The Jesuit Border Podcast
The Jesuit Post
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Louie Hotop, SJ, and Brian Strassburger, SJ, are two recently ordained Jesuit priests. For their first mission, they have been sent to the diocese of Brownsville, TX, to work in the Rio Grande Valley along the U.S.-Mexico Border. This podcast will share on-the-ground stories and interviews that highlight the tremendous Catholic response to the migrant situation.
Available episodes
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Apr 12, 2022
Providing Shelter with Jennifer Harbury, co-founder of Angry Tías and Abuelas
This week we are very grateful to be joined by Jennifer Harbury, co-founder of Angry Tías and Abuelas, a grassroots organization that fights for the protection of migrants on both sides of the border and works tirelessly to secure much needed supplies for shelters, including the new shelter that is being built in Reynosa, Mexico. Jennifer has decades of experience working in Guatemala and along the US-Mexico border for the rights of vulnerable people. In this interview, she speaks in stark detail about the humanitarian crisis on the US-Mexico border, a direct result of both current US policy and decades of meddling in Central America. We share about our distribution of tents and tarps in the plaza, and argue over which one of us is Sherlyn’s favorite, a 7-year-old girl we’ve befriended in Reynosa.
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Apr 5, 2022
Giving Clothing to the Naked with Hermi Forshage, Volunteer Coordinator at the Humanitarian Respite Center
This week we are grateful to be joined by Hermi Forshage who is the volunteer coordinator at the Humanitarian Respite Center (HRC) in McAllen, TX and the chairperson for the Catholic Charities RGV advisory board. Hermi has been instrumental in helping us to get involved at the HRC and has been a huge supporter of our work in Reynosa. In this episode, Hermi shares stories from her years of experience working with migrant families and encourages listeners to think beyond politics and see the dignity of each person. We also share about the fiasco we created by trying to bring used clothing across the border - let’s just say we learned our lesson pretty quickly!
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Mar 29, 2022
Visit the Imprisoned with Trey Martinez, Brownsville Attorney and Co-Founder of Project Dignity Legal Team
This week we are very pleased to release our interview with Trey Martinez, an attorney from Brownsville and a very good friend of ours. In this episode, Trey tells the story about how, through the influence of Sr. Norma Pimentel, he chose to use his legal expertise to help migrants with their asylum cases and co-found Project Dignity Legal Team. Trey also speaks openly about the topic of immigration and humanitarian aid from his perspective as a lawyer and as a person of strong faith. We also share about our own struggles of getting involved with the migrant detention system and how difficult it can be to navigate - especially when you’re trying to track down a loved one!
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Mar 22, 2022
Burying the Dead with Fr. Joel Flores, pastor of San Pedro Catholic Church in the Diocese of Brownsville, TX
We are thrilled to welcome Fr. Joel Flores, the pastor of San Pedro Catholic Church in the Diocese of Brownsville, TX. Fr. Joel shares some of the innovative ways his parish has responded to the needs of the community throughout the pandemic, including transforming a trailer into a mobile chapel. He also reflects on his ministry of burying indigent or unclaimed bodies in the parish cemetery. We talk about our experiences presiding at funerals in the Rio Grande Valley, which include cultural touches like mariachi bands and wailing women.
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Mar 15, 2022
Caring for the Sick with Brendon Tucker from Global Response Management
We are excited to welcome Brendon Tucker from Global Response Management, an organization that delivers emergency medical care in crisis situations around the world, including in northern Mexico along the border. In his interview, Tucker talks about how he got so involved in a medical organization without a medical background, and the drastic medical needs in Reynosa right now. We share about our experience of “caring for the sick” at the hygiene counter in the Humanitarian Respite Center of Catholic Charities in McAllen, TX. While we are only dispensing over-the-counter medication, it still causes us both to work up quite the sweat. We’re priests, not doctors!
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Mar 8, 2022
Feeding the Hungry with Vero Dimas from Brownsville Wellness Coalition
We are delighted to welcome Vero Dimas from the Brownsville Wellness Coalition, an organization that offers programs that promote nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Brownsville has high rates of obesity and diabetes, and it’s one of the nation’s poorest cities by per capita income. The Brownsville Wellness Coalition addresses these issues by running a local farmer’s market, encouraging local produce growers, and offering lessons in healthy eating.
Vero Dimas, Executive Director of the Brownsville Wellness Coalition and a Brownsville native, talks about the wealth of the people, even among the poverty and low health marks. She emphasizes the value of not just feeding the hungry, but providing access to healthy food for everyone. We share a story about a meal with the family of the local car guard in Reynosa, who provides us with more than just parallel parking advice (although he provides that too!).
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Mar 1, 2022
Giving Drink to the Thirsty with Chloe Rastatter and Christa Cook from Solidarity Engineering
We are excited to welcome Chloe Rastatter and Christa Cook from Solidarity Engineering for our first episode of Season 2. Chloe and Christa are two of the three engineers who founded Solidarity Engineering, an organization working on the border to provide engineering solutions to water and sanitation problems, among other things. In this episode, they talk about the complexities of something as basic as providing clean drinking water, and what it’s like to work as women and engineers on the border. We share about the ways we’ve seen both the great needs for water for people in Reynosa, Mexico, and how water can make things more complicated, like when it rains!
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Feb 22, 2022
Teaser: Season 2 of The Jesuit Border Podcast
Louie Hotop, SJ, and Brian Strassburger, SJ, are two Jesuit priests working on the US-Mexico border in the diocese of Brownsville, TX. This podcast explores the humanitarian response along the U.S.-Mexico border from a Catholic perspective.
