What a wonderful experience volunteering with Catholic Charities at the U.S./Mexico border!
The photos below are from a Posada we attended. Posada is a lovely ritual. It includes singing a traditional song at the door of a neighbor and asking for shelter for the Holy Family.
This Posada also honored Josefina, an Ursuline Associate of Brownsville*. She died in August at age 100.
Her family and colonia gathered to remember her and share stories. It was very festive and joyful. Food included tamales, tostadas, rice and beans.
Now a grown man, Jesse was Baby Jesus (then 6 weeks old) at the Christmas Mass my first year ministering in Brownsville. I lived there for a decade and visit every few years.
This morning received a text from a family with an experience like the Holy one. They came to the U.S. from Venezuela and heard there was lodging in San Antonio.
A Venezuelan family in Ohio paid for bus tickets to help the family travel from McAllen, Tex. to San Antonio. But when they arrived, there was no room because the shelter was full (it accommodates 1,000), so they slept outside sharing one blanket. It was 43 degrees F.
*In addition to our 100 Ursuline Associates in the Midwest (some have moved from the Youngstown area but keep in touch), we have Associates at the border. It’s wonderful to have so many women and men who formally embrace our mission and ministry, who live the Gospel daily, and who celebrate the legacy of St. Angela Merici.