Christian Brothers of the Midwest

DLSI Cafeteria, Lourdes Campus

Last week, Brother Mark and I visited two more Chicagoland ministries: De La Salle Institute and St. Joseph High School. This really involved three campuses since, as most of you know, DLSI has two campuses, one for boys and the other for girls. I began with the photo of the Lourdes campus cafeteria, because of the very striking mural done by art teacher and alum, Paul Granat. What is intriguing about it is that if you get close to it, you realize that it contains pages from “The Conduct of Schools” by St. John Baptist de La Salle. I’ve included a couple “close-ups” of the mural, so you can see how it was done.

There are several more samples of Paul’s Lasallian art work around the building. As usual, we met with a variety of people during our visit, and we were given an excellent tour of both campuses, and both the males and females we talked about seem very content with their unique split-campus situation. Virtually all extracurriculars, except for athletics, are co-ed, and both schools come together for certain liturgies and celebrations.

Our Lourdes campus tour guides: Julie, Melissa, and Jessica.

Our tour guides at the boys' campus: Jonathan, Norberto, and Jaymore.

We had a very good meeting with staff members who have been through some form of formal Lasallian formation. This is a photo of the group that met with us at the Michigan Avenue campus; the photo includes DLSI President, Fr. Paul Novak:

A group of seniors with whom we had a very good lunch discussion.

On Thursday, May 3, we headed to Westchester to visit St. Joseph High School. It was also a very good visit; the diversity at St. Joe’s was striking, because it is not necessarily what one would expect from a “suburban” school. As most of you know, St. Joseph has been  located in the original IHM building for the past five years. The original high St. Joe’s is on the north end of the same property.

Our SJHS tour guides: Nick, Jared, and Ana.

We had a good meeting with a large group of students involved in Peer Ministry and Lasallian Youth, and during a split lunch period we were able to converse with several faculty members and later with the administrative team. After school, Bro. Mark and I had the opportunity to address the entire faculty and staff and used that time to both introduce ourselves and our roles as well as affirm them for all the good work they are doing for the students.

Meeting with St. Joe's peer ministers and Lasallian Youth.

The Administrative Team

That evening we met with Brothers Joe Saurbier and Tom Harding, who comprise the Villa Park community, and we had a nice dinner together in downtown Villa Park. On Friday we visited the San Miguel BOY Community. The community is currently hosting an immigrant family—the Kithendus— from Kenya,  and Dominic has worked with the Brothers in the Lwanga District for many years. Their daughter Venanzia, attends DLSI.

Brother Mark left for Rome Sunday for a special meeting of new Visitors and Auxiliary VIistors; I attended a similar meeting four years ago. I thought you might enjoy this “closing shot” of Brother Mark and I posing with St. Joseph and a SJHS Charger:

Brother Mark and I join Brothers Mike Callahan and Leo Srubas and Mrs. Denise Elfering for a nice dinner in downtown Manitowoc.

Last week Brother Mark and I traveled up and down Lake Michigan as we visited Manitowoc and Racine, Wisconsin. Both Lasallian communities have two Brothers named Michael and Leo, which is kind of interesting. We began in Manitowoc and stayed in the Brothers’ Residence attached to Roncalli High School. It certainly was a bittersweet visit, for, as many of you know, the Brothers will be leaving the residence this summer. We spent Wednesday visiting Roncalli and got a good taste of the school, and saw all the good things happening there. They just came through a successful accreditation visit from AdvanceEd. That evening after meeting with the Brothers we went out to dinner and Denise Elfering, Bro. Tony’s mother, was able to join us. Tony is an alum of Roncalli.

Our Roncalli tour guides, seniors Lauren and Kevin.

Our student guides had just come off a very successful production of “Les Miserables” at Roncalli, and both are very involved in music and theatre, so we got a very thorough tour of Roncalli’s Fine Arts area.

Brother Mark and I had lunch with these four students---Caleb, Christine, Kaylee, and Andy. It was pretty obvious to us that they love their school!

On Thursday morning we left for Racine, a couple hours south. We arrived about 11:00 and visited with the four community members there. At 2:00 we had the opportunity to to meet with the staff and hear some of their success stories. Fr. Anthony the pastor of St. Patrick Parish that sponsors the Center was also able to join us.John XXIII Educational Center begins mid-afternoon and then resumes in the evening. It was a treat to visit with the students who stopped by for homework help. The program closes down at 8:30, and after that we had time to meet with the community that consists of Brothers Michael Kadow and Leo Kramper, plus LV Catherine Calogero and community member Evan Witalison.

John XXIII staff along with Fr. Anthony, Pastor of St. Patrick Parish.

An evening tutoring session at John XXIII: Bro. Michael Kadow with Rafael, a San Juan Diego alum who is now in college and serves as a mentor for Mark.

Brothers Patrick, Fredy, Michael French (facilitator), Nestor, David and Roberto.

This past weekend Brothers in various stages of initial formation plus their formators met at St. Charles Borromeo Retreat Center, adjacent to Lewis University. It was their first meeting in the Midwest District. Brother Stephen Markham coordinated the retreat which involved the young Brothers in the USA-Toronto Region, along with four international Brothers who are studying at Saint Mary’s University in Winona.

