Juarez continues mourning

The family is a very jovial family that enjoys a good joke. They all work as mechanics using their own garage to put in long hours of work. Their oldest son was missing for several days. The family was worried. Someone found his body in a dumpster showing signs of assassination.
A humble, humble family had two young men assassinated outside of their side entrance where a group of young people liked to hang out. The sidedoor was always open. The young men were friends of the family. A few days later shots were heard and Mrs. wittnessed her husband and eldest son assassinated but this time inside the court-yard. The pain and fear of the rest of the family has caused them to put chains on their doors and live a very secluded life.

A young man named Hugo ran down to the shopping center to purchase a bag of chips before going to work. He was gunned down, right in front of the busy store. Hugo's eldery parents were notified and his mother, Arceli proclaimed in shock, "I don't know how I was able to move so fast!"
She arrived at the crime scene only to find her son dead in a pool of blood.

The funeral mass was over and many went to the cemetary to accompany the family. As they were leaving they met up with armend men who had the people that were accompaning another funeral down on the ground in rows!! They were filled with fear and tried to look for an alternative exit. They feared being part of a cross fire because the federales (goverment soldiers) came on the scene.
Many cannot even bury their dead in peace.
These are families that MPT continues to accompany.

*Names in this document have been changed in order to protect the families*

Juarez is in mourning

Juarez is in mourning. We all know that mourning is a process. For some healing comes after many tears, depression, questioning and pain. MPT has accompanied many families during this time of mourning.

One family had their 18 year old son, the youngest of 3 siblings, assassinated in front of their little store. The mother heard the shots and ran out only to see her son in a pool of blood. He was unrecognizable. She held him in her arms as he took his last breath.

The mother believes that death has cursed her. When she was very young her father died and being the oldest she had to help her mother raise her siblings. She said she worked very hard so that there would be food on the table. She married and when her children were very young her husband died and again she is left alone to raise the children. Now her 18 year old son was assassinated.

Another mother, with two precious little girls age 10 months and 2 years, was with her husband visiting a relative of his in the hospital. He received a call and proceeded to step out of the hospital where he was gunned down. Both the mother and the two year old need psychological help. She is from the southern part of Mexico and longs to be united with family, but paper work takes forever and meanwhile she has no income.

An 82 year old women witnessed the assassination of her nephew and her two sons; the the gunmen left saying that they had made a mistake! Her story is beyond words.

These are just a few of the families that MPT has accompanied. Last week at the grocery store while I was waiting in line a woman started a conversation with me after we both read the headlines of the paper: “Father comes home to find wife and children assassinated.” She proceeded to tell me that the 3 children she had with her had lost both their parents, they had been assassinated!

In this city of Juarez there have been 2,700 assassinations this year, October being the deadliest. The mourning that must be attended to will take months, years, it is said that there is no greater pain than the pain of a mother losing her child. How much more is the pain when the death is such a tragic death and so many parents have witnessed such deaths. Yes Juarez is in mourning.

Who will play with the children?

A group that has been working with the children in the colonias has as a goal to create a space for the children to  play together and respect each other, especially during this time of violence. Lately, one of the instructors has had some very difficult situations to deal with.
First, there was word that a white van had picked up two girls and fear was running high as word got around, the children were sent home early. On another occasion the Federales were looking for someone and were knocking at different homes, close to where the children were playing, their masked faces, and machine guns created an atmosphere of terror.
During another session a man appeared at the door and was ready to expose himself. On another occasion a thirteen year old that had been coming to the group and had received a death threat was actually picked up at 11:00 in the morning by armed men, the same instructor was meeting with a group of women when this occurred.
The fear that is growing in this colonia in the children, women and now their instructor is causing people to just want to go into their homes and lock their doors. Those who can move away do so.


Who will play with the Children? MPT has accompanied this group but will they continue to meet?

MPT accompanies Mass at the border

The Mass at the border has become a tradition, hundreds of people come together to pray on November 2nd (all souls day) for those who have lost their lives trying to cross the border. It is a most unique set-up because we may be celebrating together yet we are separated by a 10 foot high fence. There are those who come from the diocese of Las Cruces, and from El Paso on the USA side and then all the people from Juarez on the Mexican side.


