Our Evolving OSP-IHM Presence at the Border

A change from one ministry to the next always brings with it the opportunity to reminisce and recall moments of joy, connection and meaningful service. As I begin the
transition from McAllen, Texas, to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and from border ministry to elected leadership, what I will remember most is the profound impact that living in community with IHMs from Philadelphia and Monroe has had on me.

When I first felt called to go to the border, it was clear but not necessarily understood why, I needed to go not alone but with others, specifically with IHM sisters from the other two congregations and with the Oblate Sisters of Providence. After four years of living and ministering together, I realize how deeply rooted we are in Alphonsian spirituality and the dream of Louis Florent Gillet and Theresa Maxis to foster the human aspirations of God’s people and to be a presence of God’s unconditional love for them.

Carmen, Rose, and I have had to be flexible and adapt to the changing circumstances at the border, particularly after the inauguration of the current US administration. We have navigated the unknown well, and ministry to migrants on both sides of the border has continued.

Now, we are faced with a new dilemma—how to keep an OSP-IHM focus when possibly only two of the four congregations will be permanently present. While we still have the hope that an Oblate or Scranton IHM sister might join Carmen and Rose, we also have been dreaming about new and creative ways for an OSP-IHM presence at the border.

What if sisters and associates with similar interests (e.g., peace and justice, care of the earth, vocations, literacy, care for aging sisters, Haiti, etc.) from each of the four congregations came to the border together for one or two weeks? What new insights might emerge among them? How might they leave their mark on the border community and migrants? What could be their collective gift to our IHM and Oblate Sisters?

We invite you to dream with us. Do you have ideas how IHMs and Oblates might bring God’s unconditional love to the most vulnerable at the US-Mexico border? Are you being called to volunteer or be a member of the core community? We welcome your thoughts, insights and any way you feel God might be calling you to respond at this time.