Memories Call for a Response—2008 to 2025
by Mary McCauley, BVM
Ah yes, I remember it well. The day was Monday, Aug. 18, 2008. The car was packed. I pulled out of the St. Patrick Parish driveway in Monona, Iowa, made a left turn onto Highway 18 and headed to Dubuque. After six grace-filled, challenging, rewarding, and transformative years of serving as the pastoral administrator of St. Mary in McGregor, St. Patrick in Monona, and St. Bridget in Postville, I was retiring. My mind and heart were filled with awesome memories, great gratitude, and sincere admiration, along with serious concern.
And what was the concern? The concern focused on the men, women, and children in Postville who experienced the tragic, massive, and harsh immigration raid at Agriprocessors, the kosher meat packing plant, on May 12, 2008, and what would happen to them. To this day my heart churns and my mind stirs when I recall the men and women who were detained, the children who feared they would never again see their mother or father, and the stories shared of the harsh treatment in detention centers and jails. I also vividly recall the response given when I asked, “Why did you come? Why did you risk your life?”
The responses were: “When your children are starving, you will do whatever you can to help them.” And how could I forget the 16-year-old boy who reflected, “I did not come here to hurt people. I came to help my family. Why do people hate us so much?”
I also hold in my memory innumerable people who came to assist the St. Brigid Response Team. I remember a handwritten note, along with a monetary contribution, sent from a concerned citizen in another state that read: “NO, NO, NO, this must not happen in the United States of America . . . treating people like this.”
I remember our marches and rallies, especially those that occurred on the first, fifth, and tenth anniversaries. We worked so hard to raise consciousness to the injustices and the need for comprehensive immigration reform. The theme for our fifth anniversary was “Turn the Tragedy of Postville into a Victory for Justice.” Oh, how we hoped!
For our tenth anniversary we employed the clarion call of a trumpet using the phrase, “The Summons.” Yes, we hoped, we prayed, we sent letters to our legislators, we dialogued about summoning people to an honest review of our immigration laws and policy.
Soon it will be the 17th anniversary of the Postville raid. Have our efforts to call for comprehensive immigration reform failed? Have our efforts to respond to the needs of refugee and asylum seekers failed? Have we thought about how our lives might change if the current call for massive deportation takes place? Have we thought about what it might be like to no longer have men and women working in meat processing plants, picking fresh fruits and vegetables, or serving in the hospitality industry? And rather than thinking about a “Day Without an Immigrant,” have we thought about spending a day . . . a week . . . a month with an immigrant? What might we learn?
Yes, I did have serious concerns when I retired. Seventeen years later and 17 years older, my heart holds the same concern. In all honesty, there are times that my heart quivers. It is then that I quiet myself, turn to scripture, and reflect on passages that bring meaning, hope, challenge, and direction:
• “For I was hungry, and you gave me food . . . thirsty and you gave me drink . . . a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt. 25:35).
• “You shall treat the stranger who resides with you no differently than the native born among you . . . you shall love him as yourself, as you were once strangers in the land of Egypt . . .” (Lev. 19:34).
• “One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, ‘Do not be afraid. Go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you’” (Acts 18:9).
• “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet . . .” (Is. 62:1).
Will I give up my efforts to call for immigration reform? Will I forget or give up on the people I served? Will I forget their stories, the fear on their faces, or the hope in their hearts? Will I ignore the call of our God that I hear in Scripture? Will I ignore our congregational stance calling for immigration reform? Of course not!
Will some days be more challenging than others? Indeed, they will. It is all part of the journey. I will continue to listen, to learn, and affirm our immigrants and refugees. I will listen to others, especially those who may have a different experience or opinion. I will continue to contact our legislators pleading for immigration legislation in accord with the values of our country.
I invite you whose hearts are also churning to join me on this journey. Then perhaps by the 20th anniversary, if we respond to the summons, the 2008 Postville tragedy and others that continue to unfold will become a victory for justice.
This story was featured in:
Winter 2025: Celebrating 50 Years of Salt
If you would like to receive Salt, contact the Office of Development for a complimentary subscription at development@bvmsisters.org or 563-585-2864.