Friday Evening Panel: Bros. Ed Siderewicz, Mike Fehrenbach, Larry Schatz, and Michael Kadow.

The retreat began with a social and dinner hosted by the Brothers of La Salle Community on Lewis Campus. Friday evening, four Brothers from the Midwest spoke on their experiences of being called into leadership. The evening ended with a Taize prayer led by Brother Michael French, who also facilitated the Saturday morning session on leadership.

Brothers Michael Miller and Fredy Boniface during Taize prayer.

Bro. Chris Patino at Taize prayer.

On Saturday evening, Bro. James Gaffaney hosted the group in the lobby of the new science building on campus. That was followed by mass back at St. Charles Borromeo celebrated by Fr. Paul Novak, OSM, president of De La Salle Institute in Chicago.

The retreat wrapped up on Sunday morning with prayer and an input session on the weekend as well as a sharing of possible topics for the fall retreat to be held in the San Francisco District.

Brother Michael Miller from DENA shared this about the weekend: “The panel of four Brothers who spoke Friday evening provided much insight about the journey this vocation leads those who are open to the movement of the Spirit in their lives.  Br. Michael French also led an engaging and thought-provoking morning about the varying forms of leadership we as Brothers can and will take.  Br. James Gaffney made those of us from outside the Midwest District feel most welcome by his hospitality at Lewis University.  Of course, I was gratified to see my classmates again and to catch up on our lives and experiences since the last gathering (in November).  All in all, in was a refreshing weekend.”

Young Brothers participate in a leadershp activity facilitated by Bro. Michael French.

Bro. James speaks to the group before Saturday evening's dinner

Bro. Diego (Bogota) thanks the group on behalf of the four international Brothers from SMU at Saturday night's mass (Fr Paul Novak at the altar)

Let me just add what an honor and blessing it was to be part of Friday night’s panel with my three fellow Midwest District Brothers. It made me very proud of all the good that  this group has helped bring into birth in our district.

My table group at Saturday night's dinner.

A special THANKS to Bro. Stephen for all that he did to make this weekend so successful. That included lots of trips to and from airports! And what a blessing to have Brothers in initial formation in our Region. Here’s to many more in the years ahead!

Our Shamrock tour guides: sophomores Don and Tietl

As we move into the high holy days of our liturgical year, I wanted to share with you what Brother Mark and I have been up to for the last couple days. The next month or so is dedicated to our Chicagoland Brothers and ministries. On Monday we visited St. Patrick High School, fresh off its 150th celebration. We had a full day there meeting with lots of students, faculty, and administrators. I was struck by the fact that the administrators are all “Brothers’ Boys”, having graduated from St. Pat’s, St. George, or St. Mel’s. Lots of years of Lasallian “training” around that table! The four Brothers on campus—Konrad, David, Michael, and Marty—clearly have a significant impact.

Brother Mark with faculty and administrators who have been through formal Lasallian formation

Campus Minsters Rich Raho and Ann Perez with Terry, a very involved senior and Evans scholar

We had a nice dinner that evening with the community, and Tuesday we met with the Brothers at Resurrection. As I’ve shared with so many of you, it is very gratifying to see how they are all witnessing to being Brothers to hundreds of residents there. They are committed to dining and praying together five times a week, and it really was a delight to be with them. A special thanks to Marty Spellman, their “fearless leader” who really has fostered a life-giving community for all involved. If you haven’t stopped by for a visit, I encourage you to do so.

Brothers Mark and Tom Powers in Tom's room at the Resurrection Life Center

The Resurrection Community at dinner

I also want to let you know about a very good Lenten gathering of Lasallians last Friday night, hosted by the ever-hospitable De La Salle community here in Chicago. We shared a delicious dinner together and then Bro. Michael French led us in a  Taize prayer service with an opportunity to converse afterwards. Lasallians were present from several ministries and communities.

Preparing for the Prayer Service

Lasallians from De La Salle, Lewis, and the Benilde and De communities

And in case you think we are “all work and no play” at the District office, here is a photo from last week when we celebrated the birthdays of three office staff members: Brothers Fred, T.D. and Gus. The cake was DEE-licious!

The "Birthday Bros": Fred, TD, and Gus

And thanks to St. Pat’s for promoting our new Regional branding logo for Lasallian Education. It is posted in the faculty mail and work room, so it is seen every day.

Totino-Grace High School recently did a mission trip to NYC. Here are some photos and highlights from Kristen Ostendorf, Campus Minister:
I was going through our photos from our mission trip to New York last week and here are a few shots from our trip out to Bishop Loughlin H.S. and our stay with the community in Bedford Park in the Bronx.  We visited Loughlin and met with their Lasallian Youth and then went in to Manhattan to do “random acts of kindness”.  We also stayed with the Brothers and four volunteers at the house, served at the nursing home around the corner where one of the volunteers works and then tutored and played games at the Nativity School where Br. Michael McLaughlin works.  We also visited Manhattan College and had pizza with their collegians and scholars. Know that we are continuing to enjoy our Lasallian family everywhere!

