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Hispanic ministry team presents program in St. Rose

Story and photo by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

More than 50 people gathered in the cafeteria at St. Rose Parish in St. Rose to hear a presentation by the diocesan Hispanic ministry team.

The people came from St. Rose and neighboring parishes as well to learn more about the Latino immigrants living in their communities.

Sister Cecilia Hellmann, ASC and coordinator of diocesan Hispanic ministry reminded the group “we are all immigrants” at some point in our history.

Some people can remember a grandparent coming from another country and not being able to speak English well, and this same phenomenon is repeating itself today with immigrants coming to the United States from the south — mostly from Mexico, Central and South America.

The Latinos come to harvest the fruits and vegetables that appear on a family’s table for dinner while they are in season. When the harvest finishes, many of the Latino families move on to the next area to harvest another crop. These are the migrant workers who often appear for a number of weeks and then disappear until the next harvest.

Here, immigrant Latinos also work in some of the local industries, and they make their homes here. They are neighbors and members of communities throughout the diocese.

Sister Cecilia and her team — Sister Joan Hornick ASC and Ada Jimenez assist immigrants find help when it is needed and they don’t know where else to turn. On this particular night, the team was helping parishioners to understand more about their immigrant neighbors.

Myrt Rollins, a member of a JustFaith group and also part of the adult education committee at St. Rose, also introduced a film produced by the University of Notre Dame about immigrants who come into the United States illegally, in an effort to understand why they come and how difficult and possibly deadly their journey could be.