S5E1: “Hospitality” with Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami, FL

The Jesuit Border Podcast

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 community. He reflects on his understanding of a missionary spirit that invites one to enter another language or cultural space as a guest and learner.

In this episode, Brian and Joe talk about the hospitality that they have received from migrants. The shelters where they minister are spaces where they are really guests of the migrants who live there, and who often want to show hospitality, as any host would to a guest. They share the story of Yurgelis, a migrant woman from Venezuela who generously offered them a meal as a farewell. On another occasion, Juan Diego, a migrant man from southern Mexico, served them chalupas after a Mass in Reynosa. Keep in mind, these were authentic chalupas from Guerrero, Mexico, and not chalupas from Taco Bell. (Not that there is anything wrong with those!)