The Totino-Grace mission trip group with the community of volunteers and Brothers at the Bedford Park house in the Bronx.

Our group at Manhattan College after having pizza with their Lasallian Scholars and Collegians.

Two more photos:  The first is Katessa and Br. Richard in what was her Dad’s room at the Brothers’ house.  The second is our group  in St. Raymond’s High School. Katessa Archer is the daughter of John King who was an early Lasallian Volunteer (called something different then) at St. Raymond’s, teaching math and living with the Brothers.  Br. Ed Phalen called over there when Katessa told him about her Dad and it turned out that Br. Richard Galvin, who lived there with John King, had returned to live there, so we went for a visit.  Katessa heard all kinds of stories from Br. Richard and she even called her Dad so Richard could talk to him.  When John got I the phone, Richard walked in to the other room and I heard him say “John King, I cannot believe your daughter is sitting in my living room!”

Katessa and Bro. Rich

The visit was fantastic, and Richard’s Tar Heels even won the game in overtime.

-Kristen Ostendorf, T-G

So, if there were such a thing as a “frequent driver” awards program, I would have racked up tons of points this past week. I set my odometer when I left the house last Wednesday and returned this evening, having covered 1650 miles. Not bad! My road trip took me to Jefferson City, Missouri; Belleville, Illinois; back to Chicago; Winona, Minnesota: and Wausau, Wisconsin. Fortunately, I was blessed with lots of good weather.

Nick and Celina, my tour guides; note the two charisms of the school---the SSND's and the FSCs.

I started on Wednesday evening by meeting with Brother Steve Schonhoff, who teaches at Helias Catholic in Jefferson City. It was good to catch up with him. The next day I visited Helias and met with several groups, as is the custom this year for the visits. This was my first solo visit, by the way; usually Brother Mark and I do the ministry visits together, but given the trajectory of this one, it made more sense this way. Celina, one of the tour guides, also is President Didier Aur’s daughter, so it was a treat getting to know her better. She has been a very active and involved student in her four years at Helias.

Marsela, Carolina, Belen, and Rebecca: exchange students from Hermosillo, Mexico.

For the last few years, Thanks to a mission trip to Hermosillo, Mexico, there is an exchange program between Helias and Colegio Regis-La Salle in Hermosillo, Mexico. This year, the four students pictured above are spending the year at Helias, yet another example of the great Lasallian global network in action! Below is a photo of Brother Steve teaching, taken during my tour.

Brother Steve Schonhoff in action.

After leaving Helias on Thursday, I drove to Our Lady of the Snows Shrine in Belleville, east of St. Louis, for the closing session of Cohort V. I haven’t been back to “the Shrine” since our LAMS gatherings of earlier years; it brought back lots of very pleasant memories. Bro. Tom Johnson, Vicar general, was the presenter for this “Capstone” session, which wraps up three years for this cohort, which consisted of 40 participants from the Midwest and New Orleans-Santa Fe Districts, plus four participants from Marist High School in Eugene, Oregon and Jolleen Wagner, LV Director.

LLI Cohort V: Midwest and NO-SF

Brother Tim Coldwell, Visitor of NOSF, and I had the privilege of awarding the certificates of completion to the 50 graduates at a closing prayer service Saturday morning. As most of you know, LLI will be on hiatus for a year so it can be evaluated and revamped for the first time since it began 15 years ago. Clearly, this group has bonded and seems determined to gather again to reconnect. More power—and zeal—to them!

Back to Chicago for a night; my community went out for dinner with Bro. Tom Johnson, since he returned to Rome the next day. And Sunday is also the day that Mark and I headed  to Winona for the visit there, which coincided with De La Salle Week, so there was a lot going on on campus.

First Generation Students at SMU

Brandon and Tony, two SMU students who attended "Dining with the Divine"

Besides meeting with the 18 Brothers in the community, who are doing well, Mark and I were also kept busy with a variety of activities and events. Two are pictured here: one was “Dining with the Divine”, which is Campus Ministry’s version of “Theology on Tap”. I was the featured presenter on “Making Life Choices After Graduation”, About 30 students showed up for the free meal and presentation, held in the commons at Saint Mary’s Press.

Later that evening Mark and I met with students in the First Generation Initiative, a program that provides an SMU education to first-generation students who could otherwise not afford it. Many of these students come from San Miguel and Cristo Rey schools. It was good to meet them and see how well they seem to have adapted to college life at SMU, quite a change in locale for most of them.

Founders Day was Tuesday and the highlight was the morning liturgy and afternoon convocation, which honors two staff members and two outstanding seniors. This is always a wonderful event and this year, Doctors Mary Catherine Fox and Roger Peckover were honored, as were seniors Regina Quandt (a Totino-Grace alum) and Michael Mockler. Here’s a link for more info: http://www.smumn.blogspot.com/ A special CONGRATULATIONS  to Mary Fox, who  is well-known to most of us in the District and served as past chair of the Mission and Ministry Council as well as a staff member for IALU in Rome. Roger Peckover spent time at several of the Miguel Schools during research on the Miguel school model.

Roger Peckover and Mary Fox

Outstanding Seniors Regina and Michael.

