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I have just experienced my first week of lay missioner training here at the Casa San Salvador. It has been amazing! I have learned about intentional community living, shared house responsibilities, and enjoyed many shared meals. While I have lived near and visited the Casa many times, I am gaining a new perspective of the neighborhood and surrounding area. I am learning to be both less planned and to follow the schedule made for me.

For example I was instructed to take 2-3 hours to explore, without planning where to go or where to end up, and it was amazing. I decided to walk toward the center of DC.  Each time I thought I knew where I was and started making a plan, I was wrong.  I saw a cemetery and thought that it was Mt. Olivet, where my grandparents are buried, and I decided to walk around to the entrance and visit them. Along the way I passed a school and some girls ran to the fence to say hello and ask how my day was going. As I reached the entrance to the cemetery I saw that it was not Mt Olivet. Instead I read the names and prayed for families I knew that had the same surname. At some point I realized I was on T Street. This is the street my grandfather grew up on. I thought I would walk by his house knowing that it was after North Capitol. I must have crossed North Capitol at a point that I was not aware. Maybe it was when a toothless man told me I had a beautiful smile; I replied “so do you,” which made him laugh. I checked the street signs and saw I was crossing 2nd, then 3rd, then 4th. I had walked right past North Capitol street without noticing. I reminded myself to stop planning and just enjoy. Eventually I came upon Howard University and thought it was time to metro home. It was a beautiful experience to let go of control and accept what came to me with joy.

Another unexpected joy is being enrolled in a Scripture class called Scripture with a Cultural Lens. The instructor is engaging and I am learning so much. I am taking the class with a sister program for lay missioner formation in Los Angeles, called Lay Mission Helpers, and will be joining their formation group for a few weeks in October.

After hearing for years about the amazing work that the Father McKenna Center, an outreach center for unhoused men, that operates in the basement of St. Aloysisus Church connected to Gonzaga High School, I have been given the opportunity to volunteer there. What a gift it is to get to check the guys into the center in the morning for breakfast. I enjoyed many conversations and they were very gracious when I had to ask how to spell their names for their name tags. I will be volunteering there 2 times a week for this month.

While life at the Casa seems very distant and different from my life at home, I have been able to remain connected with my siblings on our weekly zoom call and even got a call from my son Joseph who is vacationing in Bosnia, to tell me that he and his wonderful girlfriend Julia got engaged. Now two of my four boys are engaged! I look forward to having daughters-in-law.

I am very excited to see what new things I will learn this week. Thank you, God, for giving me this time in formation and hope for my future to serve you in new ways.

Question for reflection: What new things are you grateful for this season?

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I am writing this on July 29, the feast of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, some of Jesus’ best friends in his days on earth. Franciscans established Martha’s feast in 1262. Pope Francis made it a family affair in 2021, when he updated the General Roman Calendar. For centuries, Roman Catholic tradition has merged and confused Mary of Bethany with Mary of Magdala, though the Eastern church kept them separate. Most modern scholars agree there were two clearly distinct Marys in Jesus’ life, in addition to his mother. Some still dispute the distinction. 

In any case, Martha and Mary are clearly distinct. I have always thought of myself as a Martha and felt guilty about not being more of a Mary—especially since I realized how radical it was of Jesus to praise a woman for escaping her traditional role and joining his male students. My number one goal for these mission years is to spend less time doing and more time at my Master’s feet.

I think I am making slow progress toward that goal. This summer, while my teaching in Juarez is on break, I’m trying to keep one day a week for reading and reflection. I am also seeing, though, that it’s okay to be both Mary AND Martha—and perhaps a little Lazarus too. As in, “Hey, Jesus, let’s just hang out!” 

Thanks be to God, my FMS formation has encouraged all three kinds of relationships. I can be an activist, a listener, and a friend to our dear Lord—Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in one—as I do for, listen to, and spend time with the people I encounter. At my best, I can be a human be-ing as well as a human do-ing. 

