A woman traveled for weeks through the unforgiving desert and across hostile and dangerous towns wearing a rosary around her neck. Her faith and hope for a better life, free from persecution and fear, fuel her resolve. The four Scripture-based mysteries that anchor the Rosary prayers — the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous — seem a fitting lens to understand the rosary’s significance in the lives of some of the most vulnerable immigrant populations trying to reach the United States.

Whether they are porous wood with cord, plastic beads with stained metal ringlets connecting scratched material or detailed custom-made art pieces with semi-precious stones, this representation of Christ’s life continues to serve as an inspiring symbol of resilience against adversity. The connection to faith and hope transcends the harsh weather, corruption, violence and socio-political unrest against which migrants struggle, whether they come from Africa, South or Central America, Asia or the Caribbean.

Rosaries are frequently among the belongings that make it to the U.S.-Mexico border around the necks and in the pockets and hands of asylum seekers, whose journeys exemplify the confluence of fear, desperation, hope and faith. In seeing so many people carrying rosaries through their struggles, those who work at the border know that this element of faith is what helps many asylum seekers carry on through difficult journeys.

For a young mother, her broken strand of rosary beads embodies the heart-breaking past she escaped, as she asks God to continue to protect her from the spousal abuse and life-threatening conditions she survived. She is one of many who have lived through such violence.

For asylum seekers like Magdalena,* Teke* and sisters Rocio and Monserrat, carrying this Catholic symbol of sacrifice and love is also a testament to the great sacrifices they have made in a quest for safety, security and dignity. To many asylum seekers, their rosaries are a constant and tangible reminder that despite the dangers, humiliations and cruelty they endured along their journeys, they are not alone.

They carried the rosaries even when the sun burned their skin.

They held them tight when predatory people — who often look like them and speak their native language — abused, kidnapped or extorted them. When the cartels followed them in Ciudad Juarez and crushing U.S. policies kept them at risk, the consolation of prayer bolstered weakening resolve.

Men, women and children prayed with rosaries in overcrowded shelters — never missing a Hail Mary under the light of fading candles. Their faith something salvaged from home, along with precious documents: passports, tattered birth certificates, identification cards, letters from local leaders describing their good conduct, folded pictures of loved ones.

The images of patron saints and virgin patrons from multiple country and regional traditions represented in the rosaries speak of the complex identities among the asylum-seeking Catholics who receive the services of CLINIC’s Estamos Unidos staffers, volunteers and partner organizations. Rosaries are carried or worn as asylum seekers learn about their rights, develop safety plans and have the opportunity — perhaps for the first chance in their lives — to speak with an attorney. Some, like Monserrat, took the opportunity to cry the tears she carried for months, while sharing her reasons for fleeing.

The rosary-bearing asylum seekers also learn what to expect and how to assert their rights when confronted with the controversial tent courts on the U.S. side of the border, the makeshift operations that have barred journalists, advocacy groups and the public.

Asylum seekers waiting in Mexico as their cases are processed in the United States have lived through trauma with resilience and resolve — the rosaries they proudly own serve as reminders that a better and more secure life is possible when fighting for justice.

Read the full Estamos Unidos’s blog: cliniclegal.org/estamosunidos

Lee Shainis, executive director and co-founder of Intercambio: Uniting Communities, cultivates a world where people from different cultural backgrounds connect, communicate and engage. Since starting the Colorado-based non-profit, Shainis has promoted immigrant integration through community events, resource sharing and English as a second language, or ESL, classes.

Thanks to the newly released curriculum, Confidence and Connections, ESL teachers and students can build relationships and freely speak and engage with the English language. Each lesson includes vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and a culture tip that concludes conversations between teachers and students. Discussions center on their perspectives and dreams, as well as cultural and societal differences between the United States and the students’ home countries. “This two-way learning empowers us to build those relationships and learn more from each other. When the conversations are interesting and relevant to their lives, our students learn English more effectively,” said Shainis.

Since introducing the Immigrant Guide: What Every Immigrant Needs to Know, Intercambio has helped thousands of newcomers feel more confident and safe in their communities. Shainis was inspired to create this guide after hearing the stories, experiences and challenges faced by the immigrant community, many of whom fell victim to fraud. Some community members ended up making payments over the phone to people claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service, others were fined for fishing without a legal permit or had officers pointing their gun at them during a traffic stop after exiting their car. These honest mistakes stemmed from experiences and expectations in their home countries — and not fully understanding ‘typical’ U.S. norms.

Through his research, Shainis realized that most of the materials and resources available for newcomers were designed for people with higher degrees, who are documented. Shainis wanted to create a guide that was accessible, brief and applied to all immigrants regardless of their legal status or their education level. After conducting interviews with the immigrant community, Shainis released the guide. The publication, filled with colorful and diverse images, is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Burmese, French, Karen, Nepali and Somali. It begins with vocabulary, then dives into cultural and societal norms and social taboos. “The Immigrant Guide is not a resource to help people assimilate,” said Shainis. “We just want people to know what is typical. One section is about responding to invitations. In the United States, it is common to politely decline an invitation. In some cultures, you would never directly decline an invitation. Which way is better? Neither, but it is important to introduce the concept for everyone to understand and discuss these differences."

