Over the past few weeks, the entire community at Saint Louis University has been affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 in dramatic and unprecedented ways. Students have left their dorm rooms and apartments, faculty have moved courses online, study abroad programs have been canceled and internships, on-campus jobs and various extracurricular activities have come to a halt. In short, there is not a person at SLU who has been spared from the repercussions of the virus. 

Yet, as is always the case in crises of this nature, there are invariably segments of our community which are more vulnerable to the devastating side effects that accompany attempts to slow the spread of the virus. 

For those members of our community experiencing housing and food insecurity, shelter in place and other isolation measures pose unique obstacles. The economic consequences of suspending on and off campus jobs should not be underestimated, however necessary these measures are in slowing the spread of the virus. For some students, the transition to online classes is a mere inconvenience. For others, the transition to off campus learning poses new challenges, from a lack of reliable internet connection or a suitable work environment, to an increased load of home responsibilities that leaves little time to deal with the demands of a full course load.

The harsh reality is that, contrary to what some have said, the virus is not a “great equalizer.” Material realities determine which segments of our community are hit hardest, both by the virus itself and our efforts to slow its spread. Knowing that to be the case, it is vitally important that the SLU community, a community committed to caring for the most vulnerable among us, remains strong in the face of adversity. 

A few weeks ago, President Pestello reminded the SLU community of St. Ignatius, and the first Jesuits saw themselves as a communitas ad dispersionem, a community in dispersion. Even as their ministry took these close friends across the globe to face uncertain fates, they remained united in their vocations and connected through prayer and the exchange of letters. 

Even as events took drastic turns quicker then most of us could keep up with, our own SLU community began to resemble the communitas ad dispersionem inspired by our Jesuit forefathers. 

One of the prevailing themes has been an inspiring sense of solidarity among our dispersed but tight knit community. Almost immediately after the notice went out that classes were canceled and students were advised to stay home, a SLU Student Needs Response sheet went live and quickly spread. The document was created to coordinate relief efforts efficiently and democratically, and was a vital step in fostering a sense of solidarity in the midst of uncertainty and hardship. 

There is a section for housing, creating a space where individuals with extra room at home or an apartment for rent are put in contact with those who might be displaced or otherwise unable to safely return to a permanent place of residence. Those in need of food are linked with those with extra food and those willing to provide a seat at their table. Others in need of  transportation, whether it be to the supermarket or to a city hundreds of miles away, can get in contact with students who have an extra seat in their car. 

The Student Needs Response form, launched almost immediately after it became clear just how disruptive the virus would be to campus operations, was just the beginning of creative and innovative efforts to sustain the SLU community in spite of physical separation. 

 In the weeks that have followed, our dispersed community has continued to strengthen. In an email to the student body, the Interim Vice President for Student Development, Debie Lohe, emphasized the importance of maintaining the health of both ourselves and our community, noting in particular “COVID-19 will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable among us” and that the vitality of our community is inextricably reliant on maintaining the bonds of community. 

On March 20, President Pestello announced that students are to receive 50 percent refunds for housing and dining, and student workers are to be compensated in some capacity, whether or not they are able to continue work. Not only will these measures help mitigate some of the economic side effects of COVID-19, there is opportunity to, as Pestello put it, “do what Billikens do: take care of one another” by donating refunds to designated funds like Billiken Bounty, the Student Emergency Relief Fund or SLU’s “Helping Our Own Fund,’ which gives emergency funding to SLU faculty and staff. 

The Center for Service and Community Engagement has compiled a list of ways that members of the SLU community can serve one another and those in the wider St. Louis community while still abiding by official safety precautions, including phone calls to homebound senior citizens, advocacy work and bagged lunch preparation. The list, which can be found on the CSCE website, also includes opportunities to provide child and pet care for healthcare workers at SLU Care and SSM, and to engage with youth education programs. Technology allows the SLU community to continue to flourish in other ways, including weekly live streamed masses from St. Francis Xavier College Church, as well as through an abundance of other virtual meeting spaces. 

These resources and opportunities, along with the ones that might be created in the coming weeks, ensure that as the next few weeks of uncertainty and hardship unfold, the SLU community is well prepared to maintain a robust sense of solidarity, fostering a communitas ad dispersionem equipped to weather the storm and emerge stronger than before. 

On Feb. 26, SLU students, faculty and staff gathered in the Saint Louis room to celebrate the 100th birthday of one of SLUs most extraordinary alumna, Mary Bruemmer. Bruemmer’s centenary celebration was well anticipated, with an exhibit documenting her life and legacy in Pius Library and a feature piece in SLU’s own “Legends and Lore” series. 