I need natural and human-made beauty like I need air, but I’m not artsy-craftsy. When I sit, it’s usually at the computer or with a book. I never, ever imagined myself as the kind of grandma who sits and knits! Yet, here you could find me at the Opportunity Center, at Guiding Star, or at DIF in Juarez, finger weaving (AKA knuckle knitting) with the young people or the adults. Conversation seems to flow more easily when we’re all doing something with our hands. 

At the Opportunity Center, I have shifted from sorting and distributing clothing to meeting with a group of women who are in the process of merging into a community. This week, I read one of my favorite short stories to them, De Maupassant’s “The Necklace,” and they gasped at the ending just the way I did when I first read it, 70 or so years ago. Next week, we may knit, or color, but the ladies are eager for another story. 

Though my six-year-old playmate at Guiding Star sets the agenda for our time together, I will definitely have yarn in my kit bag on Wednesday evenings, as well as in the afternoons when I meet with the young moms and moms-to-be. The mostly-teen boys at DIF surprise me by being as enthusiastic about yarn crafts as the women and girls. They can make a nifty braid in just a few minutes with three strands and four hands, and they sport their products proudly. I still haven’t mastered that technique. Maybe next week I will?

Mega masters continue at the courthouse—137 cases for one judge, on a recent morning, almost all ruled Removable in Absentia. Most of these individuals never received the Notice to Appear that is supposed to summon them to court, and some of the judges consider that in making their rulings. Others side with the government attorneys who are present at every hearing. With unaccountable ICE forces at large and quotas to be filled, the difference may not keep them free.

I am currently visiting three ICE prisoners, none of whom has any immediate prospects for release. We always conclude the visit with prayer, and they continue to inspire me with their faith and stubborn hope. Cooking with the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary is another consistent delight for the Martha in me. I still work with the Diocesan Laudato Si Commission, with Pax Christi, and with the El Paso interfaith community, as well as taking part in some of the city’s cultural activities. 

Whenever I review the news, I know I could do much more. Yet, I enjoy my day of rest and delight in my daily dose of beauty because I know I’m not alone. We are building and rebuilding together. In Magnifica Humanitas Pope Leo contrasts the culture of power that built the biblical Tower of Babel and builds the modern concentration camps for migrants to the civilization of love. “The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture,” he reminds us, “but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization.” 

Thank you, dear readers, friends and supporters, for doing your part and making it possible for me to do mine.

Question for Reflection: How do you relate to Martha, Mary, or Lazarus?

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Trusting in the Lord is a vital part of my life as a missioner. Yet sometimes my actions don’t demonstrate that trust. I go on autopilot and just start fixing things or mapping out a plan, forgetting that my role is accompaniment and not “woman who has all the answers.” When plans go amuck, I can become quite anxious.

Back in early July, I was asked to plan and run a summer Bible camp for the St. Anne’s community. I was initially given a two week head start to put something together, when all of sudden, I was told that the camp was to start the next day. Sr. Saane (a Marist Sister) and I would be the leads, and, because I was in a complete panic, she graciously took the first day. 

Week one went relatively well, but not so for week two. On the day I was leading, I could not get the children’s attention or cooperation. They seemed completely disinterested in what I was presenting or having them do. I literally froze in front of them and looked at Sr Saane, and she took over the instruction. I went to a corner and sulked about my failure. Yet as I watched Sr. Saane, I was struck by her joy in leading the children. It was at that moment that I remembered to turn to the Lord with trust, and so somehow I let go of my self-pity and walked back to the group and joined in the song and dance that Sr. Saane was teaching. My anxiety turned into peace and playful delight as the children and I pranced about and sang off-key. The remaining days of our chaotic program turned into a lot of fun for all.

This was the first time ever that I made a clear connection between trust and surrender. One is the belief, and the other is the action. Sometimes I say that I trust in the Lord, but I hold onto control, and as I said before, when things go wrong, I feel pretty awful. In this incident, I let go of control. It was surrender that brought about a spirit of peace.

