Borderland Update from the Diocese of the Rio Grande
The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary
You may have already seen the Borderland Update from The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis, Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of the Rio Grande, on our RGBM social media accounts or through the diocesan newsletter. If not, we encourage you to watch the video. As the humanitarian crisis continues to change and unfold at the border, RGBM will be a response to this crisis, and we will continue to update you regularly through these videos.
Learning and Growing Together via Zoom
A Reflection from RGBM Volunteer Kathy Jack (Spanish Translation below)
Although the Spirit of God works in ways that we never fully understand, perhaps it is enough to know that the yearnings of the human heart are manifestations of the Spirit of the Divine moving within us. Of this, I am absolutely certain!
It was by the Spirit that I arrived in El Paso a year and six months ago and that I came to know the work of the Diocese of the Rio Grande through the Reverend Cristina Rathbone. And in these challenging months, it is the Spirit that continues to ground me in this ministry.
When I arrived in El Paso, I heard rumors about a priest working on the streets of Juarez who stood with asylum seekers from all parts of Central and South America. Reverend Rathbone was there to listen to their stories, share their experiences and offer friendship.
Compelled by the Spirit to serve these asylum seekers, I decided that I would find Reverend Rathbone and “hang out” with her. My heart told me that I had come to the right place. At first, we met four or five times a week on the street around the Santa Fe bridge in Juarez where families were camped out in tents and other hand-made shelters. We walked across the bridge each day, hung around for a few hours and walked back when darkness began to fall. During that time, I came to know some of these courageous men, women and children. When I think about those families, I am reminded of how Mother Teresa frequently reminded her followers that holiness does not lie in doing great things, but in doing small things with great love. During that time, our friendships grew and flourished. We all knew the physical contact would end (as it turned out, even sooner than we could have known), but we also knew that there would be no end to the spiritual connections that we had made.
It has been challenging, but the ministry of the Diocese of the Rio Grande continues the effort to support the brave families who seek respite and opportunity in new lands.
Through the ministry of Douglas Winter and his Non-governmental Organization (NGO) Dormir Es Poder, I communicate with the families living at San Mateo. Each week, I teach a virtual course, Escuela Para Padres to the people of San Mateo. The course explores self-improvement and parenting skills to help families grow and flourish in their new environments.
The challenges of technology are many. Learning how to manipulate the computers, cameras, sound and skills necessary to cross the frontier virtually is an ongoing adventure. All my thanks go to a myriad of teachers - tutors like Douglas in New Mexico, Ana in Washington, Rebecca here in El Paso, Malissa in New York and someone else I don’t know from Connecticut! My living room is filled with apparatus and cables that, ten years ago, would have been my scariest nightmare!
I have no words to express how blessed I am to be present once again with the people I have come to know and love. We are truly all one family, but how often we forget that, as a family, we are called to unconditional love by accepting and welcoming each other whatever the circumstances.
I am still “stuck” in my small apartment and still suffer from isolation with too much time on my hands. However, I do believe what I said at the beginning of this reflection: When the heart feels the urge, it is the Holy Spirit at work in us. We also serve when we are quiet, alone and even isolated, but where there is a will to engage, the Spirit will lead us on.
Aprender y crecer juntos a través de Zoom
Una reflexión de la voluntaria de RGBM Kathy Jack
El Espíritu de Dios obra de formas que nunca entendemos por completo. Basta saber que los anhelos del corazón humano son manifestaciones del Espíritu de lo Divino moviéndose dentro de nosotros. ¡De esto estoy absolutamente segura!
Llegué a El Paso hace un año y seis meses; así llegué a conocer el trabajo de la Diócesis del Río Grande a través de la Reverenda Cristina Rathbone, y así es como permanezco en ese ministerio a través de estos desafiantes meses de interferencia gubernamental y pandemia global.
Cuando llegué a El Paso, escuché rumores sobre una sacerdotisa que trabajaba en las calles de Juárez junto a solicitantes de asilo de todas partes de Centro y Sudamérica. Eran personas que esperaban construir un futuro mejor para ellos y sus hijos, y la Reverenda Rathbone estuvo allí para escuchar sus historias, compartir sus experiencias y ofrecer amistad. Mi corazón me dijo que había venido al lugar correcto. Encontraría a esta mujer y pasaría el rato con ella. Y así, llegué a conocer la difícil situación de los solicitantes de asilo que esperan ingresar a los Estados Unidos en busca de justicia, paz y sí, prosperidad.
