This interview took place in the little library of Casa Juan Diego’s men’s house in Houston, Texas. Mark presented me to the group of men who are staying there during one of the two weekly meetings with the men. I explained to them my interest in listening to their stories and then sharing them. I… continue reading

What the Eyes can See What the eyes see is a journey of dreams: Mountains and pine forests, small herds of goats and cows cared for by women and children, with big eyes and cheeks, red from the cold, the sun, and the dust. Farms that extend from one side to the other of the… continue reading

Pope John Paul II has said repeatedly that the Catholic Church is opposed to capitalistic systems which give priority to profits and products rather than the good of the human person. Argentina has been touted as one of the success stories of the global market, of the “democratic laissez faire capitalism,” preached by Michael Novak, the neoliberalism that has… continue reading

When Carmen came to Casa Juan Diego, she could barely walk with a walker. Children’s Protective Services returned her children to her soon after she arrived. I, Carmen from Honduras, here tell you my sad story. When I decided to come to this country, I didn’t think I would suffer so much. When we arrived in Tecún Umán,… continue reading

Sara Rodriguez was deported last Monday to El Salvador without her baby. She, like all women in the Houston area about to be deported, was imprisoned in the Liberty County jail many miles away and without representation. All that was needed for someone to take the child to the Salvadoran Consulate to arrange travel papers and then take… continue reading

I. JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH Jesus, you are sentenced unjustly by your enemies. I know what you must feel. Many of us have been condemned to a slow death, because of thinking and because of taking our inspiration from the Bible and its message. Our children are already condemned to death because they carry on their… continue reading

I am going to tell you my sad story, the Calvary that I suffered in order to arrive in the UnitedStates of America. It was the Way of the Cross. Everything happened when gangs of delinquents in El Salvador killed my first son, Ignacio, who was 23 years old. It was this painful circumstance that… continue reading

I sat in the comedor of Casa Juan Diego and heard a story of a woman who, upon arrival, had been referred to a local hospital. She had massive burns on her leg from the exhaust pipe of a truck. She had ridden several days and nights in order to get to Houston. She had travelled from El Salvador…. continue reading

Julio Cesar jumped from a train in Odom, Texas, but slipped and fell under the wheels, losing a leg. He doesn’t remember a thing, but woke up in the county hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas. The hospital social worker who called us remembered that he had sent us guests when he worked in Victoria, Texas–again a person in an… continue reading

The migrants who arrive in Casa Juan Diego tell of the difficulties in their countries that contribute to migration. Some years ago refugee youth from the civil war in El Salvador arrived in Los Angeles, where they learned about the life of gangs and delinquents from that area and were later deported. Then the International… continue reading