In my April 2026 blog, I wrote about a time when I was heading out to my ministry work, when I encountered a friend who had just lost a loved one. I gave up my plans and spent the afternoon with her. There was serenity in that encounter, and it came after I surrendered control and trusted in the Lord to lead me. 

Trust, surrender, peace. I think I am finally understanding, and I give thanks and praise to my Lord, for his patient and loving instruction. May we always walk in His ways and follow His will.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Editor’s Note: How is God inviting you to grow in trust, surrender, or peace during this season?

Susan shares the following pictures from Bible camp:

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The day before I moved to Washington DC, I was reunited with my entire extended family as we celebrated the life of my grandfather. The day was filled with love, appreciation, and anxiety about what was to come next as I moved to a new city where I did not know anyone. I was not prepared.

I was not prepared for how much I was going to love living in Washington DC. Living in the nation’s capital has it’s been an absolute treat, whether it’s hopping into one of the Smithsonians on a day off, playing in the snow during the week of a snow blanketed capitol, or sitting on the Casa porch waving at the people of our neighborhood coming and going, I fell in love with the city.

I was not prepared for how much I was going to learn at Christ House. It has become one of my absolute favorite places to be, the patients, the staff, and the mission of Christ House has left an impact on me that I could’ve never prepared for. The gift of being able to walk alongside the patients of Christ House on their recovery journey is something that I will cherish forever and take with me through each step of my life.

I was not prepared for how much I was going to love my housemates. I have community dinner and community prayer five nights out of the week, and on the two days when we do not have our community time, we are still together! The gift of walking alongside each of these individuals this year as we have grown in our faith, has been so incredibly rewarding. I can’t quite put into words everything that has happened this year and every moment with them that has made it so incredible, but I think it is the unremarkable moments that have bound us together. Whether it’s shouting “Cohort moment!”, line dancing in the kitchen, or “can I help you with that?”, the small in-betweens have shaped us as a cohort, and I am forever grateful.

I like to use the phrase “Everyday is a dream!” This usually prompts a variety of reactions, but when I say it, I really do mean it. This year has been a dream. Christ has been so present in my journey to FMS, and so present during my entire journey through these last 11 months. There is not a day that goes by where I do not sit and thank the Lord that I am here today in this place, with these people. As we enter this next chapter and I look back on my year of service, I am so proud of my cohort and how far we have come, and I’m truly so grateful that I was not prepared for this year.

Question for Reflection: Reflect on an experience that you weren’t fully prepared for and how that experience positively changed your life.

 

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For a long time, I have resonated with the story of Jesus’ Agony in the Garden. I was diagnosed with depression around three years ago, and I have been on a daily dose of Sertraline since then. 

Being a Catholic with mental health challenges was not easy at first (and it still is not always simple). Am I not praying fervently enough? Why is it so hard for me to harness the gift of the Holy Spirit – joy? Am I trusting in God enough? 

I have since, mostly, grown out of these anxieties, but in 2023, the station and story that really resonated with me was the Agony in the Garden. 

Jesus feels alone. His friends have all fallen asleep (multiple times) and one of his confidants is on his way to betray him. 

Jesus feels afraid. Despite knowing that God’s will must be completed through him, he asks his Father “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” 

Jesus feels sorrow. To contemplate the burden of sin he was about to undertake must have been excruciating. 

In the midst of depression, to see a God who feels the same as you: loneliness, fear and sorrow, is one of the most comforting feelings in the world. There are many other Bible passages that resonate and mean a lot to me, but reflecting on the agony is a deep, personal spiritual practice for me. I can see myself in the story. 

However, after my year of service, there is yet another story I can see myself in. 

After the Triduum and the Resurrection, Jesus chooses to appear to his disciples multiple times, my favorite being depicted in Chapter 21 of John on the Sea of Galilee:

Jesus said to [His apostles], “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” …Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord.