Al principio, nos reuníamos 4 o 5 veces por semana en la calle alrededor del puente de Santa Fe en Juárez, donde las familias acampaban en tiendas de campaña u otros refugios hechos a mano. Caminábamos por el puente todos los días, nos quedamos unas horas y regresamos cuando la oscuridad comenzaba a caer. Durante ese tiempo, conocí a algunos hombres, mujeres y niños muy agradables y ciertamente valientes. Recuerdo a la Madre Teresa, quien frecuentemente recordaba a sus seguidores que la santidad no radica en hacer grandes cosas, sino en hacer pequeñas cosas con gran amor. Durante ese tiempo, nuestras amistades crecieron y florecieron. Todos sabíamos que el contacto físico terminaría, como resultó, más rápido de lo que pensábamos, pero sabíamos que las conexiones espirituales que habíamos establecido no terminarían.
Ha sido un desafío, pero el ministerio de la Diócesis del Río Grande continúa el esfuerzo de apoyar a las familias valientes que buscan un respiro y oportunidades en nuevas tierras.
A través del ministerio de Douglas Winter y su Organización No Gubernamental (ONG) Dormir Es Poder, me comunico con las familias que viven en San Mateo. Cada semana, doy un curso virtual, Escuela Para Padres a la gente de San Mateo. El curso explora la superación personal y las habilidades de los padres para ayudar a las familias a crecer y prosperar en sus nuevos entornos.
Los desafíos de la tecnología son muchos. Aprender a manipular las computadoras, las cámaras, el sonido y las habilidades necesarias para cruzar la frontera virtualmente es una aventura continua. Todo mi agradecimiento a una gran cantidad de maestros: tutores como Douglas en Nuevo México, Ana en Washington, Rebecca aquí en El Paso, Malissa en Nueva York y alguien más que no conozco de Connecticut. Mi sala de estar está llena de aparatos y cables que, hace diez años, ¡habrían sido mi pesadilla más aterradora!
No tengo palabras para expresar lo bendecido que soy de estar presente una vez más con las personas que he llegado a conocer y amar. Todos somos una familia, pero con demasiada frecuencia olvidamos que, como familia, estamos llamados al amor incondicional, aceptándonos y acogiéndonos en cualquier circunstancia.
Todavía estoy "atrapado" en mi pequeño apartamento y todavía sufro de aislamiento con demasiado tiempo libre. Sin embargo, sí creo lo que dije al comienzo de esta reflexión: cuando el corazón siente el impulso, es el Espíritu Santo obrando en nosotros. También servimos cuando estamos tranquilos, solos e incluso aislados, pero cuando hay voluntad de participar, el Espíritu nos guiará.
Call for Submissions: Canvas of Hope
Canvas of Hope is accepting donations of paintings, printmaking, photography, drawings, prints, mixed media, and sculpture. Submitted art will be auctioned to raise money to support shelters in Juárez and Ojinaga, Mexico. The art will be displayed on our website and for our online media event, May 1st, 2021. The event will feature artists passionate about migration, including musical performances, poetry readings, artists talks, and more.100% of the proceeds will go towards supporting the work of RGBM.
Sin Fronteras Reading Group - Session 2 DATE CHANGES
Led by The Rev. David Chavez and The Rev. Mike Wallens
We will move through the book Cruelty as Citizenship: How Migrant Suffering Sustains White Supremacy, by LatinX Cristina Beltran. Our schedule will follow the following chapter breakdown & we will meet on Wednesdays from 2:30pm-4:00pm MST starting on:
Feb. 24 - Week One: Introduction
March 3 - Week Two: Chapter 1
March 10 - Week Three: Chapter 2
March 17 - Week Four: Chapter 3
March 24 - Week Five: Conclusion
March 31 - Week Six: Open Forum: Connecting the dots, mobilizing action.
Please feel free to forward this invitation to friends, colleagues, and associates interested in reading, discussing, and critiquing this important text . Zoom info below.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84481427404?pwd=ODI1RDBydmVWUGpkblpWY1JrUG8wQT09
Meeting ID: 844 8142 7404
Passcode: borders
Dear Jesus,
Our journey through life is long and hard. We cannot make this trip alone; we must
walk together on the journey.
You promised to send us a helper, your Spirit. Help us to see your Spirit in those
you send to journey with us.
In the refugee family, seeking safety from violence,
Let us see your Spirit.
In the migrant worker, bringing food to our tables,
Let us see your Spirit.
In the asylum-seeker, seeking justice for himself and his family,
Let us see your Spirit.
In the unaccompanied child, traveling in a dangerous world,
Let us see your Spirit.
Teach us to recognize that as we walk with each other, You are present.
Teach us to welcome not only the strangers in our midst but the gifts they bring as
well: the invitation to conversion, communion, and solidarity.
This is the help you have sent: we are not alone.
We are together on the journey, and for this we give you thanks.
Amen.