‘Reverse caravan’

DENVILLE  Last fall, a caravan of thousands of migrants from Central America heading to the Mexican border with the United States, made headlines in the United States bringing up conversations from both sides of the political spectrum about immigration reform, the border wall and homeland security.

Looking beyond the politics to directly meeting with the people affected, Sister Janice Jolin, a Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Conception (SMIC) living here, joined 75 faith leaders on March 18 on a ‘reverse caravan’ to Honduras to discuss the plight of so many around the world who flee homelands riddled by violence, political corruption and other human rights offenses. The delegation hopes to discover the root causes of why so many are seeking asylum in the U.S. They will return on March 25.

“The name of the event is called a ‘Honduran Pilgrimage,’” said Sister Janice, who previously served on the leadership team of the SMIC, which has its headquarters in Woodland Park. “A pilgrimage is a way of entering an experience that is not merely a passing through touring. This event welcomes us to daily reflection about our time of solidarity with the suffering people in Honduras as well as offering us, as U.S. citizens, an opportunity to show our support for them.”

Three major groups coordinated this pilgrimage — The Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, the Sisters of Mercy and SHARE El Salvador. Sister Janice learned about the invitation to travel to Honduras through the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which passed on the call to congregations of religious sisters to respond to the urgent crisis on the borders. She will be alongside an interfaith delegation which includes Christian, Jewish and Buddhist leaders from the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, representatives of the conference, Sisters of Mercy of the U.S. and South America, and a number of other Catholic congregations of religious sisters, SHARE El Salvador, CARECEN and others.

“As religious we are finding various ways to support the needs of our Honduran brothers and sisters that includes joining relief efforts at the various refugee houses along the border and advocating for the reform of immigration and asylum policies,” said Sister Janice.

During the weeklong pilgrimage, the delegation met with organizations working and advocating for the rights of migrants and explored factors that focused on migrant and deportation issues, root causes impacting indigenous communities and farmers’ inability to stay home and the Honduran social movement. They also met with Hondurans working for human rights and justice and with faith communities working for a better future.

“It is a time of preparation for our advocacy role — learning about the actual conditions leading to emigration, learning about the U.S. government’s role in the humanitarian crisis in Honduras, gathering on site information to bring back to our U.S. people that will guide us in our Christian mandate for justice and care for all,” said Sister Janice.

The group also met with many local people including grassroots and religious partners on the ground, to more deeply understand the root causes of migration in the Central America region and the impact of the U.S. promoted solutions to the problem. They heard recommendations and proposals coming out of Central America for addressing the root causes of migration, unaccompanied children, poverty and violence.

The date of the delegation’s visit coincides with the 39th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Oscar Romero, who was assassinated while he was celebrating Mass, for his defense of the poor and speaking out on the repression by government forces in El Salvador on March 24, 1980. The delegation will commemorate the anniversary with a theological forum on how the teachings of the slain Archbishop of San Salvador are being applied in Honduras today.

Sister Janice believes Catholics should listen to Pope Francis’ call in helping those in need in Honduras and all around the world. “Since 2014, Pope Francis has written annually to the entire Church on the Christian response to migrants and refugees,” said Sister Janice, “As leader of our Church, Pope Francis instructs us about our responsibility as global citizens and followers of Christ. The pilgrimage concretizes for me how Pope Francis’ message can be mapped out in my/our own time and reality.”

She gave some suggestions on how those in the Paterson Diocese can help and have helped those in Honduras and beyond discover the root causes of why so many are seeking asylum.

“The people of the Paterson Diocese have risen up to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate many persons from Latin America. They do this with daily hands-on experiences in their neighborhoods and parishes,” Sister Janice said. “Still, more needs to be done on the political level by contacting our Congress people with our values. This is where policy-making is the most effective way to address change and justice takes place.”