Wednesday morning, I headed from Winona to Wausau, Wisconsin, to have lunch with Matt Lehman, a DeLaSalle HS grad and newest member of our District Contact program. I had met Matt briefly during Brother Michael Collins’ funeral, so we had a very nice visit.

Since I had to pass through Stevens Point on my way back to Chicago, I decided to stop and visit a good friend, Sister Rose Grabowski, SSJTOSF. I got to know Rosie well during my five years at Pacelli High School as a “new” Brother. Since the Motherhouse of her order is right across the street from Pacelli, it felt good just to see the place where it all started for me as a Brother. I didn’t stop in because I still had the drive back here to Chicago, so it was back on the road at 3:00pm.

I actually think I’ll be able to anchor here for a few weeks now (save for the Triduum Retreat next weekend), since we will be doing our Chicago visits for the next few weeks. It was a road trip filled with blessings, but it certainly is good to be home. (Thanks to SMU for the last two photos)

During this year’s spring break, a group of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota students took an alternative spring break trip, SOUL (Serving Others United in Love) to Tucson, Arizona, in order to learn about immigration issues.  While in Tucson the group was led by San Miguel High School Spanish teacher Alma Garcia, on her program named “El Otro Lado.”  The following paragraphs document their experiences in their own words.

Saint Mary’s SOUL group led by Alma Garcia, San Miguel (Tucson), also accompanied by Jennifer Lystrup, Christian Brothers High (Sacramento).

Monday, March 5, 2012
By: Lauren Baier and Regina Quandt

Border Patrol, Tucson Sector, AZ
On Monday morning, we visited the Tucson Sector Border Patrol headquarters.  Two officers showed us around the facility.  We saw a display case full of things migrants and drug smugglers use to try to evade border patrol, as well as things they bring with them on their journey through the desert.  In the display case there were shoes with carpet on the bottom so the walkers would not leave tracks, a model of a drug bundle, a false saint that the drug smugglers “pray” to, and a black water jug that is sold in Mexico so it will blend in when walkers are crossing the desert at night, among other things.  
    We also saw pictures of different units in border patrol, like the equestrian units, who patrol areas that are not accessible to vehicles on horseback, and BORSTAR, the search and rescue team that provides emergency medical attention to migrants who are found sick, injured, or dying.  
    We went outside to check out the Border Patrol vehicles in the parking lot, and that is where we saw the first apprehended migrants we would see on our trip.  They were locked in a holding cell next to the Border Patrol parking lot.  A line of big white coach buses like the one we had seen in Nogales the day before waited outside the cell to carry the migrants back to the border and eject them back into Mexico.  We knew it was disrespectful to stare, and we didn’t want them to feel badly, but we wondered if it was worse not to look and take it all in.  
    After our tour, the officers gave us a PowerPoint presentation with some more information about border patrol.  We learned that border patrol has a very dangerous job.  Agents are frequently “rocked,” that is, migrants or drug smugglers throw rocks over the fence at the border in attempt to damage border patrol’s vehicles or agents in order to give them time to get over the fence and past border patrol.  Many agents also patrol very remote areas, so if they come across drug smugglers with a lot of weapons and they don’t have back-up nearby, the situation could become dangerous very quickly.  
    During the PowerPoint, one of the officers cited “reducing the clutter” as a major goal of border patrol.  “Clutter” refers to the migrants who are crossing the border in search of a better life–to get jobs in the U.S. and send money back to their families.  The term clutter is not meant to be derogatory, though.  It is simply meant to indicate that with so much migrant traffic across the border, it is extremely difficult to single out and catch drug smugglers and other criminals.  This difficulty in distinguishing the criminals from the poor who come in a desperate search for a better life is one of the biggest things that make border patrol’s job so difficult and dangerous.       
    After the presentation, one of the agents came outside with us to answer all our questions.  He seemed to have a very good perspective on the complexity of immigration at the Mexican-American border, and it was very apparent that he was doing the best job he possibly could to ensure the safety of migrants and Americans, and to treat everyone he came into contact with with as much respect and dignity as possible.  We really appreciated the time he spent with us and the thoughtful answers he gave to our questions.  Before visiting border patrol, I had had a rather negative perception of border patrol and the border patrol agents.  I did not consider it a very efficient or humanitarian organization.  After talking with this particular agent and learning more, however, my perspective changed a lot.  It really does seem like there are a lot of agents like the one we talked to that are doing the best they can with the equipment and information that they have.  There are a few agents who are out of line at times, but this is a problem in almost any company or agency.  After visiting the Tucson Sector Headquarters, I realized that, while border patrol is not perfect, they are a very valuable resource, and most of the agents are doing a really great–and difficult–job.

