In this bonus episode, Brian and Joe share stories of Easter joy. After a season dedicated to Lenten themes, this bonus episode shares moments of joy that break through even the most challenging moments of life, like a migrant journey. Brian recounts a recent trip to St. Louis, where he became travel partners with Oscar, a Honduran migrant who had …

For our final episode of Season 6, we are pleased to welcome Fr. Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, SJ, a Jesuit priest and Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Boston College. Alejandro’s expertise is in migration, refugees, and humanitarian interventions, especially along migration routes in Mexico. He has led small groups of Jesuits to follo…

We are pleased to welcome Michael DeBruhl, the shelter director at Casa del Sagrado Corazón in El Paso, TX. Michael also worked as a Border Patrol agent for 25 years, so he brings a wealth of experience to the interview. He reflects on the dual desires of most Americans to both secure the border and provide welcome to migrants, and how those two de…

We are excited to welcome Amaya Valcárcel, International Advocacy Officer with Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) in Rome, who also works in the area of research and reflection in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Vatican. Amaya helps to broaden our perspective beyond the US-Mexico border to recognize the harsh reality of for…

We are delighted to welcome Sr. Rose Patrice, IHM, who is a member of the community of Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) sisters based out of McAllen, TX, and working at migrant shelters on the border. Sr. Rose shares the story of how the IHM sisters recently started a community in the area, and she describes the work they do accompanying migrants. Re…

We are thrilled to welcome Rafael Cortes to this episode of the podcast. While he works professionally as a pilot, he spends his days off joining us for our migrant ministry. He tells the story of how he connected with the Jesuits and started by making sandwiches at their sides. He became involved with the Catholic community at the plaza in Reynosa…

We are excited to welcome Eleanor Acer, who is the Senior Director of Refugee Protection at Human Rights First. Established in 1978, Human Rights First works in the U.S. and abroad to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law. Eleanor shares how her pro bono work with asylum seekers inspired her to shift her legal career from securities …

For our first episode of Season 6, we are thrilled to welcome back to the podcast our former co-host, Louie Hotop, SJ, who is the Assistant Principal for Mission at Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver, CO. Louie is helping us launch the Lenten theme for this season by sharing the moving experience of celebrating Ash Wednesday in the camp in Matamor…

We are getting ready for Season 6 of The Jesuit Border Podcast! As we continue to learn about the migrant situation at the U.S.-Mexico border and the humanitarian response of the Catholic Church, we will continue to share stories and experiences with you, along with great interviews with people dedicated to the accompaniment and protection of migra…

Earlier this season, it was our pleasure to welcome Susan Bigelow-Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Catholic Studies at Emory University. If you enjoyed hearing from her in Episode 2, here is the full interview. Susan shares her experience of living in Brownsville years ago and watching out her front window as the border wall was being constructed, …

For our final episode of Season 5, we are thrilled to welcome Fr. Flavio Bravo, SJ, a Jesuit priest working with us at Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries. Flavio has been on the border since December of 2022, so he has a wealth of experiences to share from our ministry. He has a particularly strong link to the migrants we accompany since he himsel…

We are pleased to welcome Pastor Abraham Barberi, Pastor of Comunidad Esencia Urbana in Matamoros and Director of Ministerio Una Misión. Pastor Abraham shares how his ministry started in Matamoros by reaching out to youth and young adults through hip hop music. His story is filled with moments where he just said yes when needs arose, including a ch…

We are delighted to welcome Christine Meyer, a parishioner at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in New York City and a member of their Ignatian social justice committee. Christine came to visit Brownsville in January 2022 with other members of the parish, and the experiences of that visit transformed the group. She shares the ways that she has gott…

We are thrilled to welcome Annie Leone, who is a nurse midwife at the Holy Family Birth Center and a care provider at the clinic at the Humanitarian Respite Center (HRC) run by Catholic Charities. Annie gives a helpful background on midwifery (including how to pronounce that word!), and she describes the birthing center and its origin story. She al…

We are happy to welcome Deacon Luis Zuñiga, the Director of San Juan Diego Lay Ministry Institute in the Diocese of Brownsville, TX. Deacon Luis is a native to the Rio Grande Valley and has a twin brother who is a priest. We talk about the great women in his life who raised him and his brother in the faith. Deacon Luis also serves at the Immaculate…

We are excited to welcome Susan Bigelow-Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Catholic Studies at Emory University and author of the recently published book, People Get Ready: Ritual, Solidarity, and Lived Ecclesiology in Catholic Roxbury. Susan shares her experience of living in Brownsville years ago and watching out her front window as the border wall…

For our first episode of Season 5, we are humbled to welcome Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami, FL. Growing up in south Florida as the son of Polish immigrants, Archbishop Wenski learned Spanish in the seminary and Haitian Creole as a young priest. He shares stories from his 18 years of experience working with the Haitian communi…