Bishop Ricardo Ramirez started his homily speaking of the beauty of being together in the desert, and feeling the warmth of the rays of the sun. He said that in looking around we could see the fence that separated us but we could also see and feel the faith of the people that united us. We could also see the names on white crosses symbolizing those who have lost their lives.

Children participated, holding white balloons. They all released them together at the end of mass.

This year we also included all the victims that have lost their lives because of violence. We sang bi-lingual hymns and prayed as one. There was a prayerful festive atmosphere in spite of the border patrol being present. We are all one longing for peace.

In Solidarity

Every year the parish of Ste Anne's in Detroit have a theme for the altar they prepare for all souls day which is celebrated the second of November.They have dedicated the altar to the veterans, to all the victims in nine eleven etc. This year they will be in solidarity with the hundreds of families that have lost daughters in Juarez. The altar will be dedicated to the girls who's lives were ended at a young age and violently. The mystery of these dissapperance and tragic deaths continues today with no answers. A distraught, brave mother has started a group of mothers who suffer the same plight. Together they encourage each other,to work and seek justice. This is just one of the many painful realities that Juarez is living at this time.

Let's Dance

A group of women were so tired of hearing bad news and were tired of constantly being offered classes to analyze the reality that they said:’’ We need something to help us deal with living this painful reality. We need something to help us with all this stress. Some have had family members killed, some have had neighbors killed.”So after much persistence t hey were heard, and a workshop on free movement was offered. I accompanied them and we all had a most pleasant 3 hours of dancing to music that helped you just flow like water, music that helped you release tightness that is being held in your body, music that helped you imagine beauty surrounding you, we all danced and danced sometimes with our eyes open and other times looking into each other’s eyes. During the session we were all put into groups of five and given a piece of paper. We each had a chance to dance and those in your small group who observed you wrote five words about what they saw in your dance. We then used those words to write a poem. Many spoke of the peace they felt from the tension that they are living. One woman had to be taken to emergency that evening because the dance didn’t begin to heal the stress she is living in and was hospitalized at the brink of a stroke. I am amazed at the resiliency of women who have known so much pain and am most grateful to dance with them and being part of their healing process.

A look of compassion

During the week I go to 8:00 mass on most days. Last Wednesday as we were giving a ride to several senior citizens, we stopped for a red light. There was a young man selling papers and I looked at him with eyes of compassion and love. It was a brief encounter but a very heartfelt one for me. I thought about his struggle to make a living selling papers, about where he must live and if he even had family. The next morning as I walked to a woman’s circle in one of the colonias a woman commented that the paper boy on the corner had been assassinated at 4:00 in the afternoon on Wednesday. I couldn’t hold back the tears as I heard the news, why, how, my heart was filled with questions. So many are being assassinated and there are no answers as to why or who is responsible: just one more has died, three have been assassinated, five have been assassinated…and the pain of the families that receive the news how can they continue to face life? So many families choose to leave, so many poor families cannot leave. There are no answers and the violence continues to escalate. How Long, O Lord? How Long?

Happy Endings

My father always said; “No hay un mal de donde no salga un bien” There is nothing bad that happens from which something good can come. Last week a family that owned a small neighborhood store in one of the colonias and had lived in that colornia for many years, had their daughter kidnapped. The family was well known and loved. The family had to raise thousands of pesos if they wanted their daughter back!! One can only imagine the pain and desperation of this father who began to sell and borrow to have the ransom money. The neighbors gathered in solidarity and began to bring him little by little small savings, the money they had to pay their bills, the money they had saved for an emergency and a small miracle happened that with the help of all the neighbors this father was able to have the ransom money. When word was out that the daughter was to be returned, the neighbors began to pour out into the street, and there was such an outpouring of love and unity that no one could hold back the tears and joy. The street was filled with children, youth, the old all united as good neighbors to end a nightmare with embraces of welcome and so much love.
To hear the enthusiasm and gratefulness of the person who shared this story with me just filled me with gratitude for a happy ending. It also helped me apply my father’s wisdom, to every day happenings to life here in Juraez.

First Impressions

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Sept. 8, 2010


When I was missioned in Peru. our town suffered several attacks from Sendero Luminoso, the terrorist group in Peru. I remember thinking and voicing “Shouldn’t we receive some training on how to be better peace makers and being non-violent?” We just took for granted that we were non-violent. I have learned that yes, there is much we can learn and it’s a life- long process!