What a beautiful passage. In the simplicity of fish cooked on a beach, I can see myself there with my cohort. 

Because of my year of service, I know perfectly well what it must be like to sit and have a meal with Jesus: I do it everyday. 

He is in David’s laugh. 

He is in Schwalb’s storytelling and Sam’s humor, too. 

He lives in Brigid’s wisdom and Bosch’s humility. 

He even lives in my invitations. 

I can feel Him so vividly through Scripture, the Sacraments, and now, my cohort. 

I still have depression, and I still resonate with the agony. In fact, I thank God for my medication everyday. However, just like during the Triduum, I can see the hope of Easter and the resurrection. I know the joy of the morning! 

I now see myself on the beach of Galilee as well. 

Questions for Reflection: When have you related to Jesus’ Agony in the Garden? When have you shared a moment of fellowship like Jesus and the Apostles on the shore of Galilee?

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When I started this year at FMS, I scoured the FMS website and Instagram for information about the DCSC experience, formations, retreats, and much more! Eventually, I found the blogs and got the greatest insight into what life in the DCSC could be. As I wrap up my year, my hope is that I can impart some wisdom on someone scouring the FMS website as they prepare to begin their year of service. 

1. Say “yes” – opportunities often show up only once, and things that you think you’ll get around to get forgotten! When the opportunity presents itself, say yes! Go to the game, attend the happy hour, meet up with your friends, attend the conference, march, mass, lecture! 
2. Sit on the porch – the casa porch is the one place that is both over- and under- utilized. Throughout the winter months, the casa porch is a treacherous place that ice preys victim to everyone in its path. Throughout the late summer, fall, and spring and summer, the front porch serves as a gathering place, a venue, a party spot, a stage, a reading book, the opportunities are endless! Utilize it early and often.
3. Go church hopping – DC has such a vibrant and welcoming Catholic community that truly represents the universality of the Church. In the first few months in DC, visit the different churches to witness all of the great parishes DC has to offer. Moreover, I encourage you to participate in all the vigils, processions, and unique masses the diocese has to offer! 
4. “The Gift of an Invitation” (quote by Claire Fisher) – Throughout the year, some of the fondest memories at the Casa are made around the dining room table. Our Catholic faith centers around many meals that are shared among friends, and a year with FMS at the Casa is no different! The heart of the Casa is many things, but a Casa dinner is a window into what the community has to offer. Moreover, it is an incredible gift to share the blessings of community and a nice meal with others, so invite people to dinner. Invite your coworkers, friends, people you meet, family, neighbors…the list is endless. 
5. Being free in DC – Living on a stipend in what can be an expensive city to live in is a tough sell, but luckily, DC has so many FREE gems to offer. From the Smithsonian Museums to government buildings to free events like embassy days to national monuments and national park sites, DC has an endless supply of really unique experiences and incredible resources that are all priceless (pun intended). 
6. Document It – Whether it’s a daily photo, video, journaling, or a funny quotes list, record this crazy year of life. There are so many memories in this short year that easily get swept up as the day to day, but it is so special to get to look back on the more mundane memories of the year. 
7. The friend of my friend…is my friend! – If you are lucky enough to have non-FMS friends in the DMV area, it is such a blessing to bring them into the Casa-fold and watch them become a “friend of the house.” Moreover, I highly recommend you invite any relatives and friends who are willing and able to travel to DC to fully experience Casa life! 
8. Enjoy a book – As David will tell you, the Casa library is very expansive regarding the literature surrounding Franciscans, Catholic theology, and social justice (among other topics). Even if you aren’t a big reader, and especially if you are, peruse the stacks early on in the year so you have the most time to utilize the resources at hand!
9. Service on top of service – Each cohort member has a unique site where they spend their time serving the community through their specific talents. However, the opportunities for service in DC are endless and so fruitful! I recommend dedicating time to service outside of your job. Many churches have weekend programs, or for those with more flexible schedules, visiting your other cohort members at their service sites.
10. “Two things true” (quote by Claire Fisher) – During this year, there are many experiences that call into question how two conflicting situations can exist at the same time. How can joy exist in the world when so many are suffering? How can we love people and hate the institutions that they take part in? Sometimes, the answer comes down to the profound understanding that two things can be true at the same time.

