News

5/27/19 Now that I am home, as I look over the past two weeks, there are people I will never forget. We have been privileged to serve and it is in that serving we gained so much more than could be imagined. I will never forget the 23-year-old mother of two whose husband was killed…

5/24/19 We were privileged to be accompanied on our mission by Patrice Swick, Social Justice Director for the Diocese of Erie and our guest blogger for today. As our time here in El Paso comes to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the Sisters of St. Joseph for such a beautiful…

5/23/19 Founded in 1812, the Sisters of Loretto have embraced the pioneer spirit in the west. Throughout their convent are the trunks of the sisters who built convents, schools and became a driving presence in working toward social justice issues such as the environment and refugees. The Sisters have graciously provided lodging for those from…

5/22/19 Deb Seng, Agregee, has provided the blog for you today on one of her experiences during her Road to El Paso. Who knew that spending every summer for 20 years scheduling students into classes would be a useful skill in El Paso. I spend most of my day assigning rooms to families. At our…

5/21/19 Yesterday was our day off. One of the other volunteers, Marsha, offered to drive Deb, Patrice and me to the bridge to walk into Mexico. We walked across the bridge over the border and into the town of Juarez, Mexico where we spent the morning. We visited the Cathedral and did a little shopping…

5/20/19 When the bus drops the refugees off from the detention center, the first thing we do is offer food. One of the refugees told me that in the detention center she and approximately 20 women and their children were held together in a room a little smaller than the rooms we provide. She said…

5/19/19 Deb, Patrice and I joined some of the other Sisters staying at El Convento for mass this morning at St. Joseph’s Church. Mass was quiet and peaceful. The people were warm and welcoming. We saw the group of volunteers who worked with us yesterday at our hospitality site. It seems as though so many…

5/17/19 The road to El Paso is long and difficult for the refugees. They have traveled many days just to get this far and their journey is not yet complete. I spoke with one woman from Honduras who said it took her over 20 days of traveling to reach El Paso. She said sometimes she…

5/16/19 Annunciation House is able to serve those in need because it has a strong volunteer base. People come from all over the country to help welcome those who have made the journey to El Paso. In November, a plea was made for volunteers. Many religious communities such as my own have sent volunteers. This…