November 4, 2018
Five of our Warriors and Mr. Kevin Krysiak are visiting Brownsville, Texas on immersion with other Edmund Rice Christian Brothers schools, including Iona Prep, Catholic Memorial, Bishop Hendricken, and Guadalupe Regional Middle School. With faith and humanity, they are blessing and extending a welcome to immigrants seeking asylum at the border.
Mr Krysiak shared the daily breakdown of the trip:
Saturday, 11/3: we arrived and met everyone from the other schools and each told our family’s immigration story.
Sunday, 11/4: we went to Mass at the famous Immaculate Conception Cathedral where we received a special blessing for the mission.
Monday 11/5: we visited La Posada Providencia, a shelter for immigrants and asylum seekers petitioning for legal refuge in the U.S. We tilled the garden and had lunch with some of the residents.
Tuesday and Thursday, 11/6 & 11/8: we went to Catholic Charities Respite Center. There, we helped feed and clothe immigrants on their way to their next destination. We got to interact with the immigrants there all the while providing basic necessities.
Wednesday, 11/7: we went to another Christian Brothers’ school called Our Lady of Guadalupe Middle School. There, we had mass with the students, ate lunch with the eighth graders, worked on small projects throughout the school, and ended the day with dinner with the faculty.
Friday, 11/10: we got to see the Basilica de San Juan in Palo Alto, TX. We also visited the Palo Alto Battlefield National Museum and the border wall.
The trip began with community building at South Padre Island.
The boys met new friends while enjoying the beach.
On the beach, they also learned about Political Asylum and the regulations in the U.S. They learned about law and procedures, and also the time and cost of asylum as they prepared to work with those awaiting a positive decision to obtain refugee status in the U.S.
After beach time, they were off to mass at the Cathedral for a blessing for their mission.
The next two days were spent working with migrants.
Our young students learned first hand how to put humanity into the immigration equation.
Next, the will visit Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Brownsville for a day of service.
Live, Jesus, in our hearts. Forever!