Families Seeking Asylum Cared For, Kept Safe
BVM Luann Brown sorts through much-needed donations during her service in San Diego to help families who are crossing the border. She reflects, “In companioning families through the airport, I am struck by how little they have. Some travel to their destinations with only a plastic shopping bag of belongings.”
By Luann Brown, BVM
I traveled from Chicago to San Diego to give service with Catholic Charities and the collaborating organization, Jewish Family Services, from April 27–May 19.
The assistance I provided to these agencies consisted of sorting donated clothes, packing and delivering meals to families, and companioning families through the airport from boarding pass to gate as they make their way to join with their point of contact in the United States.
The protocols in place because of COVID-19 limited the amount of contact I had with the families. There was, however, enough interaction to imprint the people I met forever in my heart.
As I prepared to rest each night, visions of the people I had encountered that day swirled through my heart and thoughts and wove their way into my prayer:
- The little boy who was so enthralled with watching planes take off at the airport. The delight of children in new experiences is universal.
- The woman whose statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe was broken into three pieces at airport security. What does this loss represent and how has she companioned the family on their journey?
- The young woman with the broken arm and black eye. What traumatic experiences led to these injuries?
Loving and compassionate Creator, please continue to walk with them as they navigate the next leg of their long journey.
I am deeply inspired by the ministry accomplished by the two collaborating agencies. I was told that before Catholic Charities began to attend to the needs of asylum-seeking families, they were left in downtown San Diego, sometimes in the middle of the night, by the Border Patrol.
The response of the collaborating organizations has made it possible for the families to be safe and to have basic needs for shelter, food, clothing, and medical attention met while they make arrangements to travel to their receiving families elsewhere in the United States.
The ministry provided by the agencies allowed those of us involved in the work to be a face of love in a potentially hostile environment for people who are vulnerable, travel-weary, and traumatized. My hope is that they receive the message that they are beloved children of God and there are people who care about them here.
I witnessed this message being expressed in a multitude of ways by the volunteers who regularly give of their time and talent to the endeavor. They embody the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, especially solidarity and the option for the poor and vulnerable.
I am grateful for the opportunity to labor in the company of such soul-filled people for a short time.
Related: BVM Luann Brown is featured in this Catholic Charities video, along with other sisters who answered the call to minister at the border.
Watch here: https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/magazine/charities-usa-volume-48-no-3/