Bruemmer’s legacy at SLU is difficult to overstate. She has been an inspiration to the SLU community for generations and has demonstrated the fruits that accompany a life dedicated to service to others. In an interview with the university, Bruemmer said of her abiding love for SLU and its mission: “there is a body of research that’s been done all over the world with all different cultures that finds that the happiest people and those who live the longest fall in love with something and dedicate their lives, their time, their money to this one thing.” For Bruemmer, this “one thing” has been Saint Louis University, and she has certainly left her mark. 

To number Bruemmer among SLU’s most distinguished alumni is already to do her a disservice, for her connection and impact on SLU goes far beyond her undergraduate career. Born in 1920 in Madison, Illinois, Bruemmer enrolled at SLU in 1938. Her enrollment came at a moment in SLU’s history when women did not have access to the same educational opportunities as their male peers did. 

The year Bruemmer began her collegiate career, just five percent of SLU’s student population was female, and women were not allowed to enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences. Entering instead the School of Education and Social Services, Bruemmer earned an A.B. in education, history and English.

Despite obstacles, Bruemmer put together an illustrious undergraduate career, becoming the first female editor-in-chief of The University News and earning straight A’s. Commenting on her ability to succeed in the face of daunting obstacles, Bruemmer said: “I discovered that, in competing for acceptance, grades or honors, the secret was to act as if prejudice and discrimination did not exist, to presume that I would exceed and excel.” 

This mindset would continue to serve Bruemmer and her endeavors after SLU. Graduating in 1942 in the midst of World War II, Bruemmer took a job with the Red Cross offering vocational counseling to veterans. 

In 1956, Bruemmer returned to SLU as the director of Marguerite Hall, an all-female residence hall at the time. In 1960, Bruemmer earned a masters degree in education and would go on to serve as Dean of Women and later as Dean of Students. 

Throughout her career, Bruemmer was at the forefront of initiatives aimed at the empowerment of women, and her efforts directly or indirectly led to many of the things that SLU students today take for granted. As Dean of Students, she led efforts to open Oriflamme to women, a reform long overdue that strengthened the SLU community and its welcome initiatives. She founded the Women’s Commission a year later, an organization which “serves to promote the interests, issues and concerns of the women at the university” and to “educate, enrich and empower the women of Saint Louis University.” 

Bruemmer officially retired in 1990, but her impact and legacy continued to grow. She was awarded the university’s Fleur-de-Lis Medal upon her retirement, an honor bestowed on those individuals “whose contributions to the university reach far beyond the normal call of duty.” She received an honorary doctorate from SLU in 2000, and in 2016 was honored with a papal knighthood, becoming Dame Commander of the Order of Saint Sylvester, Pope and Martyr.

As the SLU community gathered to celebrate Bruemmer’s 100th birthday, this litany of accomplishments was honored alongside personal anecdotes and memories of Bruemmer shared by alumni and faculty. Above all, the celebration reminded the SLU community that, as President Fred Pestello put it, “SLU will never be lacking for her presence.”

This year, each Wednesday during the month of February, a group of SLU student volunteers are hosting a winter shelter at Manresa Retreat Center. The shelter has successfully provided food, warmth and comfort to guests the past two Wednesdays of this month, and will be open for the next two weeks, on Feb. 19 and Feb. 26. 

The shelter opened for the first time last year in January, as St. Louis experienced a polar vortex that saw single digit temperatures and wind chills well below zero. 

In response to the dangerous drop in temperature, senior Devonn Thomas and a group of friends and associates negotiated with University administrators in an effort to put SLU’s resources to use. The shelter provides an emergency location for some of St. Louis’ unhoused population, the demographic at the most risk when temperatures begin to fall. 

In just a few hours, the shelter transitioned from idea to reality. As temperatures dipped below ten degrees, the volunteers were able to secure the various resources necessary and Il Monastero Banquet Center for the initial run of the shelter.

The first night the shelter was open, eleven individuals were served, eating meals provided by Sodexo and sleeping on cots borrowed from the Simon Recreation Center. Volunteers also brought blankets, coats, scarves and other winter needs. The shelter continued the following night, shifting locations to Manresa Retreat Center, which was better equipped with basic necessities and was able to serve more guests. 

According to graduate student Mae McConnell Curry, these first two iterations of the shelter, though chaotic and frenzied, were a success. “We got people off the streets and we housed them, which was our goal,” she said.

Once the polar vortex passed, those who had participated in running the shelter began to look ahead for ways to make the shelter a more permanent resource for those in need. While the frigid temperatures spurred the SLU community to action, the core team’s goal was to institutionalize and solidify the endeavor so that the shelter might run on a consistent basis, regardless of the outside temperature. 

The core group of volunteers spent the rest of the spring semester in meetings with faculty solidifying plans for shelter for the following winter. They discussed the obstacles that they had faced the previous year and developed strategies to serve their guests most effectively.

One difficulty, especially given the impromptu nature of the first two iterations of the shelter, was that many of the volunteers did not know each other and thus lacked the mutual trust that is integral to the smooth operation of a shelter. 

