casa alexia - School Sisters of St. Francis

How Can YOU Partner with the Sisters at Casa Alexia?
BECOME INFORMED
Come for an immersion experience at the border,
which will help you:
• Learn about the border reality
• Learn about the effects of globalization on
border life in the areas of economic justice,
human rights, the environment,
and population explosion
• Share with others about Casa Alexia and
its important ministries
CASA ALEXIA
PRAY
Un Ministerio en la Frontera
A Border Ministry
• Pray for healing and an end to violence in
Juárez and all of Mexico
• Pray for a better life for immigrants and just
immigration laws
• Join the sisters and associates for prayer
and reflection
• Join the sisters and others for prayer vigils
Associates gathered with School Sisters of St. Francis from Juárez and El Paso to learn about the border.
A Year in Review 2015
The sisters of Casa Alexia, A Border Ministry,
commit ourselves to:
VOLUNTEER
Volunteer in El Paso or Juárez with:
• Food distribution in Juárez
• Office administration support
• Assistance with various ministries
Become a Tau Volunteer
Contact Irene Perez
iperez@sssf.org • 414-385-5255
TO BECOME INVOLVED, CONTACT
Sister Fran Hicks
Casa Alexia, A Border Ministry
Un Ministerio en la Frontera
465 Gallagher Street
El Paso, Texas 79915-3133
915-595-0965
Email: casa_alexia@yahoo.com
To learn more about the School Sisters of
St. Francis, visit www.sssf.org or
like us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/schoolsistersofstfrancis.
“Be a hopeful presence in solidarity with
people on the border, especially immigrants
and victims of violence, by promoting actions
responding to their needs.”
Sister Elsa Canán laughs as Corina tries to carry
her family’s Thanksgiving turkey.
CONTRIBUTE
• Monetary donations to support the
ministries of Casa Alexia
• A funding priority for 2016 is the “Across
the Border Sharing Project” which
provides 95 families in Juárez with 10
basic necessities. The cost to feed the
families for one month is $760. Even the
smallest donation makes a difference.
Please visit www.casaalexia.com
TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION
Use the enclosed self-addressed envelope or
visit www.sssf.org and click the “Donate”
button at the top of the page. Select
“Casa Alexia” in the drop-down menu to
make your gift.
Mural created by children at the Conference of the
Families of the Disappeared in Northern Mexico.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Casa Alexia is to stand in solidarity
with migrants, immigrants and victims of violence
in the El Paso-Juárez border region:
Raising awareness regarding the social, economic,
and political realities of the border
Offering accompaniment and counseling to victims
of violence and their families
Advocating for the human rights of immigrants,
detainees, victims of violence and injustice
Providing education and pastoral services for
those in need
Casa Alexia is a joint ministry of the Latin
American and United States Provinces of the
School Sisters of St. Francis that helps to realize
their vision of a world transformed through
peace, justice and love.
Six sisters and their partners in mission
served on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border
in 2015: Sisters Josefina López, Carol Jean Ory
and Arlene Woelfel served in Juárez, Mexico;
Sisters Kathy Braun, Elsa Canán and Fran Hicks
served in the El Paso area. This report focuses
on the accomplishments of Casa Alexia in 2015.
Open our eyes to see the miseries of the world …
This year we share stories of our ministry in the El Paso–Juárez border region within
the context of the recent call by Pope Francis to immerse ourselves in a year of mercy
and pardon. Pope Francis calls us to:
“… open our eyes to see the miseries of the world, the wounds of so many brothers
and sisters deprived of their dignity, and we feel compelled to hear their cry for help.
Our hands stretch out to their hands, and we draw them to ourselves so that they can
feel the warmth of our presence, of our friendship and our fraternal love.
So that their cry will become ours and together we can break through the barrier of
the rampant indifference that hides hypocrisy and self-centeredness.”
(Misericordiae Vultis,15)
Pope Francis’ Encyclical on Mercy
Our stories focus on how we as Franciscan women strive to be present to the people of the borderland
in their joys and their heartaches, and accompany them in their struggles to encounter truth, justice, and
inner peace.
...so that they can feel the warmth of our presence. (Pope Francis)
“My Fingers Are Warm!”
For years the Family Catechesis children
and parents have had to suffer freezing
temperatures in the school in Juárez,
Mexico, where the catechetical classes are
taught. There were no heaters. This year,
the parish installed natural gas and the
School Sisters of St. Francis’ donors made
it possible to put in wall heaters in the
eight rooms. Now 236 children and their
parents can pay more attention to the
classes and less time blowing on
their fingers! Love has been made
physically warm.
A Surge of Immigrants Continues to Arrive at the U.S.–Mexican Border
In August 2014, an unprecedented number
of “family units” and unaccompanied
minors presented themselves at the
United States-Mexican border. They
sought asylum to escape the violence,
extortion, extreme poverty and lack of
employment in their countries. After
several months, the numbers of people coming to the border lessened. However, in September 2015,
thousands of Central Americans and Mexicans again began seeking asylum in United States. The
violence has not diminished nor have the other “push factors” which force people to leave their land.