When I was asked by Mary Ellen Gondeck if I was interested in being part of a peace team for Juarez, Mexico, I didn’t hesitate because I am of Mexican descent and it has always been my dream to minister in Mexico. I also always wanted to learn how to be a better peace-maker.

The training took place and now the reality of Juarez could paralyze you: the drug cartels are fighting for power, using the poor as their victims to do their dirty work. Extortions have forced families to abandon the city leaving: home, friends, and possesions, out of fear for their lives. Many young ladies have disappeared and their bodies then found in the desert. There is no work, and many live by selling goods on the street: brooms, soap, etc. (enough to eat for that day), So many youth cannot afford to study and can’t find work. The list can go on and on, but in the midst of all this pain and suffering, there are people with hope for a better tomorrow.

This past weekend we attended a workshop on the other side of town. Some attendees came from very poor areas. They had been given assignments to reflect on Juarez yesterday, Juarez today and Juarez in the future. The title of the workshop was Juarencitos a Defendernos (People of Juarez, let us defend ourselves). They love their city and know that hope and change will come from grassroots, not from the authorities.

To hear their stories and feel their pain has helped me understand the need for our solidarity with them at this time. One mother shared how her 16 year old daughter disappeared, Paloma was her only daughter. The family searched for about three weeks and, then, her body was found in the desert. She vowed in her pain that she would not stop until there was justice. This woman has started a group and is constantly being asked to accompany other mothers and family members to confront corrupt authority. Perhaps justice will never come, but brave women are not sitting back and allowing such crimes to go unnoticed, the way the authorities would like them to do.

I have met so many dedicated people working for a better tomorrow for their city, Oh how they love their city! They want to see gardens and trees grow and have beauty again surround their homes and city. They want to feel free to walk their streets

They look at Angie Mann - an 18 year old - and Sister Nina Rodriguez - a golden jubilarian (fifty years as a Sister of St. Joseph - and say, "When so many have left, you have chosen to come and live among us. You are a sign of peace and hope that God has not abandoned His people." They look at us in disbelief, but have welcomed us with so much love and gratitude.

Remembering the poem on the Footprints in the Sand, we realize -- Yes, God is carrying Juarez during these painful moments in their history, Their faith, love and pain will someday know the power of their efforts to build a life-giving city again.

People in Detroit in solidarity with Juarez

Money has never been one of my favorite things, yet I know that it's necessary for living. When I was told about the need to raise funds for the Juarez trip, I immediately thought of all the parishes at which I have ministered and decided to speak to the pastors about the possibility of asking for support from the parishioners. I have been at St.Anne's, St. Gabriel's, Maria Madre de la Iglesia, Queen of Angels, Most Holy Trinity, Holy Redeemer, and St. Hedwig's. These are all inner city parishes in Detroit.

I am humbled by the response of the people, by their generosity, their promise of prayers. and all the hugs and love that have filled my heart.

Allow me to share one of my most favorite experiences: I had lost track of a former catechist of mine and when we finally reconnected, hearing my voice on the phone she broke out in tears. It was more that just tears -- there were sobs and she finally said that she couldn't take the pain any longer: She had just learned that her mother in Mexico had serious cancer, her husband had an infection that the doctors told her could be fatal and her little boy also seemed to have the same infection. Plus, she had just found out that she was pregnant.

We talked at length and I said that I wished we were face to face so I could have just held her and received her pain. Finallly she asked me what I was doing. I shared with her my plan of going to Juarez, also telling her how I was seeking support at all the parishes where I had ministered. Her reply - in the midst of all her pain -was that she was going to make some flan and sell it. She wanted to be part of my cause and help me. Wow, what selflessness!!

Then, it was I who had to cry and thank her for her goodness and compassion for the people of Juarez! I have received support beyond my expectations that tells me, "Yes, the people in southwest Detroit are in solidarity with Michigan Peace team and want to be part of the effort to empower the people of Juarez."

They know that Peace is Possible!

Why I am going to Juarez

Hello, my name is Nina and I am preparing to be part of the Michigan Peace Team in Juarez this fall. I was a missionary in South Amirica and learned so much from the poor. Their deepest hunger was to live in peace and that has become my deepest desire. I wish to be in solidarity with the people in Juarez knowing the suffering that is being lived there.