Saint Mary’s SOUL group at Border Patrol, Tucson, AZ

Operation Streamline, Tucson, AZ: 

On Monday afternoon, our group visited the federal courts in Tucson to see Operation Streamline in action. Operation Streamline is a program that was implemented by President Bush in 2005. It declares that any person found to be illegally entering the United States is under arrest and subject to federal charges. Rather than going through civil deportation proceedings, undocumented migrants must go through the United States court system to determine their fate. Even first time crossers are subject to up to a six month period in jail. This brings us to the courtroom we visited on Monday. As we walked in, the stench of desperate migrants searching for a better life through a perilous journey in the desert hit our noses.  Some of them had been in detention over the weekend, and none of them had been able to shower or change clothes.   The chains bound around the ankles and wrists of each of the approximately seventy-five migrants sitting on the right side of the room clanked and jangled, and soon became part of the background noise, as a softly whirring fan would do on a summer’s day. Lawyers were everywhere. Some were laughing and chatting with peers, some sat still and looked bored, and very few expressed with their bodies or faces their interest in being there that day. Even the judge could not stifle a yawn.
    As the court session was called to order, each of the migrants had to stand up and acknowledge their presence to the judge. If they did not stand, they were scolded and instructed to stand. All of the proceedings were done in English and translated to Spanish by an interpreter, for none of the immigrants were able to speak English. Then, migrants were shuffled up to the stands four or five at a time to plead guilty and receive their sentences. They were then shuffled out of the room, accompanied by Border Patrol officers. 
    The first two migrants to be called up to plead their cases were the only women migrants present in the courtroom. The judge asked the same questions to each migrant, questioning the validity of their alleged entry dates into the United States, whether they would like to plead innocent or guilty, and whether they had anything to say to help their cause. Neither lady said anything, and both pleaded guilty. One was sentenced fifteen days in jail, and the other was sentenced sixty days in jail. As they walked off, a devastating feeling came over the group. We had just witnessed the hampering of a dream. A dream of being able to feed a family, make a living, and live a dignified life. These women were put in jail for having dreams like this. 
    After the initial shock of the first two women, the rest of the proceedings were virtually identical. Four or five migrants would step up in front of the judge with their lawyers. They would accept their sentences and move along. Each and every one of the migrants received a jail sentence of some sort. It was like the migrants were cattle, being escorted in and escorted out, and hardly being allowed to make a single “moo” along the way.
    It was clear to our group how unjust this system is. It shows absolutely no dignity of the human person and does not treat each individual case as something that is worth the time of the judges and lawyers. The proceedings were incredibly impersonal and seemed as if the people participating were monotonously going through the motions. It seemed as if everyone was just waiting for the seventy five immigrants to pass through the system quickly so they could all go home and grill out for dinner with their families.

The Defense Attorney: Laura

After we witnessed the Operation Streamline court proceedings, we traveled to the next building over, where we met with a defense attorney named Laura. Laura explained a bit more about Operation Streamline. Operation Streamline was initially implemented as a result of 9/11 to stop terrorists from crossing the border illegally into the United States. However, in the seven years this program has been in effect, not one suspected terrorist has gone through the Operation Streamline proceedings, suggesting that Operation Streamline is 100% ineffective in regards to its original and main purpose. Laura also highlighted some of the difficulties this program has created. First of all, it is incredibly expensive because of all the people required to be involved in the proceedings. Secondly, because of all the undocumented migrants being sent to jail, there is less room for other people who are sent to jail for other (and in my opinion, bigger) crimes, such as stealing, sexual assault, or abuse. Also, because there can be up to seventy five migrants going through the court system each day, each defense attorney is assigned four or five migrants to work with at a time, where they would normally only represent one or two people a day. Not only do defense attorneys have to rely on their (could be) somewhat limited Spanish skills or an interpreter to communicate, but they also have to explain the entire United States judicial system to the migrants, listen to their stories, and try to find out as much as they can to try and help them with their case. Oh yeah, and they have to do all this between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. They have three hours to do all of this four or five times. Then, the defense attorneys represent the migrants in court at 1:00 p.m. It’s a quick turn-around, and it makes it incredibly difficult for the defense attorneys to do their job to the best of their ability. Laura stressed that the system makes it virtually impossible for migrants to plead their case in front of a judge, and it has only happened twice that she knows of in the past seven years. This is an astonishing and uncomfortable ratio.
    It was really good to debrief with Laura after seeing what happens in an Operation Streamline courtroom. It was reassuring to know that even people working within the system do not support what is happening in the courtrooms and are doing the absolute best they can to promote justice. Laura said the only thing that gets her through it is being able to spread awareness by talking to community members and groups like us who want to learn more about what goes on around the border. I think that is a very important message we can take away from all this: awareness is powerful. The more people know, the more likely it is that someone, somewhere, will take the initiative to bond together with others and take action to fix the injustice that is happening in our country and our world. That person could be one of us.
    All in all, it was a good day, but an exhausting one. We learned so much within the span of twelve hours, and what we learned definitely seemed to make the border issue much more complicated than we had originally anticipated. Little did we know that our already-boggled minds would become even more confused and muddled as we learned about the border issues from environmental and humanitarian perspectives.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012
By: Laura Schmidt and Matt Kotek

Dan Bell’s Ranch, Rio Rico, AZ
We started off the morning by traveling to Rio Rico, a city about an hour south of Tucson, AZ where we visited Dan Bell, a cattle rancher who works 55,000 acres. Dan provided a different perspective on immigration that we had not seen from any organization previously visited.  His perspective presented mutual respect between him as a land-owner and the migrants themselves.  He was willing to put spigots on his water reservoirs; however, he has two employees whose sole job is to check the barbed wire fences every day because migrants will cut these fences as they pass through his property.

