This document examines hospitality and accompaniment of migrants by Catholic organizations. It provides examples of programs that support families in communities of origin, assist migrants in transit and after deportation, and help migrants integrate into destination communities. These programs address emotional, financial, legal, and medical needs through services like support groups, community banks, shelters, health clinics, and advocacy efforts. The organizations described see accompaniment as walking beside migrants in their journey and empowering their voices.

1. WALKING TOGETHER IN
SOLIDARITY: MIGRANT
ACCOMPANIMENT
Maria Vidal de Haymes, Ph.D , Loyola University Chicago
Graciela Polanco, Ph.D., Universidad Iberoamericana-DF
Siobahn O’Donoghue, M.SW, Mdiv., Loyola University Chicago

2. Focus of Current Study
This study examines the various human rights and
social and pastoral challenges and responses of a
network of Catholic organizations to the experiences
and needs of irregular migrants and their families along
the various phases of the migratory arc.

3. Guiding Assumptions
 migrants are motivated by their desire to improve
their life circumstances and exercise their human
agency to act on those motivations;
 migrants experience risks and vulnerability in
varied forms across the varied stages or moments
of migration;
 migrant resilience and protective factors can
provide a counterbalance to the risk and
vulnerabilities that they experience; and
 among the most important protective factors for
migrants is their faith and the support offered by
faith-inspired institutions and actors.

4. Stages of Migration
Transit
Return to Country
of Origin
Preinmmigration
Resettlement
Adapted from Pine and Drachman
(2005)

5. Research Questions
Four major questions addressed:
 What are the varied needs of migrants & their families
at
 different points in the migratory trajectory?
 How do various Catholic faith inspired actors and
organizations work together to advance a coordinated
pastoral/social accompaniment?
 What are the constitutive elements of a model for
social and pastoral accompaniment of migrants?
 How is the accompanier touched by the experience of
accompanying irregular migrants?

6. Institutional Support for the
Study
 Interdisciplinary and transnational research
team
 Collaborating Pastoral and Service Institutions
• Jesuit Migrant Services of Mexico;
• Kino Border Initiative, and
• Office for Immigrant Affairs and Immigrant Education of
the Archdioceses of Chicago.
 Small grant for the Louisville Institute

7. Process
 Qualitative Interviews
 study sites: Mexico, Nogales Arizona/Sonora, &
Chicago,
 Collaborating Institutions
• Jesuit Migrant Services of Mexico;
• Kino Border Initiative, and
• Office for Immigrant Affairs and Immigrant
Education of the Archdioceses of Chicago.
 Sample:
Actor U.S.A.
(Destination)
Mexico
(Origin/Transit
)
Nogales
(Return)
Total
Pastoral Agent/Staff 6 4 3 13
Clergy/Religious 8 7 7 22
Migrant/Migrant Family 10 10 10 30

8. Findings
All four of our primary assumptions were
supported by the data collected through our
interviews and also reflected several important
themes that are identified and followed by several
illustrative quotes:
 Hospitality and Accompaniment
 Work with Migrants Informs Theology &
Transforms
 Preparation for Work with Migrants
 Centrality of Faith to the Migrant
 Increasing Vulnerability of Irregular Migrants
 Blur Between Refugees and Economic Migrants

9. Increasing Vulnerability of
Irregular Migrants
 Particularly Central Americans that have been though abuse,
sexual abuse. And many ride the train and some have been
abused by U.S. authorities, border patrol and more verbal
than just abuse happens if they have been in detention at
border patrol. They do not eat well and so, some haven’t
bathed for days some are unable to contact their family so,
when they come to us a significant number of them.. Some
are combination of all those experiences and so I think in the
sense of depression, a sense of pain… I mean it is hurtful. In
many ways I think people are hungry for healing, some
hungry to be heard and listened to, a safe space.
 Many of them have experienced trauma on their way many
of them were brutalized coming, many of them as they’ve
ridden La Bestia [the beast- the freight trains] have been
robbed and so I think there’s a wide range of psychological
needs of these folks.

10. Blur Between Refugees and
Economic Migrants
 And other causes it seems to me are that they have to live with violence in Central
America and Mexico, most significantly organized crime. The extortion money
they must pay every day with more frequency ; and the issue of persecution
because they were a witness to a crime or soemething. These situations obligate
them to leave their communities of origin. And the issue of kidnapping is a
growing cause.
 One mother said, when asked, how can you allow your 14 year old child to travel
unaccompanied to the United States knowing the danger, she responded, “I would
rather have my daughter killed going to the United States for a better life than
shot to death at my doorstep,” she goes, “that’s the reality here.”
 The reasons were the economy, insecurity and because there is no work , and if
you work you get very little pay, not enough to eat. So much insecurity , many
gangs have dominated the country and the authorities can not do anything, so one
opts to leave the country and try to help their family that is extremely poor.