I hope you have the best year in DC!

Peace and all good,

Brigid Dunn, DCSC ‘25-’26

Questions for Reflection: If you’re a DCSC alumni, what advice would you give to incoming DCSC volunteers? If you’re an incoming DCSC volunteer, what are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming year of service?

DC Service Corps Class of 2025-2026

 

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“As a priest, it will be your task to proclaim by word and deed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to fashion your life in accordance with its precepts…You are to preach, to declare God’s forgiveness to penitent sinners, to proclaim Christ’s blessing…” (The Examination: The Ordination of a Priest, 1979 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church)

I have a few favorite dinner graces. Most of them can be found in the Commendations and Blessings section near the end of the Grey Book, a 1928 attempt by socially conscious clergy to revise the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. My favorite of all these is one familiar to any Franciscan, the Poverello’s blessing to Brother Leo:

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU.

MAY HE MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON YOU AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU.

MAY THE LORD TURN HIS FACE TOWARDS YOU AND KEEP YOU IN HIS PEACE. 

I have seen these words ascribed to St. Francis in many Franciscan settings (mostly ministry websites preserved from the Web 1.0 era) throughout my year as FMS’ Programs Associate, but they are not actually of Franciscan origin. In Numbers 6, God gives these words to Aaron and the newly ordained priestly tribe of the Levites. “So shall [the priests] put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”  (Numbers 6:27) The Hebrew verb translated as put upon is also used throughout Numbers to describe driving a tentpole into the earth. This is a blessing that stabilizes the Israelites in their identity as God’s chosen people—and apparently a singular privilege of the priesthood. Why then has this blessing stayed with us, lay members of the Franciscan family? 

Just after Easter this year, I spoke to several discerners for both our lay mission and DC Service Corps programs who had just been received into the Catholic Church. There was a lingering sense in every call that beyond the font, there had to be more to being the Church. You (presumably lay reader) probably recognize that sense in yourself. Perhaps you might even have perceived your place as a layperson as a station of lack, defined more by all the things you can’t do versus the clergy. When those discerners asked, “What’s it like, living in the Casa?” or “What sort of things do lay missioners do?” they were asking after the shape of our blessing. The great asks of the Priestly Blessing—that God make his face shine on us, that God turn his face to us, that God keep us—are all invitations for God to be present among us. Even more importantly, in the same way that a friend’s smile lights you up, the Israelites are being drawn towards the light of God dwelling in their midst. By this light, the invocation to the priests seems less a privilege than an office—a call which might extend to all believers.

FMS’ founder, Fr. Anselm Moons certainly thought so. “Francis… called [his followers] to conversion—not to the priesthood,” he writes in one of the earliest editions of our program’s newsletter. “If he also welcomed priests among the brothers, it was not for their sacramental powers: they too, like other people, needed conversion.” The tremendous political, social, and ecological upheaval that swept me into the DC Service Corps program ten months ago has not abated; I cannot say if it ever will.  Let us, as Francis enjoined Leo, “take these words, and until the day of death guard them carefully.” May God ever turn his face towards us—and may we always find ourselves ready to turn our faces towards God. 

Question for Reflection: Reflect on the Priestly Blessing. How can it stabilize you in your call to be the Church?

Datuin, Jose. Ang Pababago: Peace-Love, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

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One of the first things I fell in love with at the Casa was my westward facing window. For the past ten months, I have had the pleasure of calling room number eleven in Casa San Salvador my own and the greater pleasure of bearing witness to the many beautiful sunsets it has offered me. The glorious colors of the evening never cease to halt me in my day, reminding me that the now is ephemeral and inviting me to be present in it. 