Dan Bell

Dan was also able to provide a number of personal stories about encounters with migrants.  A fellow rancher, Robert Krentz, was shot a number of times while making his daily drive through his ranch.  The individual who shot him has never been found, though it was believed this individual was a migrant.

Robert Krentz, 2008

Another instance involved Dan’s niece and nephew as they were arriving in the driveway of the ranch coming home from school.  As they stopped the car, migrants immediately jumped in the backseat, thinking it was their ride to take them to their next destination.  This instance was very hard for us to hear because we could relate closely to how we would have felt if placed in that situation.
Dan Bell also shared a difficult experience when trying to deliver a trailer full of cattle to a distributor – he was unable to do so, due to an influx of Border Patrol and undercover personnel on hot pursuit of a group of migrants traveling through Dan’s land.
After meeting with Dan Bell, many of our opinions of ranchers on the border have changed.  We realized that he is trying to maintain his ranch and keep his family safe.  Many of us from the Midwest recognize the general hardship that is farming; however, ranching on the border adds another burden, especially when you not only have to repair damages on your property, but also have to witness the tragedies that occur with migration.

No More Deaths, Arivaca, AZ

We traveled about half an hour into the desert from Arivaca, AZ to work with a humanitarian organization, No More Deaths.  Each of us carried two gallons of water to certain areas on the path traveled by many migrants.  On each gallon, we wrote positive messages to migrants so they would not be alarmed or apprehensive to take the water.  The hike through the desert was actually a “hike” – the terrain was very rocky and mountainous, with many cacti all around.  For many of us, it was our first time being in the desert and it wasn’t like anything we had anticipated.  Most of us pictured the desert to be flat and sandy providing no sense of direction.  Being in the Sonoran desert and walking the paths of migrants made it easier for us to understand the conditions and hardships migrants go through on their journey.

After the water drop, we stopped at a popular shrine on the path where many migrants will take a break from their traveling to reflect and pray.  The shrine proved to be very emotional for some of us because we had just walked in the migrants’ shoes.  We took some time to reflect near this shrine, as well.  No More Deaths volunteers shared some of their experiences while working with the organization.  They come across migrants needing help on a daily basis and run a clinic to provide basic medical care for migrants.  They also shared the story of a young 14-year old girl, Josseline Hernandez, from El Salvador and her 10-year old brother crossing the desert to arrive in Los Angeles where their mother lived. Josseline was getting very ill and told her brother to go get help.   Her brother did not want to leave her side, but went to find help anyway.  It was too late – Josseline died on her journey to reunite with her mother.

One of the shrines that we encountered on our hike.

This day gave us a more humanistic perspective of what can happen to your body when in the desert for so long.  It isn’t possible to carry enough water for the entire journey and it is so easy to get turned around in the desert, you could end up being stuck there for days, even weeks.  We will forever keep No More Deaths and Dan Bell and their work in our thoughts and prayers.

On the hike with No More Deaths. (No Mas Muertes)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012
By: Jill Spitzmueller and Maria Glenski

Green Valley Samaritans, Rio Rico, AZ

Wednesday morning we went to Rio Rico to clean up a trail with Brian, a member of the Green Valley Samaritan group. As we congregated beside the highway next to his car, he told us about what he does, what we could expect to see and what the migrants often go through. At one point he pointed out that out of our group of about 12, only 3 of us were wearing shoes that were suitable for the terrain the migrants have to walk. I was one of the lucky 3 and silently thanked my mother for the sturdy, old hiking boots I was wearing. He went on to tell us about how some migrants try to cross the desert in flip-flops and sandals.
After we gathered the black garbage bags and other equipment Brian handed out to everyone, we went just off the highway and walked the hundred yards or so to the start of the trail. I could see things within the first few steps we took. Slowly, the abandoned belongings grew in number until we reached a small pile under a tree. It was, according to Brian, almost what they called ‘a nest’, not quite big enough to be classified as a ‘nest’. As I looked at the collection of backpacks, bottles, and clothing, I thought “Almost a nest?” There certainly seemed enough there to me but as we walked a little bit further we came upon the real ‘nest’.

Migrant Nest

Clumped together under a tree, that hardly provided any shade in my opinion, there was a much larger collection of belongings. Brian commented that this was a proper nest but that it was smaller than most they find. We were also told that this was an older site, this stuff had been there for years. I picked up backpack after backpack, bottle after bottle. Brian picked up this pink camouflage bag and told us that we would see a lot of these, they were very popular with those crossing. What he told us next shocked me, he said that these light pink colored backpacks used to be brown and green camouflage but that they had been bleached by the sun. Sure enough, I picked one of them up and one strip of the underside was olive green and muddy brown, just one strip left unharmed by the brutal rays of the sun. I was shocked further when I picked up what I thought to be a white shirt. As I picked it up, I realized that it was a pair of jeans. These jeans had been bleached by the sun so much that they looked like a white shirt on one side. The side that had faced the ground, encased in the dirt, was protected from the bleaching powers of the sun. There were even colorful, over sized buttons on the blue denim underside.
Whose jeans was I looking at? A man’s? A woman’s? A child’s?
When we had cleaned up the site, we carried the bags to the highway and put them into Dan Bell’s horse trailer. We said goodbye to Brian and thanked Dan again for talking with us yesterday about the challenges he faces as a rancher living along the border. We piled into the van again and drove to Jennifer and Laurie Jurs home. When we arrived, they greeted us and explained that we would be joining them on a memorial walk. In 2009 some of their neighbors were walking through the desert that is just behind their neighborhood. Over the course of a few months, three human skeletons were found. One was a man, another was a woman, and the third was an adolescent. Over the years, neighbors and Samaritans have placed crosses at the sites where the remains were found and frequently visited them praying for the deceased migrants, as well as for an end to this difficult struggle.