A new problem is the drought in Guatemala and consequent loss of a corn harvest, which has brought
about starvation in some parts of that country.
In the El Paso, Texas area, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 690 family units and 571 unaccompanied
minors between October 1 and November 30, 2015. At that time, only one shelter existed in El Paso to
receive the family units; so when that residence received 250 immigrants in one week, another shelter
was opened. Due to the need for more volunteers, Ruben Garcia, Director of Annunciation House for
refugees, called on religious congregations of women to help. Sisters from all over the U.S. are coming
for one or two months to assist at the shelters. The immigrants are provided clothes, food, medical
assistance, toiletries, and rides to the bus station or airport.
These shelters assist the government in housing many of the new immigrant families that cannot be
detained at Immigration Customs Enforcement detention facilities.
The people of El Paso have been extremely generous in donating their time, talent and money for this
project and the School Sisters of St. Francis have been offering their services and financial aid, through
donations, to alleviate the desperation of the people seeking refuge in our country.
Rosaries for Communicants
Beans Mean Life!
The School Sisters of St. Francis’ food program in
Juárez, Mexico is growing! As the green beans
on the chart show, last year 30 more families
were added and this year we have added even
more. That means more beans and more of
everything on the food list also grew, along
with the prices. Thanks to generous and faithful
donors, the program continues getting bigger
and, yes, better every year!
The Communion class of 2014 all received a
lovely white rosary which they wore around
their necks on the great day of their First
Communion. These were made and donated
by Sister Irene Zimmerman’s sister, Ann Gaul.
Now there are already another 200 white
rosaries on standby for the June celebrations.
Sister Margaret Mary Ryan was the gracious
maker and donor this year. Lots of prayers
and lots of gratitude to these rosary makers!
Our hands stretch out to their hands and we draw them to ourselves...
Evangelization: Seedling to plant
...the wounds of so many brothers and sisters...
“Heal Ourselves; Heal Our World”
In the 1980s, a seedling of evangelization was planted by the School
Sisters of St. Francis community and others in a Hispanic, immigrant
community struggling to begin a new life in an unincorporated,
desert area of El Paso County called the “colonias.” Sister Maureen
Jerkowski’s presence was vital to this community as she supported
their struggles for water, roads and church services. She united the
families in prayer, had celebrations for special liturgical feasts and
provided catechism classes for the children until the early 1990s.
“Heal Ourselves; Heal Our World” is the mission of Capacitar
International. It continues to be realized in the El Paso, TexasJuárez, Mexico border region with the completion of yet
another year of trainings. Three School Sisters of St. Francis
(Sisters Arlene, Josefina and Kathy) are on the bi-national team
of Capacitar en la Frontera which promotes the formation of
multipliers who teach Capacitar’s mind-body healing techniques
on both sides of the border.
In 2005, the sisters returned to the colonias after a ten-year absence.
Sisters Frances Hicks and Elsa Canan began living in a trailer, in the midst of the community, providing
religious and non-religious services.
The demand for Capacitar practices has never been greater.
More than 85 persons representing about 45 agencies on
both sides of the border participated in the level one training
which ended in September 2015. Another 25 persons took the
Advanced Formation Training to deepen their knowledge of
Capacitar practices.
The process of evangelization continues advancing through paraliturgies, Bible studies, sacramental
preparation, retreats and encouraging the people to participate in the courses offered by the Diocesan
School of Ministry (TEPEYAC). Six women from one of Sister Elsa’s Bible study groups completed a course
for Ministers of Communion and are now taking a leadership role in visiting and bringing Communion to
the sick in all five colonias. The seedling of the past is continually growing and has become a deeply rooted
plant.
Summer Reading Program
Seventy-six children of all ages read books this past
summer thanks in part to the accessibility of the “home
libraries” out in the colonias. Many of these children
are isolated in the desert with no parks, pools, other
activities, or transportation, so they are invited to read.
The books are in English, which helps the majority of the
Spanish-speaking children keep up their English during
the summer, increase their English skills and develop
a greater English vocabulary. One fifth-grader stated
that she read 35 books during the summer and when
she returned to school, she tested out of the bilingual
program and will be in all English classes this year. She attributes this to her reading over 100 library
books over the past four summers.
Another comment from one of the youth was: “I read so much now that my mom is saving money to
buy me a Kindle so I can order my own books.” Yes, the children are motivated to read because they
have a party, receive prizes and are rewarded with some of their school supplies, but more importantly,
they are learning to love to read.
The mother of two torture survivors uses
Capacitar techniques to give a relaxation
treatment to the mother of a
disappeared young man. (Juárez, Mexico)
Offering of Capacitar practices to the male population in the federal detention center in El Paso was one
success this past year. What was not expected was the level of participation and commitment by those
men held in detention for longer periods of time (a year or more) while their cases are being processed.
