In one of the most dangerous states in Mexico, the Worker Sisters help children who are exposed to violence. With ACN’s support, they also train novices who grew up in difficult environments, preparing them to carry hope to vulnerable communities.
“One of our children saw his father be killed,” says Sister Rosalina during an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “We had another case of three children who witnessed the murder of their mother in front of their house. They saw the whole thing.” These are just a few of the heartbreaking situations that the Working Sisters of the Holy Family have endured in the communities near Zamora de Hidalgo, in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The city, which is spread over fertile valleys and is famous for its architecture, is also a hotbed of violence, crime and stray bullets. It has one of the highest murder rates in Mexico, around 118 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The sisters work in a school with around 300 students and strive to give them the tools to withstand the challenges. “We try to help them be more resilient, and not be afraid,” says Mother Josefina Peña, the superior of the congregation, who is affectionately referred to as “Madre Jose”. Sister Rosalina describes some of the tougher cases she experienced in the different local communities: “I remember the terror in one of them, the panic felt by the families, and the threats they received. One of the worst threats was that they were going to form a rosary with the heads of the children, which they would set up at the town’s roundabout,” she recalls, with horror.
“You could see the fear in their faces. The other sisters and I told them that the children would be safe with us.” She adds, however, that “it is awful. The hardest thing is telling a child that their father has been killed. It is very painful to witness this type of thing, because though we already carry the greatest gift of all, which is faith in God, from a human perspective one wants to do more.”
Although violence has now subsided to an extent, there are many still missing, and the violence between cartels, although somewhat hidden, continues. They say that in the novitiate area they had to live through the shootings and even stray bullets sometimes entered the building.
“We train the novices so that they can be prepared to visit the small communities”
Sister Miriam, the master of novices, explains to ACN that many of the young women arrive at the novitiate after having experienced violence situations within their own families, or other complicated backgrounds, with all the pain and suffering they bring. “When they arrive, the first thing we do is provide human and psychological help, so that they can heal, and begin to forgive, to escape from all of this violence, and all the internal suffering they carry,” she explains. “The help we offer is holistic, spiritual and psychological. We help them to discern, and we accompany them. We are there to support them 100%. After that, we train them so that they will be prepared to visit the small communities.”
Of course, there is a financial dimension to all of this, and for that the congregation expresses its thanks for the support received from ACN and its benefactors. Mother Jose and Sister Miriam are two of the many religious who have benefited personally from ACN’s economic help to further their studies. The foundation has renewed this project to support the formation of several novices. “We are so grateful to all of you, and as always, to the foundation. We have been praying to God for you, for your family and for all those who are with you now, who will join you in the future, or who have already left,” says Mother Jose.
“Our strength comes from prayer”
The extent of the violence begs the question: why do the sisters remain? What drives them to carry on? “The way we support each other,” Sister Rosalina replies immediately. “And prayer: our strength comes from prayer. The older sisters, who are already ill, pray a lot for us,” she adds. Furthermore, the religious sister assures ACN that “it doesn’t cross our minds to leave. We want to remain with the people. To accompany those who are suffering. We’re not going anywhere. We strive to be conciliatory, and we find our strength in God. He could call us to himself at any time, so we need to be on good terms with Him, to be at peace with each other, and to build relationships of peace. We will not abandon those who need us.”
Mother Jose concludes, saying that “it is wonderful to see how both the local inhabitants and the novices grow as people and spiritually. Being a ray of light and hope gives us strength, and we are grateful for the mission we have been entrusted with: to accompany our brethren in these communities. To be a family.”