11. Centrality of Faith to the
Migrant
 I find sometimes as a priest, I wish I had the faith of
a migrant, I mean they’ve really learned to trust in
God and to really have that sense, that kind of
biblical notion to journey with God, a God who walks
with them, even though they experience tremendous
suffering. It is just a deep faith that “God is with me
and somehow God is going to work and make this
happen” and I think that captures well the faith of the
mother migrating. That somehow God is with them
and their claim of that.
 Time and time again what we’ve gone to McHenry
country jail. They talk about their faith in God and it’s
only because of God watching out for them that
they’re alive. It’s amazing how deep, their faith is, so

12. Centrality of Faith to the
Migrant
 All, be they observant or non-practicing, Catholic or Evangelical
or of another religion, all have a great, great faith in God. In that
God is accompanying them and that God will deliver them.
Some of them even express that what has happened to them in
route is because it is God’s will; because God wanted it;
because God has permitted it; because God has guided me.
 It is a spiritual presence of God that is very, very strong. It is
something that at times even reenergizes us. Not too long ago
we had a very painful case in which a person extremely injured,
tortured wrote in our book of petitions at the shelter that “ for my
children I an going to forgive all that has happened to me in the
journey and start anew. For my Children I am going to forgive
because I know that God has been with me.” I would say that it
is a total integration of faith within all that they experience in their
life, as well as a spiritual expression.

13. Work with Migrants Informs
Theology and Transforms
 In the experience of migrants one can understand the
biblical experiences that are the foundation of our
faith. We are all travelers; we have all been in need of
exodus at some point; we have experienced slavery;
we have been victims of violence that has forced us to
move to another place. In the Gospels there is an
experience of liberation. And the migrant is clamoring
for liberation that is total and that respects human
dignity that cannot be questioned by anyone or any
law.
 I see myself as more of a companion, a companion
on the road. I walk with them I have it very clear that
in them I encounter Jesus and with them Jesus is
walking. Another thing that is very clear to me is the
trust that God has in me to place someone in my path
so that I can accompany them and help them continue
on their journey.

14. Preparation for Work with
Migrants
 We have attended some workshops, some
encounters regarding human rights, psychology,
addictions, immigration laws…Whatever is
needed at the moment. We have attended some
trainings, but not much.
 I have learned through experience. One learns
through direct work and trial and error.
 I attended a certificate program on pastoral work
with migrants. It was for two years that I did during
my Regency. This certificate program allowed me
to develop a very comprehensive view of
migration and moreover to be close to Central

15. Challenges Faced by the Church
are Many
 lack of vocations among individuals that have the
cultural and linguistic knowledge to minister to
immigrant populations
 a disconnect between the Catholic Church’s
official supportive stance on immigrants and
immigration and the sentiments of many
congregants;
 the importance of incorporating culturally diverse
religious practices that immigrants bring with
them; and the need to understand and incorporate
aspects of popular religiosity.

16. In Communities of Origin
Hospitality and
Accompaniment

17. Accompaniment and Hospitality
 Welcome the migrant with love, dignity,
respect, and solidarity
 Accompany them on the journey or part of it
 Connect the people to services
 way of practice with a vulnerable population
that is grounded in respect for the client, a firm
believe in inclusivity, and empowerment

18. Hospitality
 One provides humanitarian aid, food, clothing, a place
to bathe. Those are just those all physical
needs…We try to meet those. I think we meet most.
But there is another need, perhaps deeper need, that
is of feeling safe and of being listened to… of knowing
or feeling God is with them and loves them…a
supportive presence.
 The Church helps us through you. You are a great
support to us. If you find me on the journey you
recognize that I am tired. You give me water, food if
you have any. I think that God places people like you
in my path to lend me a hand.

19. What is Accompaniment?
 Both Father Gustavo Gutiérrez and Dr. Farmer subscribe to
what they call a “theology of accompaniment”.
 For them, the practice of accompaniment is highly personal and
deeply relational. Accompaniment of the lonely poor involves
walking with – no behind or in front – but beside a real person on
his or her own particular journey in his or her own particular
pace.
 Accompanying others in their struggles for survival does not
have a beginning or an end, and there is no outside plan to be
imposed.
 It often means being present to terrible suffering, being thrown
into chaotic circumstances, encountering unexpected problems
and difficult situations with no solutions.
 And yet, accompaniment, the act of “walking with another” is, in
the words of Roberto Goizueta, “always a fundamentally

20. Accompaniment
 True accompaniment is really entering into the lives of
someone else and letting them enter into your life. And
that’s how I approach ministry now, there are boundaries of
course, professional boundaries in terms of all kinds of
stuffs, but and ethics and stuff…but there’s a human being
sitting next to you, it’s not a statistic, it’s not a client, it’s a
person.
 And I coordinate two of the teams, short-term
accompaniment teams so often time I am on those teams.
So when we get a call, like today the hotline is directed to
my cell phone. So if I get a call it could be from someone
who is just being released… I bring them home to my
house where they can take a shower, where they can eat,
here they can rest, a change of clothes, call their family
members. And then I’ll bring them back and we sit there