We are getting ready for the 5th season of The Jesuit Border Podcast! As we continue to learn about the migrant situation at the U.S.-Mexico border and the humanitarian response of the Catholic Church, we will continue to share stories and experiences with you! Fr. Louie moved to a new mission, so Joe Nolla, SJ, will be joining Fr. Brian as the new…

It’s with heavy hearts but trust in God’s plan that we want to share the news that Fr. Louie has been missioned to a new apostolate, Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver, CO. In this bonus episode, Louie and Brian reflect on saying goodbyes, something that is a regular part of life on the border working with migrants. They share the story of a Hondu…

In this bonus episode, Louie and Brian offer their perspective on recent events that have dominated news headlines. They talk about the tragic circumstance in which eight migrants were struck and killed by a truck outside of a migrant shelter, The Ozanam Center, in Brownsville on Sunday, May 7th. They attended a pair of vigil services the day after…

Earlier this season, it was our pleasure to welcome Joanna Williams, the Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), onto the podcast. KBI is a binational program in the border cities of Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Arizona, which includes a shelter and soup kitchen for migrants, education and encounter programs, along with advocacy out…

For our final episode of Season 4, we are thrilled to welcome Fr. James Martin, SJ, a Jesuit priest who is a best-selling author and editor-at-large at America Magazine, along with hosting a podcast on the Ignatian Examen. The Examen is a contemplative prayer of reflecting on the moments of your day, noticing how God has been at work, and consideri…

We are pleased to welcome Laura Peña, the new Director of ProBAR, the south Texas pro bono asylum representation project. She is also the host of the new podcast, Valle de Sueños, which tells the story of the roll down of the “Remain in Mexico” policy in 2021 in Matamoros, Mexico. As a Rio Grande Valley native, Laura shares about the joys and chall…

We are excited to welcome Pastor Carlos Navarro from the Baptist Church in West Brownsville, TX. Pastor Navarro got a call from the Brownsville mayor a few years ago to help receive migrants. That phone call turned into a shelter that he continues to run today, along with the everyday operations of his ministry. Pastor Navarro also shares from his …

We are pleased to welcome Fr. Rafael García, SJ, who is the pastor of Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, TX. He shares from his own background as a migrant fleeing Cuba for Miami, and how this inspired his deep care for migrants and his mission to the border city of El Paso. His church made the news in the winter when they opened up their gymnasium to…

We are happy to welcome Martha Mercado, from Good Neighbor Settlement House where she works as the Welcome Center Program Director and the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Welcoming Committee Facilitator. Martha shares what she loves about her job, including face-to-face ministry at the welcome center and big-picture coordination of local organizations. She…

We are excited to welcome Joanna Williams, the Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative (KBI). KBI is a binational program that includes a shelter and soup kitchen for migrants in Nogales, Senora, and education and encounter programs, along with advocacy outreach in both the U.S. and Mexico. Joanna shares the story of what brought her to KB…

For our first episode of Season 4, we are humbled to welcome Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, TX. Dating back to his time in formation for the priesthood, Archbishop Gustavo has a history of working with migrants, beginning in agricultural communities in California in the 1980s and extending to the ministry of the…

We are getting ready for the 4th Season of the Jesuit Border Podcast! As we continue to learn more about the migrant situation at the U.S.-Mexico border and the humanitarian response of the Catholic Church, we will continue to share stories and experiences with you! The first episode of season 4 will come out on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.…

It was our great pleasure to welcome Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso, TX at the start of Season 3. Known for his advocacy for the poor and vulnerable, Bishop Seitz offers a unique perspective as a leader of the Church in a border community. If you enjoyed hearing from him in Episode 1, here is the full interview. In this episode, he cal…

For our final episode of Season 3, we are thrilled to welcome Fr. Scott Santarosa, SJ, the former provincial of the Jesuits West Province and newly installed pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in San Diego, CA. Fr. Scott has become a fast friend to the two of us after visiting the Rio Grande Valley early in the year and then helping to host us …

We are excited to welcome Sr. Tracey Horan, SP, the Associate Director of Education and Advocacy for the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, AZ. Kino is a bi-national program that includes a shelter and soup kitchen for migrants in Nogales, Senora, and education and encounter programs, along with advocacy outreach in both the U.S. and Mexico. Sr. Tr…

This week, we’re taking a bit of a break from the podcast to celebrate Thanksgiving! Episodes for season 3 will continue to be released next week. For now, however, there is so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. Although the situation on the border is fraught with problems and our ministry can at times be challenging, we give thanks to God …

We are excited to welcome Tom Cartwright, an advocate and activist who volunteers with the RGV Welcome Committee and Witness at the Border. Tom retired after nearly forty years working for JP Morgan, but was inspired by a visit to a refugee camp in Greece to put his corporate skills to use on behalf of migrants. Among other things, he tracks the De…

