Mass in Río Bravo honors deceased and missing migrants

A Mass was celebrated in the riverbed of the Rio Grande—also known as the Rio Grande—on the border between Mexico and the United States, to pay tribute to the migrants who died this year and to pray for those who remain missing on their journey.

The ceremony was concelebrated on November 9 by Bishop José Guadalupe Torres Campos, Bishop of Ciudad Juárez (Mexico); Mons. Mark Joseph Seitz, Bishop of El Paso (United States); Bishop Peter Baldacchino, Bishop of Las Cruces (United States); and Bishop Anthony Celino, Auxiliary Bishop of El Paso.

The Mass was held near the site known as Casita de Adobe, on the dividing line between Chihuahua, Texas and New Mexico, on a platform placed over the river. On the Mexican side of the border, hundreds of migrants carrying flags from various countries participated in a procession with a cross and an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 242 migrants have died on this border during the last year, adding more than 5,000 since 2014.

In his homily, Bishop Torres Campos stressed that the purpose of meeting in this Eucharistic celebration was to “commit ourselves as a Church, as humanity, to love our migrant brothers” and promote their well-being.

In addition, he asked for forgiveness “for our indifference in moments of lack of attention” and prayed that God would allow the community to care for migrants “with compassion, with mercy, with closeness, like the Good Samaritan.”

Bishop Torres Campos also encouraged migrants to be inspired by the Holy Family, who had to flee and leave their land.

“So you leave everything to walk and look for a country, a community that welcomes you. Following the example of the Holy Family, remain united in faith, in hope. May the Lord protect you, take care of you and help you on your journey.”

Pope Francis was present with a message of support for the “most vulnerable”

Bishop Seitz, for his part, read a letter sent by Pope Francis, who thanked the work on the border in support of “the most vulnerable brothers,” who—the Holy Father said—tend to flee situations “of oppression and abuse.” , of insecurity and discrimination, of lack of development projects.”

The Pontiff also recognized the difficult moment that the border dioceses face in their work “due to the mentality that stigmatizes, among others, the marginalized, the excluded and the emigrants as a source of difficulties and a threat to citizens,” and encouraged them to continue this work in “the spirit of the beatitudes.”

In 2023, the Catholic Church in Mexico assisted 499,995 migrants through 54 shelters, reaching its historical maximum of aid. According to the Ministry of the Interior of Mexico (SEGOB), the country registered 782,176 “events of people in an irregular immigration situation” in 2023.

According to The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office, between October 2023 and September 2024, more than 2.1 million encounters with undocumented migrants were recorded on its border with Mexico. More than 1.2 million of these people were single adults, while another 804,456 were identified as part of families. Nearly 110,000 were registered as unaccompanied minors.

Different Catholic organizations in the United States offer assistance to migrants arriving in the country, including Catholic Charities. According to their websiteIn 2021 alone, they assisted around 608,000 people seeking asylum in different parts of the country.

In the message read by Bishop Seitz, Pope Francis assured that helping migrants “is an opportunity full of salvation, because in the people who need us, Jesus is present who knocks at our door, hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked. , sick and imprisoned, asking us to help them.”