Immigration immersion experience creates connections

In February of 2023, Father Dave Matz, C.PP.S., Companion Nancy Clisbee, and Companion Gabino Zavala were among a group of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood community who visited the southern border of the United States. It’s a setting of fierce political debate, heart-wrenching struggle, and the tender, merciful works of God. 

“We met with a number of immigrant rights groups who are working with asylum seekers at the border,” says Gabino, who heads up the Precious Blood Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Committee. “We met with Ruben Garcia, who, for over 40 years, has run Annunciation House, where he welcomes immigrants at the border.

“He challenged us. He said, ‘You don't have to come to the border to work with immigrants. They’re in your neighborhoods, in your backyard, in your communities. Work with them where they are, where you live.”

That trip inspired them to create the Hometown Immigration Immersion experience, held in St. Joseph, Missouri, this spring. Fifteen individuals from the Precious Blood community participated in four days of programming, which included presentations from organizations that provide services for immigrants, personal stories from immigrants, social events, and spiritual reflection.  

Nancy is well-positioned to coordinate such interactions. Since her retirement from a career as an art educator, she’s been teaching English and U.S. citizenship through the federal adult education literacy initiative. She says, “My motivation is the charism of the Precious Blood to reach out to our brothers and sisters on the margins. I very blessedly have had the opportunity to do that and to get to know so many people. The primary problem in not understanding immigration is not personally knowing any immigrants. That was my number one goal in setting up the events — to bring people to a spot where they could have a one-on-one conversation with an immigrant.”

The group visited a local employer and spoke to immigrant workers; they heard from immigration lawyers; they visited a school. They spoke to immigrants from many countries, not just Latin American countries. On a visit to the Keatley Center, they met adults studying English who had once been engineers, lawyers, nurses, and other professionals and now work in factories. 

“For over 30 years, we have had a broken immigration system that does not serve anyone well,” says Gabino, who is an immigrant himself. “What you see on TV is not reality. We don't know immigrants, so we demonize them, and we have all these myths about who they are and what they do.”

One speaker, Maria Ramirez, heads a local group called Latinos Connect, which works to create community between local residents and immigrants. Every month, she holds a dinner — all are welcome. She invites a speaker each time, with a translator so everyone can understand. 

The immigration immersion group attended one of the dinners, which drew around 80 people. At the end of the evening, Nancy organized the Macarena and a game of musical chairs. “All 80 of those people were up screaming, laughing, and singing,” she says. “It was joyous.”

Joyous as well as inspiring: several members of the group expressed interest in creating a dinner like this in their hometowns. 

Other ways to get involved, Nancy says, include learning Spanish, teaching English, or organizing events that include a translator. Nancy, Gabino, and Father Dave would love to see others duplicate this learning experience in their own communities. Gabino says, “Our committee would be happy to help them organize, share how we went about doing it, and offer support.”