Migrant Memorial

The memorial walk made a really big impact on me. I was walking through a trail where thousands of migrants had walked before me, where at least three people had lost their lives. It was hard to see “Desconocido” on all the crosses. Who were these people? What were their names? Where were they from? Why were they walking? Were they walking alone? at night? What are their stories? We will never know, their families will never know. The sites where the bones were found are heart breakingly close to houses, to people who according to Laurie and Jennifer, would probably have helped someone no matter what their position on the border issue is.
As we walked to each site, my nerves were on red alert. I was walking so slowly and so carefully as to avoid stepping on or brushing against any of the cacti or thorns. This was in the full daylight, wearing my sturdy, old hiking boots, fully hydrated and in shape. I wondered how on earth someone wearing sandals, in the dark, after walking in the desert for anywhere between a few days to a few weeks could walk through this. I knew that I would probably go mad trying to avoid the cacti in the dark, and trying to navigate this terrain in sandals…
The site that touched me the most was the final site we visited, the ‘adolescente’. What was this teenager even doing out here? Why did they have to endure the dangers, and conditions of the desert. Did they die alone? Did someone have to leave their child behind? I was saddened that I had nothing to leave at any of the memorials. My presence there, and in Arizona, was fleeting. I’d go home on Saturday and what would there be but footprints in the sand and memories of the group in the minds of those we met? As everyone left the final site, the ‘adolescente’, I quickly arranged some of the rocks I could find in the area around the site into the shape of a heart. My presence may be fleeting but the impact of the experience will stay with me. My heart of rocks may disappear, no one else may ever see it, but I know it’s there, just like the realities of the migrants, their hardships, and the other issues of the border.