The guide also helps the receiving community, as they reflect on the reality that most newcomers have to work through. The guide has been welcomed by teachers and volunteers alike and used to build empathy with and for immigrants.

CLINIC applauds Intercambio: Uniting Communities and their work, which helps build integrated and welcoming communities. For more promising initiatives to incorporate in your community, visit the Center for Immigrant Integration's webpage. Don’t forget to email lspeasmaker@cliniclegal.org to tell us how your organization is promoting integration!

On a recent trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, I visited the San Felipe de Jesus parish in Brownsville, Texas, led by Marist priest Father Tony O’Connor, whose work includes assisting unaccompanied minors. There, I met dedicated lay and religious workers and volunteers, all helping asylum seekers on both sides of the border.

Two separate groups of unaccompanied boys come to San Felipe to receive a meal every day. They come for Mass and breakfast in the morning, and in the evening for dinner. We attended Mass at the parish, and ate breakfast with them afterward. We talked soccer, flight and dreams. We asked them where they intended to go and what they wanted to do. Destinations included Alabama, Georgia and Maryland. Several had been waiting over six months to reunite with family and friends. Most hope to go to school and all want to work and help their families. They were a mix of timid, lively and sad.

Father O’Connor reports that a number of boys that pass through the parish’s doors are depressed, and many cut themselves. As the mother of two sons, their energy and spirits were familiar to me, and I pray that they will be loved and protected during this tender and difficult age — and even more so given their circumstances.

After Mass and visiting with the boys, Father O’Connor introduced us to several sisters and lay workers from the church. One of the older sisters, Sister Marta, had just returned from a visit to Honduras, where she had previously taught for many years at a Catholic school before coming to the United States. She shared her concerns about country conditions in Honduras and the mounting violence that so many people face.  She also told us how many of her students lacked hope for the future of their country. One of her former students — a young woman who has a degree in law — told Sr. Marta of her own plans to travel to the United States. Despite her degree and qualifications, the former student feels that her country is hopeless and looks to migration as the solution. She wondered who will stay in Honduras, and other countries in similar situations, if faith and community-based organizations, communities, leaders and governments do not work together to promote dignity. As I listened to Sister Marta, I was reminded of the right to development, or the right not to migrate, and how they are two sides of the same humanitarian coin.

We also met with one of San Felipe’s strongest volunteers, another Marta. The mother and grandmother was born in Mexico and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. When we arrived that morning, I noticed a large SUV parked outside and full of supplies, food, clothing, among others. It was Marta’s vehicle. She regularly travels to the poor ranchos in Matamoros to share necessities and small appliances with the residents. She shared her story with us. Marta grew up in a loving, but very poor, family in Matamoros. Her mother taught her to share and love all as “thy neighbor.” She always took her children with her on her visits to communities in Matamoros and now takes her grandchildren. Marta explained to us that she is simply replicating what her own mother did by teaching her children and grandchildren how to live and to be in this world through compassion, humility and faith.

I returned humbled and invigorated after this trip. I am so lucky to do this work alongside passionate and inspiring people.

The doors of downtown Charlotte’s premier Levine Museum of the New South will open in honor of Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, Nov. 3. CLINIC affiliate Latin American Coalition, or LAC, has organized the event each year, in partnership with the museum, to provide Charlotte’s diverse community an opportunity to commemorate, honor and celebrate those who have died.

In its 13th year, LAC’s Día de Muertos event is expected to bring as many as 4,000 people to the museum. Attendees will enjoy an altar decorating competition, arts and crafts, traditional dancing, food and drinks, and children activities.

LAC is a community of Latin Americans, immigrants and allies promoting full and equal participation of all people in the civic, economic and cultural life of North Carolina — and they do so through education, celebration and advocacy.​ Thus, the local Mexican community is intimately involved in the planning, decision-making and managing of the yearly event. Charlotte’s unofficial matriarch of the local Mexican community, Ms. Lucila Ruvalcaba, is one such community members. Ms. Ruvalcaba organizes and runs the altar decorating competition while ensuring that everything associated with the Día de Muertos celebration accurately reflects the spirit and heritage of this special day and honors its celebrants.

LAC is devoted to its cultural mission of creating welcoming spaces for people of diverse backgrounds. According to Jonathan Peebles, development and operations director, the Day of the Dead event is more than a chance for the residents of Charlotte to engage with Latin American traditions. “Mexican culture is very unique in Latin America, and this event gives people from the rest of Latin America an opportunity to learn about Mexican culture — it’s new to them, too.” He goes on to describe the event’s importance to the community as a whole: “People who were born in North Carolina get to experience what someone else is bringing to the community. If you aren’t really interacting with someone from another culture, it is easy to overlook what they bring to the table, but when you meet them and interact with them, it is easier to form friendships and relationships.”

Mr. Peebles mentioned that, this year, the Día de Muertos celebration corresponds with a Carolina Panthers pro football game, and the museum is very close to the stadium. He hopes that many attendees to the game will make a quick stop at the event to learn more about fellow city residents and how their cultural heritage makes Charlotte a richer place to live for everyone.

For more promising initiatives to incorporate in your community, visit the Center for Immigrant Integration's webpage. Don’t forget to email lspeasmaker@cliniclegal.org to tell us how your organization is promoting integration!