Rosaries For Refugees

Bishop Daniel Flores- Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, USA, Sister Norma Pimentel, Executive Director of Catholic Relief Services of the Rio Grande Valley, Inc. and volunteers at the Immigrant Welcome Center located at Sacred Heart Church in downtown McAllen, Texas USA.

The United States of America is witnessing a humanitarian crisis at its southernmost border. Thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children, many of whom are unaccompanied, are fleeing violence, oppression, and untold misery in their Central American countries and are fleeing to the U.S.A. Although United States government policymakers remain unclear on exactly how to adequately address this need, our mission as Christians is quite clear:

“Whatever you did to these least brothers of mine, you did to me.” Matt. 25:40.

The first organized loving touch of humanity to these refugees once they arrive in the United States and are “processed” by the U.S. immigration authorities has come from Catholic Relief Services, Inc., whose slogan has been: “we don’t help them because they are Catholic; we help them because we are.” They need our help. As members of the church, the same church, we are compelled to help.

Here locally, at Real Men Pray The Rosary, Inc.‘s world headquarters in deep South Texas, USA, we initally provided basic supplies as requests for made for : food, diapers, infant formula, water etc. Those requests from Catholic Relief Services of the Rio Grande Valley, Inc. then evolved to other necessities, including money and for volunteers to staff the Immigrant Welcome Center. Similar needs have arisen at the other Catholic Relief Services sites where the refugees have been processed and transported in places in the U.S.A. such as San Antonio, Texas, Laredo, Texas, and El Paso, Texas.

RMPTR has previously helped our local South Texas USA Immigrant Welcome Center to provide spiritual nourishment to those they service by supplying the volunteers with Rosaries, Rosary pamphlets, and Miraculous Medals. We have been told that a need currently exists for Rosaries because the refugees, whose deep abiding faith in God is always a source of inspiration, request Rosaries.

Thus, RMPTR is requesting that you, your prayer group, your Knights of Columbus Council, your cenacle, your family, your Men’s group, or your parish gather, make, or even purchase Rosaries, pray a Rosary for the refugees and then send those Rosaries to RMPTR at the following address:

ROSARIES FOR REFUGEES

c/o Real Men Pray The Rosary, Inc.

6316 N. 10th Street, Bldg. B

McAllen, Texas, USA 78504

We will have them blessed and will present them on your behalf to the local Catholic Relief Services, Inc. group staffing the Immigrant Welcome Center so that these Rosaries can be provided as part of the survival package that is presented to the refugees on behalf of those extending a loving hand of humanity to these people.

For a little background on the scope of the problem, here is one story on the issue and the Catholic Church’s response by one Bishop.   This was the testimony of the Most Reverend Mark Seitz, the Bishop of El Paso, Texas, USA at a hearing before the United States Congress.

Bishop Daniel Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, USA recently wrote two commentaries in his blog about a recent trip to Honduras underkent for him to understand the reason for the refugees’ flight.

RMPTR‘s mission statement is to “promote the Rosary with conviction… in the light of Scripture, in harmony with the liturgy, and in the context of our daily lives.” Join us in promoting that mission as we all try to see the face and be the face of Jesus to all those we encounter.