We are pleased to welcome Mary Bull, a house coordinator at Annunciation House in El Paso, TX. Annunciation House was founded in the 1970s to accompany the migrant, refugee, and economically vulnerable peoples of the border region through hospitality, advocacy, and education. They operate several houses of hospitality for migrants in El Paso. Mary …

We are happy to welcome Fr. Matt Kuczora, CSC, a Holy Cross priest in law school at the University of Notre Dame. He spent the summer in Brownsville working with Project Dignity Legal Team, where he helped to set up a system for assisting migrants with “particular vulnerabilities” who are eligible to be paroled into the United States. We share our …

We are excited to welcome Astrid Dominguez, the Executive Director of Good Neighbor Settlement House. Good Neighbor is a nonprofit serving the unhoused in Brownsville, TX with meals, clothing, showers and support services. They also coordinate the migrant Welcome Center by the local bus station with other partner organizations. Astrid shares from h…

For our first episode of Season 3, we are humbled to welcome Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso, TX. Known for his advocacy for the poor and vulnerable, Bishop Seitz offers a unique perspective as a leader of the Church in a border community. In this episode, he calls for a deeper conversation about migration, one that is not solely domina…

Louie Hotop, SJ, and Brian Strassburger, SJ, are two Jesuit priests working on the US-Mexico border in the diocese of Brownsville, TX. This podcast explores the humanitarian response along the U.S.-Mexico border from a Catholic perspective. Season 3 will expand the scope beyond the Rio Grande Valley and include interviews with people working on oth…

In this bonus episode, Louie and Brian share updates about their ministry this past summer. They talk about their new routine for visiting shelters in Reynosa, Mexico, including celebrating Mass at Casa del Migrante, and bringing donations to the newest shelter, Senda 2. They share the story of a migrant couple who staffed the bodega at Senda 2 and…

In this bonus episode, Louie and Brian offer updates on their ministry and the migrant reality in Reynosa, Mexico. They reflect on the experience of celebrating Holy Week with migrants in the plaza, as the incense masked the smell of nearby port-o-potties and the sprinkling of holy water helped cool the oppressive heat. They also talk about how the…

This week we are very grateful to be joined by Jennifer Harbury, co-founder of Angry Tías and Abuelas, a grassroots organization that fights for the protection of migrants on both sides of the border and works tirelessly to secure much needed supplies for shelters, including the new shelter that is being built in Reynosa, Mexico. Jennifer has decad…

This week we are grateful to be joined by Hermi Forshage who is the volunteer coordinator at the Humanitarian Respite Center (HRC) in McAllen, TX and the chairperson for the Catholic Charities RGV advisory board. Hermi has been instrumental in helping us to get involved at the HRC and has been a huge supporter of our work in Reynosa. In this episod…

This week we are very pleased to release our interview with Trey Martinez, an attorney from Brownsville and a very good friend of ours. In this episode, Trey tells the story about how, through the influence of Sr. Norma Pimentel, he chose to use his legal expertise to help migrants with their asylum cases and co-found Project Dignity Legal Team. Tr…

We are thrilled to welcome Fr. Joel Flores, the pastor of San Pedro Catholic Church in the Diocese of Brownsville, TX. Fr. Joel shares some of the innovative ways his parish has responded to the needs of the community throughout the pandemic, including transforming a trailer into a mobile chapel. He also reflects on his ministry of burying indigent…

We are excited to welcome Brendon Tucker from Global Response Management, an organization that delivers emergency medical care in crisis situations around the world, including in northern Mexico along the border. In his interview, Tucker talks about how he got so involved in a medical organization without a medical background, and the drastic medic…

We are delighted to welcome Vero Dimas from the Brownsville Wellness Coalition, an organization that offers programs that promote nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Brownsville has high rates of obesity and diabetes, and it’s one of the nation’s poorest cities by per capita income. The Brownsville Wellness Coalition addresses these issues by running…

We are excited to welcome Chloe Rastatter and Christa Cook from Solidarity Engineering for our first episode of Season 2. Chloe and Christa are two of the three engineers who founded Solidarity Engineering, an organization working on the border to provide engineering solutions to water and sanitation problems, among other things. In this episode, t…

Louie Hotop, SJ, and Brian Strassburger, SJ, are two Jesuit priests working on the US-Mexico border in the diocese of Brownsville, TX. This podcast explores the humanitarian response along the U.S.-Mexico border from a Catholic perspective. Season 2 will focus on the Corporal Works of Mercy, and include interviews with organizations who are putting…

It was our great pleasure to welcome Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley for the last episode of Season 1. Sr. Norma works tirelessly on behalf of the most vulnerable on the US-Mexico border, and she is a well-known advocate for migrants and asylum seekers. If you enjoyed hearing from her in…