These men “got it” and embraced Capacitar as life-giving.
How do we know this? The fourth module of each cycle
includes an evaluation by drawing an image of oneself before
and after Capacitar classes. Alvin (not his real name) was
older, reticent and kept in the background. His final image
was of a river between two different shores, depicting the
unity of his life now; “it is the same river on both shores.”
However, one side was arid with no life and the other was full
of color and growth. Alvin noted that “this is the first time I
have felt so alive…”
These men became our teachers as they claimed the practices
as their own. They felt better about themselves and about
life using these tools. They felt more peaceful and accepting,
even though they may be sent back to their country of origin
and be separated from their children and spouses who
remain in the United States.
Truly the mission of Capacitar is consistent with the School
Sisters of St. Francis’ mission to “give, heal and defend life.”
“This is the first time
I have felt so alive…”
“Alvin” program participant
We feel compelled to hear their cry for help...
What does it mean to “accompany” people who have been subjected
to mistreatment and collective social injustice?
Sister Arlene faced that question head on
when she joined the staff of the Human Rights
Center Paso del Norte in Juàrez, Mèxico.
The Center’s staff accompanies victims of
violence, giving special attention to survivors
of torture and their relatives as well as the
families of the disappeared.
“We can break through the
barrier of rampant indifference.”
Pope Francis
Center staff knew that traditional methods
of psychotherapy and legal defense
which focused on individual recovery
and recuperation of damages were
insufficient to change a political system
rampant with impunity. So they developed
a multidisciplinary approach wherein
accompaniment of individuals and families
became the cornerstone of their work. Along
with other staff members, Sister Arlene
discovered that accompaniment involves
much more than providing psychotherapy,
education or a legal defense.
The goal of accompaniment is to facilitate
Sister Arlene (4th from left) and two other Human Rights
Center staff celebrate with Cristel, Leonardo and their
a process in which persons cease to be
families in the parking lot of the prison.
victims, learn to leave their experiences of
victimization behind, and become survivors
who live with their pain without acting
as victims. To accomplish this, clients are
treated not as patients who need treatment, but as companions on a journey in search of truth and
restorative justice in relation to the offenses perpetrated against them. Staff members have to leave
the comfort zones of their professional work styles and walk side by side with family members, sharing
personal space to allow them to express grief or anger, attending meetings with government officials and
judicial proceedings, forming networks of mutual support and collective action in the struggle to obtain
redress for the wrongs committed against the families and their loved ones. The following cases are
examples of how these strategies were used.
In December 2015, three torture survivors were released after spending years in prison away from their
families and young children. The Human Rights Center had accompanied the families of Cristel Pina, a
25-year-old mother of two, and her two male companions since August 12, 2013, when they were arrested,
tortured and accused of extortion.
The liberation of Cristel, Leonardo, and Eduardo is
a historic move for the state of Chihuahua, a state
in which the practice of torture is generalized and
systemic for the purpose of crime investigations.
The current governor of Chihuahua consistently
denies the existence of torture within the state
and must now respond to a judicial order for a
federal investigation of the state police accused of
torture practices.
While in prison, Cristel joined other women who
had been tortured in Mexico as public witnesses
in the campaign against torture launched by
Amnesty International. The campaign, “Breaking
the Silence,” exposed the use of sexual violence
by police and the military as an investigative tool
to extract confessions and other information to
pursue criminal investigations.
The women are persistent voices in the outcry
against the raging epidemic of torture in Mexico.
Between 2013 and 2014 the number of torture
complaints filed at the federal level has more than
doubled – from 1,165 to 2,403. (Source: Mexico’s
Federal Attorney General’s Office). Even though
complaints have reached epidemic proportions,
there have been few prosecutions and almost
no convictions of public officials responsible for
the heinous acts. Hopefully these abuses will be
curtailed if the Mexican Congress adopts proposed
legislation in 2016 which defines torture as a crime
against humanity and sanctions public officials who
perform or order others to perform acts of torture.
Such a law would be a ray of hope for torture
survivors and their families.
The Human Rights Center’s staff also accompanies
the families of young men who have been
apprehended by security forces and then
disappeared. The following pictures illustrate some
activities that occurred in 2015.
Opening prayer service at Regional Conference for
Family Members of the Disappeared in Northern Mexico.
The reflection was led by staff and family members associated
with the Human Rights Center in Juárez.
Since 2013, the staff of the Human
Rights Center has obtained the
liberty of 15 young people who
have been unjustly imprisoned and
tortured to confess to crimes.
Sister Arlene (far right) and a representative of Peace Brigades
International accompany family members and observe
the activities of a Red Cross Brigade preparing to enter
a natural dry well 50 meters deep in search of the human
remains of a disappeared young man.