Shelter the Stranger

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Friday, May 31, marked the 10th anniversary of Deacon Eddy Gutierrez’s ordination. We congratulate you, Deacon Eddy, and we count our blessings that you continue to be missioned to St. Ignatius Parish by the Archbishop of San Francisco. Your presence among us has been a great gift to our community these ten years. We are grateful to you for the ways you break open the Word in your preaching on Sundays, as you share with us your experiences of the Lord, especially in the ways that s/he is revealed through your beautiful family. You have also been a wonderful gift to the women and men who have come into the Church through the RCIA program. And you have had a significant impact on those at whose weddings you have presided and whose children you have baptized. We are all so grateful. We pray that God continue to abundantly bless you in your ministry – and that your ministry continues to be among us at St. Ignatius.

A parishioner recently described our ministry with immigrants as a hallmark of our parish. I couldn’t agree more. This work helps us to live out the Gospel (“For I was … a stranger and you welcomed me.” Matthew 25:35), engage in a Corporal Work of Mercy (Shelter the Stranger), and be in line with the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus (Walking with the Excluded).

As you are probably aware, St. Ignatius Parish currently accompanies three families from Latin America who are in the legal process to obtain asylum in the United States. That they have made their case at the border and are here indicates that they have good cause for receiving asylum.

Parishioners from St. Ignatius met these families when they went to volunteer at a migrant shelter in Mexicali. They have gone as delegations to work alongside Sr. Suzanne Jabro, C.S.J., and her organization Border Compassion. A major focus of these delegations has been to help migrant families craft their cases for seeking asylum.

From Cuba, Peru and Venezuela, our friends inspire us almost daily. All of them came to San Francisco knowing neither the city nor a soul, speaking no English, and they immediately went about creating a life for themselves. (I am reminded of God’s words to the Israelites as they began their exile in Babylon. See Jeremiah 29: 4-7, 11-14a.) Despite these and other enormous challenges, all of them have made remarkable adjustments and progress in their new lives in the United States. It’s a pleasure for me to tell you a little about each of the families.

The Lopez family – Cesar, Danihella, and their daughters Alaiha and Diossangela – is from Venezuela. Cesar has been employed at Level 5 Painting in Richmond for about a year, working all over the North Bay, and Dani works primarily in childcare in a private home. Alaiha and Diossangela are enrolled at Holy Family Day Home. Alaiha will be ready for kindergarten next year. Living in an apartment near City College, the Lopezes have their asylum court date on August 16, 2026. 

Cristhian, Margiory, and 2-year-old Christopher Lopez are from Peru. After spending seven months at Hamilton Family Shelter here in San Francisco, the family now lives in a studio apartment on Bush Street, thanks to support from the Latin Task Force and the Asylum Fund at St. Ignatius. The studio was furnished largely through donations from members of the Joint Solidarity Committee. Margiory is enrolled at Arriba Juntos in the Mission District, a training program for home health aides. She has received her white jacket and will graduate in a couple weeks. Cristhian plans to enroll in the same program when Margiory graduates. In the meantime, he is working at a restaurant near Oracle Park. Christopher attends a childcare center in Chinatown. This Lopez family is in need of an immigration attorney. If any St. Ignatius parishioner can assist or give a referral, please contact me.

Manuel Bueno and his daughter Lorena are from Cuba. They live at St. Joseph’s Center in the Mission, where they are eligible to stay for up to two years. The facility is run by Catholic Charities and is part of San Francisco’s Coordinated Entry Program. Manuel is also enrolled at Arriba Juntos in an intensive English program, attending from 9 am to 4 pm. Lorena is a student at Marshall Elementary school, a Spanish immersion school. She participates in a Boys and Girls after-school program.

The success that each of these families is having is the result of a band of committed St. Ignatius parishioners taking to heart St. Teresa of Avila’s prayer that begins “Christ has no body now on earth, but yours; no hands, but yours; no feet, but yours.” Finding furniture, teaching them to navigate public transportation, helping to secure appointments with various agencies, and more has been remarkable and inspiring to watch. We are greatly indebted to St. Agnes parishioner Jim Bryne for serving as a pro bono immigration attorney for both the first Lopez and the Bueno families. We are also grateful to the many who are financially helping our new friends. All of this work with these families seeking asylum is something of which we can all be proud.

Any parishioner wanting to help accompany these families can contact the Joint (St. Ignatius and St. Agnes) Solidarity Committee at [email protected].

Oremus pro invicem,

Fr. Greg