I have found that gazing at the setting sun is its own kind of ministry of presence. I am not doing anything as I look out my window, and yet gazing allows me to simply be with God’s creation. I am reminded of Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures as the day wanes; Brother Sun, Sister Earth, Brother Fire, and Sister Bodily Death dance in harmony as the day dies and the evening dawns, displaying the splendor of their Creator for every eye that stops to look. 

As my year in room eleven draws to a close and the sun continues to set outside my window, it invites me to remember that my time at the Casa is itself like a day. It is long while you are in it but flies by at the end. It is valuable in itself, but grows much greater when added to all the days that come before and after. It is always meant to pass away, but in its death lies its meaning. 

That window facing west is one of my most photographed spots in the house this year. Time and again, I have sought to capture the beauty it presents me, its emotion and splendor, to save for when it is gone. Some attempts have been more successful than others. When I look at these snapshots, I recall, in the imperfect way of memory, what it was like to be in a now that is gone. 

Question for Reflection: When have you taken time to be present and witness a sunset?

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

The Franciscan sisters who I live with have wonderfully included me in their ministries and in their community life at the convent. It has been a rich experience filled with deep spirituality, friendship, and rewarding work. There also can be no doubt that my work at Bethlehem Orphanage is one of my greatest joys. Yet, for several months, I sensed that God desired something more from me. 

I come from a place of privilege, and in some ways, the convent and Bethlehem kept me safely in that bubble of privilege. Yet, whenever I went for a drive in Kingston, I saw through the protection of the car window a side of Kingston that was very hard to look at. So many live in extreme poverty. There was this nagging tension, a sort of spiritual battle within me with one side wanting to put up blinders and the other inviting me to step outside and not fear, for these too were God’s people. I daily prayed to God to help me know what he was asking of me and affirmed my prayer by concluding “Jesus, I trust in you.” This is when I met Sr. Beverly.

I heard that Sr. Beverly worked in the inner city, so I asked her if I could be her shadow for a day. She agreed and picked me up one morning at 6:30 AM. Off we went in her decades old van that only holds together by the grace of God. On the journey, I noticed that Sr. Beverly was unlike many Kingston drivers. She stayed within speed limits stopping for every pedestrian, and always giving deference to every other driver on the road. At stoplights, she greeted vendors walking amongst the cars, and when they saw her blue habit, they sent her blessings. This was a densely packed 45-minute demonstration of “loving thy neighbor,” and I quickly realized that Sr. Beverly was of a different ilk.

We soon arrived at the location of her ministry, St. Anne’s Church in the Hannah Town neighborhood of Kingston. It was 7:15 AM and she opened the church doors and set up for adoration. At 8:00, Fr. Patrick said Mass. There were probably about 20 people in attendance, and I watched as most of them came up during communion with their arms crossed for a blessing. I later learned that these individuals are not Catholic, but they enjoy coming to Mass most mornings.

After Mass, I shadowed Sr. Beverly in her work. She showed me the rectory and sacristy of the church and noted they both needed some major TLC. She also explained that someone was needed to teach OCIA and catechism. We then went for a walk in the neighborhood. I was told that the crime rate here was high, and one must be cautious. She introduced me to so many people along the way. Many live on “captured land” (called “squatting” in the US) and built their homes using gathered materials. This is somewhat common throughout Jamaica. Some of the people I met have small carts or booths that they use to sell snacks and drinks. I noticed little car or foot traffic, and wondered if their business could sustain them. We continued our journey through the neighborhood and visited some shut-ins to whom she administered Holy Communion. In every encounter, I was a witness to a dedicated woman who truly loved this community. Moreover, they loved her. Not a soul passed her without offering her warm greetings. 

We visited three schools in the neighborhood that belong to the church, and all three asked me to volunteer. Sr. Beverly then took me to a property next to St. Anne’s called the “Village” which is a small community built for the church by US volunteers. There are seven distinct units on about ½ acre of land housing mostly poor elderly women. Sr. Beverly introduced me to several of the residents and later shared with me that she hoped that someone could help the residents to build positive relationships, as there has been some long-standing tension between them. 

