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Prayer Bridges by Fr. Terry O’Connell, OMI – Pastor at Holy Angels in Buffalo, NY As Oblates when we speak of Border Ministry, the Map-quest of our minds and the history of our congregation direct us to Texas and California. Holy Angels parish in Buffalo, New York - our oldest permanent foundation in the United States - is just three blocks from the Peace Bridge, one of the busiest commercial crossings from the USA into Canada. The Peace Bridge is also a major crossing point for people from all over the world seeking political asylum in the United States or Canada. Vive La Casa is an organization in Buffalo that assists in the processing of those seeking political asylum. Last year alone, 5,000 refugees from 85 different countries were aided by Vive in their petition for asylum and resettlement in Canada Holy Angels parish became involved with Vive because of the large number of Latinos served by this organization. Many Latino Catholics at Vive expressed the desire to attend Mass and this became the occasion for our Spanish-speaking parishioners to organize transportation for them to our Sunday Liturgy. As people came to Sunday Mass, more and more of them wanted some time to speak with me but there was never enough time after Mass for all or even one person to share all the stories that needed to be shared. I began going to Vive on a weekly basis to be available for the Latinos who wished to speak with a priest. There are many clergy persons of all stripes who pass through the doors of Vive and for this reason I always make it a point to wear a Roman collar and have my rosary at hand to confirm my identity as a Catholic priest. The rosary has not only encouraged the Latinos but has also established bridges with others. Tibetan Buddhists connected with me as the man who has prayer beads like theirs. An Indonesian woman was overjoyed to encounter a Catholic priest whose identity was confirmed for her by the sight of my rosary. She and I did not share a common speaking language but were united by our prayer of one decade of the rosary each in our own language. My prayer presence has opened conversations with people from all over the world who have heard that I am there for them to listen to them and remember their needs before God. Muslims ask for prayers. I recently spoke with a young Kurdish man from Turkey who although he is a Muslim, had a rosary around his neck. He brought the rosary with him from Turkey because he loves Mary and was convinced that the Blessed Mother would assist him in his petition for political asylum. As perhaps a once in a lifetime experience, I also met at an albino Pakistani at Vive! The circumstances that make people exiles from their homelands are many and heartbreaking. Political agendas make it very difficult for those seeking refuge to find a host country that will give them a chance at a new life. The bitter public debates over Immigration Reform of late have put into question the viability of agencies like Vive that seek to continue their ministries to those who have no country to call their own. Many refugees are more afraid than ever to connect themselves to agencies set up to help them for fear that this connection will only speed their deportation. A young man from Afghanistan who has known only war for all of his life had been working as a translator for the American forces in his country. The Taliban put a price on his head and so he was forced to flee his country. He has many letters from American commanders in the field extolling him for his bravery in harm’s way and for his loyalty to the American troops. He has done all that he could even at the risk of his own life to aid the Americans in his homeland, but it remains doubtful that he will ever gain asylum in the United States. Our military presence in Afghanistan has officially made the country politically stable, therefore, the reasoning goes, there is no reason for anyone from there to need or seek asylum. I am not able to advance more enlightened immigration policies nor am I able to influence either the United States or Canada in their political concerns about giving asylum, but I can share my faith and prayer with those who seek refuge. My ministry as a Catholic priest is to be an oasis of trust where stories can be shared and hopes and fears brought before God in prayer. How interesting that Our Blessed Mother is a sign of hope for a Kurdish Moslem, that my rosary beads connect me to Tibetans and are a source of comfort even when our language of prayer is not the same. Prayer does build bridges that bring healing comfort and envision a different world where all are sons and daughters of the same Heavenly Father.
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