volunteers. She said she would ask her two daughters to volunteer. One is a nurse, the second a college student! On some level we need to separate human needs and response from the systems that create issues.

Those who come and ask for hospitality in the U.S. are on a journey of hope. They have left family, possessions, livelihoods, in the hope they will be safe and can begin new lives for their families. In this Advent time I ask myself, “Would I have the courage to let go of all, to make the journey?”

Phyllis Tierney, SSJ
December 18, 2015

A Busy Time, by Sister Phyllis Tierney SSJ

These have been very busy days! On Friday, a mom with two young daughters and a special needs son came to the shelter. Her son, about 10, was totally out of control. The mom could not be processed until the son calmed down. I offered to watch the children. The son became very quiet when his mom left.


After awhile, I was able to engage him and play with him. The mom said that the child's prescription medicine had run out. Ruben was called and took the mom and boy to Children's Hospital where the staff decided to keep him for observation before new medication could be described. In the meantime, another woman was asked to watch the two girls. It is events like this that remind us that to be a refugee and to be poor is to be totally dependent on the charity of others!


On Sunday (my day off) I attended "A Las Posadas" celebration with two other Sisters. This one was sponsored by United Farmworkers. We gathered for prayer led by Bishop Seitz and then processed three houses. At each house the group asks if there is a room for Mary and Joseph for she is soon to have a child. The first two refuse and the third welcomes the Holy Family.


The third house was the Opportunity Center where Migrant workers are assisted. Many stay overnight sleeping on the floor so they have an opportunity for day labor in the morning when workers are hired and picked up. We were welcomed and fed tamales wrapped in cornhusks. There was a piñata for the children.


Today, Monday, was totally busy. The Shelter welcomed several vanloads of families, over 100 I believe! I and another volunteer spent four hours washing sheets at the local laundromat and were grateful for two women there who helped to fold sheets!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I work 7am to 2pm and then it's home!


I deeply appreciate the experience!

Meeting New People, by Sister Phyllis Tierney SSJ

Today Sister Martha and I were on the 7am to 2pm shift. Several other volunteers were scheduled to work. It was a "light" day because we weren't scheduled to accept guests. On Thursday they go to the shelter at St. Ignatius. Nevertheless there was work to be done!


We were responsible for serving breakfast. I made the coffee and Martha put out cereal. After that I checked to see who was leaving to make sure their rooms were clean. This morning I had a helper, a very cute little boy named Danny. He attached himself to me and went with me. He helped to carry  blankets and sheets and made himself very useful! I asked how old he was. He said "oçho"-8! I'm not sure that he was! His mother, Juana, was a very tiny person. They were from Guatemala as many who have come to the shelter are. She spoke Spanish, but she may have been indigenous.


We learned that many are Mayan and don't speak Spanish! Another surprise is that we have had several families from Brazil.



Juana and Danny left to fly to Atlanta, but I had a big hug from Danny before he left. It made my day!

New Shelter Opens, by Sister Phyllis Tierney SSJ

On Tuesday, Ruben Garcia opened another shelter. Because so many refugees came last week, the new plan is for each shelter to alternate days for accepting guests.

Tuesday we did not take new guests so we had time to prepare to accept guests today.
Today (Wednesday) was busy. New guests began to come after lunch.

We were busy because we had to put out lunch and clean up. About 30 people arrived, twelve families. Volunteers who speak Spanish process each one to find out the destination of each. Transportation arrangements must be made and volunteers contacted to take them to the bus station or airport.

My job was to show them to their rooms, give them towels and personal hygiene packets. After they had transport arranged they could pick out clothes in the clothing room. Then I took them to the showers. In between times, I check on rooms that have been vacated to be sure they are clean and no clothing is left.

Two of the volunteers I am living with got sick today. One of them, John, has been our driver! Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow!

Annunciation House in El Paso, TX

Here is a short video on Annunciation House where Sister Phyllis has been serving these past few weeks in El Paso, TX working with refugees, many from Central America. In these Advent days please keep them and Sr. Phyllis in your prayers.

Annunciation House in El Paso, TX

"Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it – because he is out of place in it, and yet must be in it – his place is with those others who do not belong, who are rejected because they are regarded as weak; and with those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, and are tortured, exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst." 
                                                                                 ~ Thomas Merton Watch for the Light

Just the Beginning, by Sister Phyllis Tierney SSJ

Sister Martha, a Sister of Mercy from San Francisco, and I arrived at the same time. We are staying with the SSJs from Concordia who are providing hospitality for volunteers. Our orientation began the day we arrived with a quick tour of Nazareth, the temporary shelter provided by the Loretto Sisters in a wing of their nursing home which is no longer being used.

This shelter is extremely busy. ICE drops off people several times a day.

Last Monday, the shelter processed 125 people. Each one must be interviewed, assigned a bedroom, and have information recorded about their travel arrangements. Transportation volunteers must be contacted to arrange for times to pick up and transport to the bus or airport. Ability to speak Spanish is needed for these tasks.

Since I am not a fluent speaker, I work in the clothing room, help put out meals when no group provides one, check to make sure rooms are cleaned before people leave, etc.

I keep learning new things. The number arriving from Latin America has increased dramatically because the detention centers in Dilley and Karnes are filled to capacity and it is easier to bring people to El Paso where they will be released if they are asking for asylum. ICE processes those who enter and determines if they will send them to detention or give them an ankle bracelet for tracking and then release them to the shelter.

Ruben Garcia, Director of Annunciation House, manages four shelters that provide for different populations. He meets frequently with ICE to receive updates.

I am deeply impressed with the dedication of so many volunteers, especially young people who want to give their lives to this work. They are provided only with food and shelter and receive no monetary compensation of any kind. They only get one day off a week if there is enough coverage for them to take it. The people of El Paso are generous in giving, providing meals on a regular basis, driving, and giving donations.

Today is my day off. On Mondays, Ruben meets with volunteers and provides an hour of shared spiritual reflection followed by breakfast. The reflection was on Our Lady of Guadalupe and liberation theology for the poor!

This is a worthwhile experience!

Preparing For El Paso, by Sister Phyllis Tierney SSJ

I have often written about women and children detained by ICE in the Detention Centers in Texas.

Before ICE releases anyone, each refugee is processed, interviewed, run through an extensive security check, and charged with illegal entry. If ICE decides not to detain the family or individual, they send them to our temporary hospitality center so as to not release them onto the streets.

I am blessed with an opportunity to volunteer in one of the shelters run by Annunciation House in El Paso for those who have been released and are in transit to be reunited with families and friends in other parts of the country.

I will be there from December 3rd through December 16th to help with some of the many tasks that are needed. The shelter program has seen approximately 100 to 150 families come through its doors every week. Some stay hours, others for several days.

Your prayers will be greatly appreciated. To find out more about Annunciation House and its work, visit http://annunciationhouse.org/.