There was a hushed, palpable excitement running through the Apostolic Palace on October 7th as I and 100 other pilgrims waited for a private audience with Pope Leo XVI to begin. Our pilgrimage, organized by the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry and Instituto Fe y Vida, was in Rome to be a part of the Jubilee of Migrants. The pilgrims represented 60 dioceses, as well as other universities and organizations across the US, all bringing with them the names, photos, and prayers of migrants within their communities.
As evening slowly approached, some of us began saying that perhaps the meeting was to be canceled. How could it be that we, the children of migrants, of Braceros, and domestic workers, agricultural laborers, could find ourselves here about to meet the Pope! I thought of my mother who did everything in her power to prevent me from working at a young age, saying: “You will work the rest of your life, just enjoy school!” Her encouragement and support helped me earn a BSN from BC, and when I doubted whether I could earn a master’s in theology she said “Tu si puedes!” I thought of the migrants I had met as a nurse. Parents and individuals who desperately hoped they would find a better life in the US, but struggled to find housing, or employment, faced food insecurity, or under this new presidency, were scared to come to our clinic seeking medical attention.
Throughout our pilgrimage so far, we had visited various churches, crossed the Holy Doors, listened to Hispanic leaders share their experience of ministry, and shared our own experiences over meals. In our singing, and prayers, and joy we hoped that the Pope and others would see not only those of us who had the privilege and ability to be physically present in Rome, but the stories of all the migrants in our communities unable to travel due to their status. We chose to hope that our presence would make a difference, and our hopes were answered with this invitation to an audience.
The guards ask us to begin forming ourselves in a semicircle around a microphone stand that has been set up at the entrance to the palace. Before long, Pope Leo arrives and greets us “Welcome to Rome” he says, “You have a very great task in your hands: to accompany people who truly, deeply need a sign that God never abandons anyone: the least, the poorest, the stranger, everyone.” He ends with a blessing: “May God bless you and strengthen you, and may your hearts always be filled with faith and hope so you can share it with others.” Pope Leo’s message has continued to resonate now a month after the pilgrimage. The message is a reminder that God walks with us in our ministry and calls us to open our hearts and communities to all, especially migrants, so that through us, they may encounter the God who never abandons anyone.