21. Accompaniment
 That’s what I miss the most, it’s this feeling of accompanying
people. I guess the way I think about it is, I remember telling
a refugee one time I can’t get you out of the camp, but I can
get your voice out of the camp. I think about that a lot, with
migrants, the ones I have encountered along my journey in
immigration work, that when I’m going up to Capitol Hill,
working on some of the mundane crafting of talking points,
that I’m bringing their voice into those halls of power, decision
makers and policy makers. I really feel a sense of
accompaniment in doing that. But there is no doubt that it’s a
little bit of step, a necessary step, and I think all advocacy
begins with accompaniment, without having accompanied
people I would never be able to do the work that I do now. Its
given me a really great insight to their lives, and into the
complicated situation that immigration is, in terms of laws and
policies and family dynamics.

22. Example of Hospitality and
Accompaniment
Many programmatic examples of how those
interviewed, along with other faith-based actors and
organizations, engage in accompaniment and
hospitality-based initiatives:
 programs that support the family members of
migrants remaining in communities of origin,
 care for migrants in transit,
 and attend to migrants in destination communities,
 well as recently deported return migrants are
described for the various stages of migration

23. Hospitality and Accompaniment in
Communities of Origin
 The Mujer y Familia Migrante program of Jesuit
Migrant Services of Mexico
 self-help support groups address the emotional loss and
stress associated with the separation and changes in
family dynamics associated with migration.
 The community banks, also led by the wives and mothers
of migrants, support the efficient investment and use of
economic remittances received by the family members as
well as support the development of local employment and
revenue generating activities that can prevent the need to
migrate and possibly contribute to development of local
economies.
 Families of the lost: search for the lost family
members; repatriation of remains; COFAMIPRO,
Caravanas de Madres

24. Mujer Y Familia Migrante, SJM-
MX
 emotional costs of migration
 acculturation
 migration grief
 managing emotions
 self-esteem
 empowerment
 assertiveness
 family communication
 conflict resolution
 violence
 gender violence
 sexual and reproductive health

25. In Communities of Transit and Return
Hospitality and
Accompaniment

26. Hospitality and Accompaniment of Migrants
In Transit and Return (Out and Return
Migration):
 Dimensión Pastoral De La Movilidad Humana
(Pastoral Dimension of Human Mobility): network
of shelters and humanitarian organizations that
has become a prime example of assistance to
migrants in transit, deported migrants, and
migrant workers.
 The aid primarily consists of food, shelter, medical
care, and legal assistance, as well as educational
instruction on human rights, health prevention
measures, and information about the risks and
dangers on the route through the corridor.

27. Hospitality and Accompaniment of Migrants
In Transit and Return (Out and Return
Migration):
 Jesuit Kino Border Initiative (KBI). Located
proximately on both sides of the Mexican -U.S.
border in Nogales. KBI provides pastoral
accompaniment and direct assistance to men,
women, and children that have been deported
from the U.S. to Mexico in the form meals,
clothing and personal care items, and referrals
and linkage to Mexican government and NGO
services.

28. In Communities of Destination
Hospitality and
Accompaniment

29. Hospitality and Accompaniment in
Community of Destination
 In communities of destination, NGOs and parishes have
provided humanitarian aid, health care, social services, and
mental health programs to attend to migrants and their
families as well as assist in their integration.
 Many faith based actors and associations that focus on
immigrant advocacy have been instrumental in pushing for
public “immigrant welcoming and sanctuary policies.”
 To address the suffering of families divided by detention and
deportation, many churches have developed accompaniment
and new sanctuary projects that provide an array of supports
that include: attention to basic needs of family members,
transportation of family members to detention centers for
visits, escorting immigrants in deportation proceedings to
court hearings and ICE check-ins, prayer vigils at detention
centers, and accompaniment of immigrants in detention and
their families.

30. Fuente: Archdiocese of Chicago, 2009

31. Conclusion
 The humanitarian responses in this corridor and in destination communities in
the U.S. present a unique array of expressions of hospitality and
accompaniment that address the volume of migration in the region, as well as
the needs of migrants and their families at different points in the migratory arc.
 Faith inspired actors and institutions have provided relief to hundreds of
migrants in transit, as well as support to those who are in detention, have been
deportation, and have experienced family separation. At the level of public
awareness, these actors have worked to make visible the plight of irregular
migrants and the human consequences of the immigration and economic
policies of migrant source, transit, and destination countries.
 At both the humanitarian and public awareness level, practices of hospitality
and accompaniment stress the dignity of the human person, the rights of the
migrant, and the importance of family and a broader solidarity of peoples in a
globalizing world.
 Clearly, clergy and faith-inspired actors and organizations have been at the
center of these efforts to accompany and extend hospitality to migrants and
their families.
 The profession of social work can learn much from these practices and work in
partnership with faith-based actors and organizations to attend to migrants
across the various stages of migration.