As that first day came to a close, I talked with Sr. Beverly about the work I could do. I have to admit that I was feeling a little scared. The list of needs was long, and I was worried that some of the work was not in my wheelhouse. I felt very uncomfortable with trying to build relationships in the Village units. I have no training as a catechist, and lacked confidence in teaching religion. I also haven’t mentioned that I could barely understand the speech of the community members I met that day. They spoke with a very thick Jamaican Patois accent, and I just could not discern their words. 

Back at the convent, I sat before Jesus and spoke of my fears. In time, a calm came over me and I remembered my prayer of assent “Jesus, I trust in you.” I repeated it slowly, breathing in the words and exhaling out my fears. Confidence started pouring over me and I began to understand that my fears were unnecessary. The gifts the Lord has given me, He would use. Those I was lacking He would provide. I just needed to trust in Him.

My time in the community of St. Anne’s is now something I look forward to. I lead a faith studies group right after Mass, and later in the day, I accompany a few people on their OCIA journey. When I walk down the street to work in the schools, I am warmly greeted by the residents and children. Every day, I visit the Village to check in with my newfound friends. One is Sr. Angelita, and she and I are conspiring to clean up the overgrowth of plants. I also sit for a spell and chit chat with Mrs. Reid and Mrs. Tulloch. They both are hard of hearing and I struggle to parse through their thick accent, but God graces us with a good sense of humor and a lot of patience. 

I thank God for directing me to Sr. Beverly. Her devotion to God and dedication to the St. Anne’s neighborhood is a model of deep faith and true love. Through Sr. Beverly, God gave me an opportunity to drop my guard, let go of control and trust in Him alone.

I trusted in the Lord with all my heart, and He filled my heart with joy.

I let go of my ways, and His way became clear. 

Praise the Lord!

Question for Reflection: When have you trusted in God while you served your neighbors?

Photos of Susan and her ministries at St. Anne’s Church and the Village neighborhood.

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One face of the DOJ building back in DC is engraved with the words EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW. Every time I passed it I would shake my head. No! Justice is a shining, everlasting ideal. Laws are mutable, temporary, and frequently wrong. Law belongs under justice, not the other way around.

Slavery was legal until 1863. The kidnapping, brutal incarceration, and even murder of migrants across our country is now presumably legal, though clearly in no way just. So, for the past year, starting last May, citizens have been exercising our legal right to observe some of the hearings that determine the fate of scared, hopeful migrants in courthouses nationwide. The American Bar Association (ABA), which receives and tabulates our reports, recorded 10,715 observations through April, documenting 72 courts and 357 judges. Since I have not submitted their detailed, time-consuming report for every hearing I’ve observed – and I know others who have not – that’s an undercount.

Here in El Paso, the accompaniment team, which included my FMS compañera Kim Wagner for about six months last year, does the most important work. As well-founded fear keeps more and more respondents away and quite a few show up virtually, observers see what the accompaniers miss inside judges’ chambers. The ABA can track trends to guide their work, and history and the rest of the world can know what’s happening. I am also convinced that being observed inspires the judges to proceed more courteously and fairly.

On a typical Tuesday, I sit in on one or two dockets, each of which will run for two to four hours. These have typically included between 15 and 30 cases, but this morning, May 26, I saw the first of the new “rocket dockets,” scheduling more than 100 people at once for super-fast group processing. Standing appointments are being canceled and new, earlier dates mailed out, but many people never see the new notice. Those who don’t show up, either virtually or in person, are ruled “removable in absentia,” liable to be picked up at their home, worksite, or a random traffic stop if they don’t go into hiding – perhaps even if they do. 

Thousands of immigrants have received Notices to Appear at court (NTAs) since January 2025. Each is a unique and precious child of God, and each individual hearing dramatically affects many lives beyond their own. I invite you to imagine yourself in a few of the situations I have either observed in court or heard about from prisoners at one of the city’s two camps.