Thursday, March 8, 2012
By Kelsi Addabo and Rochelle Lentz

Kino Border Initiative, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico

Kino Border Initiative

It was the last day of our El Otro Lado experience. All of the week’s events had been leading up to meeting with the migrants. We had helped them by leaving water, picked up their left behind belongings, and watched them from afar in a court room. Thursday was the day we would finally meet the people who had for the most part been invisible thus far.
5:30 on Thursday morning rolled around way too fast after an emotionally exhausting week. As we drove to the border, some of us watched the sun rise over the mountains while others tried to catch a few more moments of sleep. Arriving in Nogales, Arizona, we were surprised by the cold wind we were greeted with as we climbed out of the van. Had we stepped back into Minnesota? After a quick bathroom break, one of the many on our trip, we started our journey across the border.
It was almost difficult to tell when we had reached Mexico. Nobody questioned who we were or where we were going. Some people along the road even helped us along by yelling out directions. There was no official asking us to show our identification or passports. It seemed as though they did not care who came into their country. Before we knew it, we were standing in front of the Kino Boarder Initiative.
Standing in front of Kino, we wondered if we were at the right place. In front of us was a banner showing battered women and bleeding feet: the consequences of a treacherous walk in the desert. Before us was a gated platform topped with barbed wire. We were greeted by expectant migrants waiting in line on the sidewalk since their 4:00am deportation. We soon discovered this gated, barbed wired place was a sanctuary for the many migrants deported to Nogales, Sonora.
After walking through the gate and up the few stairs, we were greeted by Joanna, a Georgetown student volunteering on her spring break. She proceeded to tell us about the dangers of Nogales: drug cartels, mafia controlled borders charging ridiculous fees to pass through unharmed, cartel spies standing on hills, the vulnerable position of deported women, and the deceitful coyotes. For those with deportation documentation, Kino was a place to escape all of these threats and get the care they were missing on their journey. After debriefing us, Joanna put us to work sorting beans to ensure they were rock-free.
As the morning progressed, the line outside grew. We anxiously sat in pairs spread out among the tables ready to hear the stories of those waiting outside. Promptly at 9:00am, migrants started filing in. They were directed to the proper table: one for women, the rest for the men. We found ourselves at a loss for words being surrounded by these people who had been through so much. Slowly but surely we put our Spanish to use and started to really get to know them.
The meal began with two rules: No throwing food away and give your plate to the dishwasher when you are done. Because El Día de la Mujer (Day of the Woman), a special prayer was read and all in attendance reflected on the importance of women, an underappreciated population in Mexico. Food was then plated and served to each migrant and with good food came good conversation.
A young man from Oaxaca hoped to see his brother in North Carolina yet after all he had been through, longed to return home to his mother and the sea. He shared that at home, he had two pet crocodiles. After overcoming the language barrier to understand what he was trying to tell us, we laughed with him and the others around us as he described his unusual pets and the difficulties that come with taking care of them.
One man, wearing a rosary, looked different from the other migrants. For a man who had come so far, all the way from Guatemala, it was disheartening to hear he was stopped right at the border. He had dreams of making to Los Angeles that he will not yet give up on. When asked if he would try to cross again, he responded with a hesitant yes.
Afterwards, we cleaned up, chopped piles of vegetables and sorted yet more beans before we headed to the Kino Women’s Shelter. The shelter is in undisclosed location to protect the women from the dangers of the streets. Joanna shared in more detail the mission of the Kino Boarder Initiative. Their three main goals are to help, to educate, and to advocate. Kino offers help to migrants in the form of two meals a day, a change of clothes, free phone calls, medical assistance, and help in making future plans. They educate students like us as well as women staying in the shelter. Volunteers empower women to know that they have rights and help them deal with the stress of migration in a healthy way. Kino also advocates for a change in the migrants’ situation to preserve the basic human rights of all people. This is done in the United States as well as in Mexico although it is much more dangerous to do so in Mexico.
We were then fortunate enough to meet Rosario, a single mother, seeking a better life for her children, all of whom were under the age of 13. In Mexico, she could not feed her children or give them the opportunity to continue school. Her aim was to work in Georgia for a year to earn money to bring back home. She expressed the hopelessness of ever obtaining a visa, saying it was impossible due to the difficulties of government procedures.  We felt for Rosario when she shared that she is not speaking with her children, who are staying with her sister, so that she does not worry them and they can concentrate on school. Rosario was very willing and open to answer all of our questions.
Rosario informed us that another woman in the shelter wanted to share her story with us. She had just been deported for the fourth time. She was in the shelter waiting for her husband who had been laterally deported. This is a tactic used to discourage people from trying to cross again by deporting them separate from their families or further away from their homes. She has three United States citizen children and two older children in Mexico. Her family had lived in Wisconsin for 13 years and returned to Mexico to visit family. They learned that two of her citizen children could not stay in Mexico due to an adverse reaction to the environment so they returned to Wisconsin. Along with her husband and older children, she has been unable to cross back into the United States. Her family has decided that the two non-citizen children would stay in Mexico because crossing was too dangerous, but she and her husband would continue trying. She told us if the border patrol deports her five times, she will try six. Unlike Rosario, She had just been deported and was full of raw emotions. It was difficult for her to get through her story.

Talking with migrants at Kino

After hearing the women’s stories, we headed outside for lunch. We sat on a deserted basketball court surrounded by garbage. In a circle, we shared the stories we had heard at Kino and discussed how we would share our experience with others once we returned to school. After lunch, we took a tour on “Deportation Road.” We saw the bus station, a giant cemetery where some migrants sleep, and Grupo Beta. Grupo Beta is a Mexican government initiative aimed at helping migrants once they are deported by offering services such as showers. In Nogales, No More Deaths send volunteers to help out at the Grupo Beta facilities. We continued our journey, stopping at a tortilla shop where we bought freshly made tortillas to bring home to share.
Our tour ended at the port. This is a center at the border where people can cross and migrants are sent after deportation. A small building near the port offered maps and information for recently deported migrants. A bus had just dropped off a group who was standing outside this building confused about where to go. We informed them about Kino and offered to pay their bus fare so they would not have to walk the 40 minutes to the initiative. Only one person followed us. Joanna explained that many of the men and women most likely had difficulty trusting us after what they had been through.
The man who came with us on the bus immigrated to Los Angeles with his parents when he was 9 years old. His parents eventually obtained documentation, but he was unable to as he got into trouble with the law as a teenager. In the United States, he established a furniture restoration business, married his wife, and had two children. Having not been in Mexico for 25 years and having no family in the country, he has been trying to cross for a year, but has not yet made it. His most recent attempt landed him a 7 month stay in a Phoenix jail. The judge at his trial told him he would simply need to start over when he asked what he was supposed to do about his family. He was also told he would likely get a 2 year sentence if he tried to cross again. He shared that he planned to stay in Mexico to make money and try to cross again after 6 months or so. He expressed concern about how the distance would affect his relationships.
Many other migrants shared their stories with us at dinner. One man was deported after a woman called the police when he was picking up aluminum cans in an alley. Another was deported after being pulled over for speeding. These men had been in the United States for years and suddenly found themselves in Nogales, a town they had never been to.  Another man was trying to get back to his wife and daughter, who are suffering from mental health problems. He kept promising that when he makes it back to the United States he will take her on a fishing trip. He asked us to pray for him as he left Kino.
After we helped clean up, we headed back across the border. At first, we didn’t think there was going to be anyone to check our passports, but as we rounded the corner we saw the official waiting. We had to approach one by one. He asked us why we were in Mexico and what we were bringing back. As we waited for everyone to go through the port, we saw cars getting searched. For dinner, we stopped what looked like a Mexican diner in Nogales, Arizona.  Then we headed back to Tucson.