High schoolers, chaperones share photos and lessons learned from annual trip focused on migration
A new exhibit titled “Reflejos – El Paso” showcases the experiences of high school students and teachers who have made a pilgrimage to the U.S./Mexico border.
The exhibit features photos, poetry and written reflections by students and adult chaperones about the Solidarity at the Border pilgrimage led by the archdiocesan Office of Peace and Justice.
The annual pilgrimage offers a chance to learn firsthand about migration at the U.S./Mexico border and the ministries serving there. Participants also attend the bi-national Mass at the Border that brings together Catholics from the Diocese of El Paso, Texas, the Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and the Diocese of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, for a Mass celebrated on the Rio Grande.
The immigration crisis in our country is “far more nuanced” than it’s often portrayed, one student wrote.
“The best way to understand another’s experience is through their story. Stories are powerful; they allow us to step into someone else’s reality,” the student wrote. “The stories I heard deepened my understanding of the border crisis, strengthened connections with fellow students that continue to this day, and inspired me to seek out diverse perspectives in all aspects of my life.”
“I learned developing a meaningful perspective requires direct engagement with the issue, actively listening to those affected, and taking purposeful action,” another student wrote. “This shift in thinking to understand and address global issues truly demands more than surface-level opinions; it requires involvement, reflection, and being an active member of my community to commit and work for meaningful change.”
Panels in the exhibit pair a photo from the pilgrimage with a quote about migration by a recent pope and a short reflection by a student or chaperone. After three weeks on display at the Cardinal Rigali Center, the exhibit will then start traveling among parishes, schools, religious orders and other institutions across the archdiocese.
Pete Musso, dean of faculty at De Smet Jesuit High School, teaches a global citizens course and served as a chaperone on last year’s Solidarity at the Border pilgrimage. At the exhibit opening Sept. 16, he shared an excerpt of a reflection from one of his students, who said he learned the value of being “slow to speak and truly listening” as we seek to understand others’ experiences.
That’s a worthwhile challenge for everyone who engages with the exhibit, Musso said.
“When we’re slow to speak, it leaves room for the great presence of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit to enter into our lives and begin again in the transformative work of love,” he said.
One highlight of the pilgrimage is a hike to the top of Mount Cristo Rey to celebrate Mass. From the mountain, you can see the miles of unforgiving desert on the other side of the border wall, said Becky Giunta, director of service learning at Nerinx Hall.
“I whispered to myself, ‘no one does this on purpose.’ The vast majority of people that are choosing to cross unforgiving terrain are doing so as a last resort — they’re doing it to protect their children, their families, themselves, and I knew I would do the same,” she said. “Without that visual, I’m not sure I would have an understanding of what it really means when people talk about crossing the border.”
Gabriela Mendoza, a junior at Nerinx Hall, contributed to the exhibit after participating in the pilgrimage last year. As a first-generation Mexican-American, migration at the border is a topic close to her heart and one that she wanted to witness firsthand, she said.
“It’s such a politically dominant world, and bringing faith into this trip really makes you see what the main things in life are. We’re all human,” she said. “It was really powerful being where all of this is happening and educating myself on it.”
In the year since the trip, she’s felt more prepared to talk about immigration issues with friends instead of shying away from the topic, she said.
“At first I was really quiet about speaking up on things like this, especially things that hit home,” she said. “But I think now I’m just more passionate about doing something about it and getting the word out there.”