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You have been in the U.S.  for 18 years, working hard and raising a family. The Immigration and Naturalization Service closed your case back in 2013, so you thought everything was fine. Earlier this year you received a Notice to Appear (NTA). It looked important! On the appointed date you woke up in the dark and drove 310 miles from Midland, TX, to El Paso with your wife and three children. Because you have a clean record, lawyers are expensive, and your kids have plans for college, you appear pro se – without representation. The judge looks at your documents, advises you to find a lawyer, and schedules another hearing in six months to give you time to do that. When you leave the courtroom, five masked ICE agents arrest you and take you away, leaving your crying wife and children behind.  

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You entered the U.S. in 2018, applied for a work permit, and got a job.  Before long you fell for a guy who worked in the same hospital, a U.S. citizen. You kept him at arm’s length for a while so he wouldn’t think you were only interested in his citizenship, but when he proposed the next year, you said yes. Now, you are the parents of two little boys. Last year, when you got an NTA, you borrowed and scraped together enough to hire a lawyer. He said he was filing an I-130 with its five attachments and also adjusting your status; that both would cost money and take time, but you’d be ok. When you call to be sure he has the court date, thousands of dollars later, the phone number he gave you has been disconnected. You are able to attend the hearing by WebEx, since you live in Florida, but that lawyer isn’t online. The judge is kind and gives you six months to find another lawyer. But where will you find the money to hire one? 

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You brought your medical degree to the U.S. 15 years ago because as a woman, you were not allowed to practice in Afghanistan. You have been happy in your work and you have a great partner, but you have spent almost $16,000 on lawyers and thought you had done everything right until you received an NTA earlier this year. The judge tells you about the option of pre-conclusion voluntary departure, which would give you several months to return home at your own expense and possibly return to the U.S. in a few years. You are tired. Your heart wants to stay and your head wants to leave. The judge is patient while you wrestle with yourself, and you finally decide to stay, to keep pursuing your appeals. Then you leave the courtroom and the ICE agents take you to the Processing Center. You have been held for six months so far, at two different camps. When will it end? Some people you’ve met have been in detention for over two years. 

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You and your housemates were awakened one March morning by masked men knocking on your door. They broke the door, pulled you outside, put you in handcuffs, took away your wallet and phone, and pulled you into an unmarked car while your neighbors watched and your friends tried to defend you. After you spent nine weeks at the Processing Center, the guards said you had been scheduled for a hearing, but that date came and went. When you asked the guards, they shrugged and told you to shut up. You don’t want to make them angry because you know three people died at this camp in six weeks last winter. People you know saw the guards strangling one of them.

Today you finally went before a judge inside the camp. He said you have been ruled Removable in Absentia because you failed to show up at a February hearing. What hearing? He says an NTA was sent to your address – but you had moved twice since you left that address. Now you are waiting to learn when you’ll be deported. The food is terrible, and you’re told it’s worse at the camp where you will be taken soon. You have learned some rough Spanish from the other prisoners, but no one in your pod of 50 women speaks your language, and no one has visited you. 

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And then, rarely – but often enough to keep hope alive – there’s a happy outcome.

When you, your wife and daughter, and your month-old son went to a regular immigration check-in last October, the others were told to come back for you in an hour. When they came back, they learned you had been taken away. In January, after months without a word, they heard you were in El Paso. Friends helped them set up phone contact and engage a lawyer. A hearing was scheduled, postponed, and rescheduled, then your appeal was denied. In May, you were moved to a prison in New Mexico. On May 27 – your 39th birthday – you suddenly learned you were being released that day, following (you later learned) a court order that affected a large group of detainees. ICE transported you to Annunciation House in El Paso, travel arrangements were made, and you were back in Maryland the next day.

Thanks be to God, Alleluia!

Question for Reflection: Which of these stories resonated with you or surprised you the most?