Hajja Salesjana March April 2017

25 they travel pregnant, they travel alone. They travel with memories of love ones left behind. They travel anticipating the perils that await them at every turn. Many indeed were beaten and robbed. Some were raped. All fell prey to unscrupulous border guards who demanded bribes in return for entry. They continue their travels under the constant shadow of being deported once they finally reach the USA. Since May 2016, endless waves of Haitian migrants have been crashing on the Mexican-USA border, mostly in Tijuana. Against this dramatic backdrop, Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter at the conclusion of the Jubilee of Mercy resonates loudly. In paragraph 16, we read: “The Jubilee now ends and the Holy Door is closed. But the door of mercy of our heart remains wide open. We have learned that God bends down to us (cf. Hos 11:4) so that we may imitate him in bending down to our brothers and sisters. […] The Holy Door that we have crossed in this Jubilee Year has set us on the path of charity, which we are called to travel daily with fidelity and joy. It is the road of mercy, on which we meet so many of our brothers and sisters who reach out for someone to take their hand and become a companion on the way.” (Pope Francis, Apostolic Letter the Conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordia et miseria, para 16. http://saltandlighttv.org/blogfeed/ getpost.php?id=72861&language=en) In Tijuana, the Salesians have opened their hearts wide open at two migrants’ shelters. The Refugio Don Bosco is on the outskirts of Tijuana. It opened in October 2016 and was designed for migrant families. The Desayunador Salesiano is in the heart of old Tijuana, just steps from the border with San Diego, California. At both centres, the Salesians and our self-sacrificing lay volunteers are committed to imitating God by “bending down to our brothers and sisters”. We offer our Haitian brothers and sisters a safe home until US immigration grants them an entry interview, usually three months stay after having arrived in Tijuana. Here, the weary migrants find Mathew 25 lived out daily: the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, the homeless are sheltered, the lonely are cared for. Professional medical care is offered. They receive pastoral and humanitarian care in Creole, French and Spanish. Catholic and evangelical Christians pray together. It is not perfect, but whatever the shortcomings, the Haitians are the first to express their gratitude and say, “comme Dieu veut”… whatever God wants. Their simple but solid faith guides them and inspires us. Reminiscent of the mercy offered to the neediest by Mamma Margaret and Don Bosco, we take our Haitian brothers and sisters by the hand and become their companions, at least for a part of the way. Some, we know – thanks to Facebook and other social media - have reached their destination city in the USA. There is satisfaction in knowing we helped them get there. Others, alas, we know have been deported. This reminds us that we can only do what we can. The rest… we entrust to the mercy of God.