BEARDSTOWN — For the past 15 months Father Chris Brey and the people of St. Alexius Parish in Beardstown have been supporting one special parishioner in both action and prayer. Susan (not her real name) is one of many undocumented immigrants who face possible deportation from this country.
Unfortunately, her story is becoming more common, says Father Brey, who is pastor to the largest Hispanic community in the diocese and diocesan coordinator of Hispanic ministry.
Susan first came to America from her native country of Mexico 13 years ago with her husband on a tourist visa to visit her family. Her father is an American citizen while her mother is a permanent resident. During their visit Susan (who was 20 years old at the time) and her husband decided to stay in America, as they were expecting their first child.
Susan says she knew that they had to “take the risk” of being undocumented in order to find work “because they have to feed their kids.” Also her hometown in Mexico was becoming increasingly dangerous, especially for young women.
Susan and her husband have been living in Beardstown, and now have four children. They are good citizens, says Father Brey. In fact, years ago Susan helped the federal government with some immigration investigation business and that’s why she was mistakenly placed on deportation status, he says.
St. Alexius: small parish, diverse population
“At Sunday Mass we have 18 nations represented — these are people in attendance at Sunday liturgy,” he says. Parish School of Religion classes are taught in three languages: English, Spanish and French. “We have the French catechists for the West Africans. They are trained catechists from Africa. “Most of the Hispanic people have been here for 10, 12 or 15 years. We have 200 people at the Mass in English and 350 people present at the Mass in Spanish. Our seating capacity is 325 so every Sunday there are people standing at the back in the aisles. “Not many priests can say they have that issue on Sundays,” he says. “I’m very blessed that we don’t have enough room. You know, having different cultures in a parish is wonderful. These people add a beautiful dimension to the church.” |
St. Alexius Parish in Beardstown is a small parish with a large cross-section of nationalities represented, says Father Chris Brey, pastor for the past four years. A deportation order was placed on Susan in 2005, but the notice was sent to her old address. She had no knowledge of it until March of last year when the police came to her home. She was then detained in two different local jails for five days.
While she was in jail, Susan worried about her husband and children and wasn’t sure when she would be able to see them again. However, she never lost faith and hope in God, Father Brey says. She prayed the rosary with other women who were also being detained and continually encouraged the others to “believe in God.” One woman told Susan that “God had sent her” to help by translating for them and praying with them.
In a Catholic Conference of Illinois video featuring Susan’s story, Father Brey says when he heard the news about Susan’s arrest, his “heart sank” and he wondered what they could do. “I felt as if we had been nailed to the cross at the parish.”
But they still had hope. “No matter what, Christ is always present … ,” Father Brey says. “Even when we struggle the most, he actually carries us in those moments.”
And so, Father Brey and the parishioners prayed. “We stormed the heavens because we knew she needed to stay here because she had God’s work to do right here in Beardstown,” says Charlotte Koch, administrative assistant for St. Alexius, also speaking on the video.
When Susan was transferred from the jail to the federal immigration office in Chicago, she initially was scheduled to be deported the next day. She was released however, and continues to return to Chicago periodically to have her case renewed.
“We pray before she goes up to Chicago and then when she is there she and her attorney, who is Catholic, visit the Church of St. Jude,” says Father Brey. She is due to travel to Chicago for another court appearance in August.
Normally, U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement probably would not have focused on a woman like Susan. According to the ICE web site, Enforcement and Removal Operations prioritizes the apprehension, removal and arrest of convicted criminals, those who pose a threat to national security, fugitives and recent border entrants.
Susan falls into none of those categories. In fact, while she was detained last year, one of the staff at the immigration office saw that Susan had no criminal background and it was decided that she could be released under supervision so there could be time for her case to be reviewed.
As a mother Susan naturally worries that her children, who are between the ages of 6 and 12 and have never lived in Mexico, would suffer if they returned to her hometown. They would have to return to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, which is now categorized as the most dangerous city in the world. “They are killing people, even outside of the school, because of drugs and all that,” Susan says on the video.
Susan is a well-admired catechist for the parish and a good wife and mother, says Father Brey. “Her kids are U.S. citizens and they are nice kids who get good grades and are in baseball, etc. And every time their mother has to go to Chicago for her ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) review, it is stressful for the whole family. Imagine how that feels, to not know if you are going to be sent to Mexico?”
When she leaves for her case reviews her son asks, “Are you going to come home?”
Yet Susan’s Catholic faith provides sustenance. She continues to pray every day and often reminds herself of what a religious sister at her parish told her: “The will of God will not take you where the grace of God cannot protect you.”
Because of Susan and other people like her, Father Brey takes seriously his role as leader of Hispanic ministry. He also works with the Catholic Conference of Illinois to promote just and compassionate immigration policies, which are also supported by the Illinois bishops. His intense involvement with Hispanics helps Father Brey understand what immigrants and their families face.
“It is the current policy of our administration that people who come across the border without (immigration) papers are kept in a loop,” says Father Brey. “Generally they are not deported but they cannot begin the process of naturalization. Also, we (the United States) don’t issue work visas to Mexico except for people who work in a professional capacity, for example as a physician.” America needs to reform current immigration laws, he says.
“We need to pray for Susan and for all the immigrant mothers and fathers and their families,” says Father Brey. “We need complete immigration reform that addresses the issues and the reality of these people’s lives.”
Note: Susan’s voice, Father Brey and Koch are featured on the Catholic Conference of Illinois web site at www.ilcatholic.org. To see a short video featuring Susan’s story, go to www.ilcatholic.org, click on the multimedia link and then click on video. The video is called An Immigrant’s Voice: Faith.