(Father Daniel Carson, the pastor of St. Peter’s Parish on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., wrote this reflection for his parishioners and shared it with the Catholic Standard newspaper and website of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.)
I had the opportunity to spend three days with Catholic Extension in Uvalde and San Antonio, Texas, from May 23-25. Catholic Extension is a non-profit that works in solidarity with those they serve to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic communities in the poorest regions of our country. Catholic Extension has been in Uvalde for 113 years in various missions. I was part of a group of about 15 clergy, religious, and lay leaders from across the United States. We were invited to spend time seeing and experiencing the mission work being done by Catholic Extension, religious sisters, Catholic educators, parishioners, and volunteers, as well as be present for the one-year remembrance of the tragedy in Uvalde.
On May 23, we began our day at the Mexican American Catholic College, founded in 1972 by the Archdiocese of San Antonio with its mission to prepare leaders in service to the Church with an emphasis on pastoral and Hispanic ministry. One of their newest initiatives prepares young Catholics to lead in life with a focus on social justice. We then traveled to the Mission San Jose Catholic Church, a mission that has been run by the Franciscans Order of Friars Minor continually since 1720. This deep history reminded me that spreading the Gospel message and building the Catholic Church was a mission in this new territory long before the United States was formed. That same mission is entrusted to us today.
On May 24, we spent the day in Uvalde to experience a day remembering the one-year anniversary of 19 students and two teachers losing their lives due to gun violence at Robb Elementary School. The day started with Mass at Sacred Heart Church, celebrated by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and with families and students, clergy, religious and parishioners. The Sacred Heart Church community and the Sacred Heart School have been a place for comfort and healing to those impacted by the tragedy. Following the shooting at Robb Elementary School, Sacred Heart School enrolled 30 students from Robb Elementary School, and Catholic Extension gave them scholarships. The archbishop told the students at the Mass, “You are precious for the Lord.”
As I listened to the archbishop and watched the children’s reaction to his words, I thought about our school students and our children in our parish and how precious are their lives.
After Mass, we traveled to Robb Elementary School. On the corner outside the school are 21 wooden crosses with the names and pictures of the students and teachers that were killed. It was overwhelming to me. I could not comprehend the enormity of what happened at Robb Elementary School. All I kept returning to in my mind was thinking of our school, our students, and our teachers. Over and over in my head I wondered how any community could heal from 21 deaths by gun violence and find the strength to move forward?
Still thinking about how this community could heal, we walked over to the Saint Henry de Osso Community Center. The center is run by the Sisters of Saint Teresa of Jesus, whose current mission has been to bring healing to the community in Uvalde. We met a set of parents and their son Noah. Noah was a student at Robb Elementary School. He lost his classmates and teacher in the shooting. His teacher shielded him with her body. While the bullet that went through her also struck Noah, he survived. I was inspired as the parents and Noah talked about their feelings. They certainly expressed sadness and anger and all the emotions you can imagine they feel living through what they have. But they also talked about their faith and hope. The father said that they move forward with “God as their compass.” Amid sorrow and tragedy, faith and hope continue to shine through.
On May 25, we visited a roadside memorial for 53 migrants. Crosses and pictures marked the location where in April 2022 these migrants died in the heat over three days when they were left in a locked tractor trailer. The immense loss of life was hard for me to comprehend. Our group took time to reflect and pray.
We then traveled to the Catholic Charities Centro de Bienvenida Migrant Center. The services offered were very similar to what we did here at Saint Peter’s, welcoming and helping migrants. I had the chance to sit with several migrant families and listen to the stories of their journey. One family, a parent with 15-year-old and 13-year-old sons, said they loved their home in Mexico and ran a small business; however, the drug gangs were pressuring their family to force their 15-year-old son to join the gang. The family was being threatened with violence and death if they did not comply. The parents felt no choice but to seek a safe place for their sons, so they made the journey to the United States.
All the families I met had similar stories. They traveled by foot for one to three months and spoke about the dangerous journey. Even with an uncertain future, they are thankful knowing their families are safe now. They spoke about their faith and hope. Amid extreme hardship, faith and hope continue to shine through.
I am still processing all that I experienced in those few days in Texas. I do know it has forever changed me. The day after I returned from Texas, I spoke about my experience to Saint Peter School’s 8th grade students at their graduation Mass. I told them, like the archbishop told his students, “You are precious for the Lord.”
I told them of Noah’s father’s words to move forward with “God as your compass.” I told them that “they can make the world a better place.” I quoted Saint Mother Teresa when she said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” I said, “Go and cast many stones. Go and create many ripples. You can change the world for the better and build up the Kingdom of God.”
That might be the biggest blessings I received from this Catholic Extension immersion trip to Uvalde and San Antonio: affirming in me that each of us can make this world a better place, to allow faith and hope to shine through. Is that not what we want for our precious children? Is that not what we want for everyone? After all, we are all beloved children of God – each and every one of us is precious for the Lord.