Season 2 will focus on the Corporal Works of Mercy, and include interviews with organizations who are putting them into practice in very challenging conditions. The first episode of Season 2 will be released on Tuesday, March 1st. You can find the podcast in this feed and on our website (_www.TheJesuitPost.org_)
This podcast is edited and produced by the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the U.S. and hosted by The Jesuit Post. And it is definitely NOT sponsored by Amazon or Toyota.
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Jan 25, 2022
BONUS EPISODE: Full interview with Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ
It was our great pleasure to welcome Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley for the last episode of Season 1. Sr. Norma works tirelessly on behalf of the most vulnerable on the US-Mexico border, and she is a well-known advocate for migrants and asylum seekers. If you enjoyed hearing from her in Episode 6, here is the full interview. Sr. Norma reflects on her own call to serve the poor and marginalized as a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, and she calls on all people of good will to "come and see" how Christ is present along the border. The full interview includes insights into her own prayer life and how she handles the pressure that comes with being a high profile advocate on the border.
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Jan 18, 2022
BONUS EPISODE: Full interview with Bishop Daniel Flores
We were honored to have Bishop Daniel Flores for our first interview. As the bishop of Brownsville, TX, Bishop Flores is deeply invested in and knowledgeable of the border reality. If you enjoyed hearing from him in Episode 1, here is the full interview. Bishop Flores shares his reflections on the dignity of the human person, especially from the perspective of the poorest among us. The full interview also expands on the history of the Diocese of Brownsville and dives deeper into his own philosophy.
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Dec 21, 2021
Preferential Option for the Poor with Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley
For our final episode of the first season of The Jesuit Border Podcast, it is our pleasure to welcome Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. Sr. Norma works tirelessly on behalf of the most vulnerable on the US-Mexico border, and she is a well-known advocate for migrants and asylum seekers. She was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2020. The Humanitarian Respite Center that Sister started several years ago helps hundreds of migrant families every week, and it has been an essential part of our ministry in the Valley.
In this episode, Sr. Norma reflects on her own call to serve the poor and marginalized as a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, and she calls on all people of good will to "come and see" how Christ is present along the border. We also share the challenge of prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable in the camp and highlight the generous cocineras that we depend upon!
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Dec 14, 2021
Solidarity with Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, Co-Founder of The Sidewalk School
This week on The Jesuit Border Podcast, it is our pleasure to welcome Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, the co-founder of The Sidewalk School, a school for migrant children in the Reynosa encampment, along with other sites in northern Mexico. Felicia is a strong advocate for asylum-seekers, and she is particularly focused on amplifying their voices and creating opportunities to exhibit their talents.
In this episode Felicia shares from her own experience of living in solidarity with asylum-seekers and offers reflections on the border reality. We also share about Pastor Hector, founder of the “Senda de Vida” shelter in Reynosa, who really exemplifies solidarity with the most vulnerable.
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Dec 7, 2021
Call to Family, Community, and Participation with Ofelia de los Santos, Director of Jail Ministry in the Diocese of Brownsville
We are delighted to welcome Ofelia de los Santos who works for the Diocese of Brownsville, TX. Ofelia is the Director of Jail Ministry, the Director of Stewardship, and the liaison for Catholic Relief Services. In a word, she wears many hats! In this episode Ofelia shares from her experiences of accompanying detained men and women as a lawyer and as a chaplain. We also share about our ministry with unaccompanied minors, including insights into what it’s like to offer counseling during confessions in a different language and through a mask.
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Nov 30, 2021
The Rights and Dignity of Workers with Sr. Liz Sjoberg from Proyecto Juan Diego
We are excited to welcome Sr. Liz Sjoberg, the Director of Family and Education Services at Proyecto Juan Diego, a non-profit which assists low-income and undocumented families in the Rio Grande Valley.
In this episode, Sr. Liz speaks about her own experience of working in the Valley with migrants and undocumented people. She explores the joys and difficulties of this ministry, and reflects deeply on the importance of dignified work. We also share about the ways we've seen migrants offer their own skills for the good of the community in the camp in Reynosa.
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Nov 23, 2021
Rights and Responsibilities with Nancy Dimas from Project Dignity Legal Team
We are excited to welcome our good friend and frequent advisor, Nancy Dimas, for our second episode. Nancy is the Executive Administrator of Project Dignity Legal Team, a ministry of Catholic Charities RGV. In this episode, she reflects on the rights that asylum seekers have as they navigate the immigration process. We also share stories of some unexpected places where we’ve run into asylum seekers in the US.
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Nov 16, 2021
Life and Dignity of the Human Person with Bishop Daniel Flores
We are honored to have Bishop Daniel Flores for our first interview. As the bishop of Brownsville, TX, Bishop Flores is deeply invested in and knowledgeable of the border reality. In this episode, he shares his own reflections on the dignity of the human person, especially from the perspective of the poorest among us. We also share about our own work with the migrants in Reynosa, Mexico, and some mistakes we've made along the way!
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Nov 2, 2021
Trailer: The Jesuit Border Podcast
Louie Hotop, SJ, and Brian Strassburger, SJ, are two newly ordained Jesuit priests working on the US-Mexico border in the diocese of Brownsville, TX. This podcast will highlight some of the work that the Catholic Church and others are doing to address the needs on the border, as well as explore immigration topics from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching.
The first episode will be available on Tuesday, Nov 16th. You can find the podcast in this feed and on our website (www.theJesuitPost.org).
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