Sacred Heart Church in El Paso Attends to Migrants and Refugees

Pope Francis calls us all to go to the margins. The margins and the marginalized look differently throughout the world, and here in El Paso, the Jesuit community makes great efforts to follow this call...The mission of Sacred Heart Church and its strategic location continue to give it relevance, especially when there is an increase in immigrant scapegoating, making them the lightning rod for complex problems in our nation. The mission of the Jesuits in El Paso is an ongoing response to the call of Pope Francis and the Society of Jesus to attend to the migrant, refugee and those on the margins.   -Father Rafael Garcia, S.J.

Photo: Ignatian Solidarity Network

Father Rafael Garcia, who served as pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Albuquerque for many years (and St. Francis Xavier Parish in Kansas City, Mo., for a couple of years), wrote a nice article about the work of the Jesuit community, and specifically Sacred Heart Parish, situated just blocks from the border that separates El Paso from Ciudad Juárez. Father Rafael recently returned to El Paso to help with Sacred Heart's work with immigrants and refugees.The church attends to one group in particular: women, youth and children fleeing violence in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Read Father Rafael's full article in Ignatian Solidarity Network.