McConnell Curry said, “one of our biggest takeaways from last year is that in order to run the shelter successfully, core leaders and volunteers need to know and trust each other.” To that end, the core team ran two separate training workshops for SLU students interested in volunteering. Beyond going over basic skills for volunteering at the shelter, these workshops aimed to foster trust and community among the volunteers.

Another part of the systematization of the operation meant that the core team spent time solidifying the main goals, values, and missions of the shelter. 

Devonn Thomas said, “We’ve often been asked, why are you doing this? There are other shelters in St. Louis that provide shelter for the unhoused” and the response to that question, for the core group of shelter volunteers, is that “there is space to nuance what it means to be housed in a shelter that makes it feel like more of a home and less as a resting space.”

One of shelter’s main missions is the creation of a safe and inclusive space for its guests, which is not always primary concern at other shelters. Elaborating on this aim, McConnell Curry said, “one of our main goals for this shelter is to provide a safe space for folks, especially queer and trans people of color who, if they are housing insecure, often have nowhere safe to go in St. Louis.” 

Given this mission, the winter shelter has three values which it sets forth a non-negotiables: the shelter is anti-racist, trans-inclusive and cares for individuals of all abilities. It is with these core values that the shelter hopes to affirm the dignity and experience of each individual it serves. 

In a similar way, the winter shelter hopes to create an environment which does not impose suffocating rules and restrictions on its guests. Thomas, elaborating on the atmosphere her and her team hope to create, said:  “Housing in St. Louis and across the United States is carceral. Housing and policing are so connected that people feel like they are in jail when they are in shelters. We want to make sure people feel free when they are housed with us. It’s not enough to just give people a bed and a sandwich. We want folks to have agency and be able to choose their own destiny.” 

The institution of these ideas and values over the past two weeks has been an incredible success. The shelter served 13 individuals on Feb. 4, and 47 individuals the following week. The feedback from the guests has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Thomas. 

“What we keep hearing is that the reason why people are coming in such large numbers is that word is getting out that it’s a good shelter, one where people feel safe, affirmed and humanized,” she said.

Since 2018, the University Undergraduate Core Committee (UUCC) has been working towards a university-wide common core that every student, regardless of major or college, will complete. On Friday, Jan. 31, the UUCC released the final iteration of the Core proposal to the SLU community. 

The final proposal is the culmination of more than two years of hard work from the UUCC. After settling on nine Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) as the foundation for the common core curriculum, the committee began the core design process, a process that was multidimensional and collaborative. They drew input from the SLU community by sponsoring Core Invention Workshops and inviting students, faculty and staff to submit their own core designs. They also organized roundtables, bringing in core curriculum directors from Jesuit universities across the United States and invited leaders in higher education to give presentations on core trends at comparable undergraduate universities. 

Last August, the UUCC circulated a draft of the Core proposal to the SLU community, opening the floor for feedback and questions. The reaction to the draft was mixed, and several major concerns were voiced at university-wide open fora, faculty assemblies, and in the SGA senate chamber. 

Some students and faculty took issue with a perceived lack of emphasis on theology and philosophy, and the lack of an explicit foreign language requirement, which for many represent important pillars of Jesuit education.  

Another common concern raised at open fora discussions was a question of implementation and adequacy of resources. Many departments, some of whom already struggle with funding issues, felt that the implementation of a new core would introduce further financial strain, strain that they did not have the resources to cope with. 

The proposal was also met with a significant amount of support and encouragement. Faculty from across a wide range of colleges applauded the UUCC’s devotion to the arduous process of creating a university-wide core curriculum from scratch and praised the spirit of collaboration that had characterized the endeavor. 

With the release of the final core proposal last Friday, Jan. 31, SLU’s colleges and schools now have until Mar. 20 to hold a yes/no vote on the question of adopting the proposed core curriculum. In the interim, the question on the minds of many is the degree to which the UUCC acknowledged and addressed the apprehensions raised.   

The most noticeable adjustment between the final proposal and the draft was a three hour reduction in the total number of credit hours constituting the core curriculum, from 35 to 32 credit hours. The difference was reached by reducing the first year “Ignite Seminar” from three down to two credit hours, making the second part of the “Cura Personalis Sequence” non-credit bearing, and making the “Collaborative Inquiry” attribute carry two credit hours instead of three. 

Another significant change was strengthening the theology and philosophy requirements, an alteration aimed at alleviating some of the concerns raised by those who felt that theology and philosophy were not represented as well as they should be at a Jesuit institution. 

In the prior format, the core stipulated three credit hours for “Ethical and Moral Reasoning” and three credit hours for “Ultimate Questions” both of which fell into the category of “Theological and Philosophical Foundations.” Many expected to see more required hours in theology and philosophy, as it was possible for students to graduate from SLU without ever taking a philosophy class in the previous iteration. Additionally, andmany felt it was not strict enough in specifying which courses would satisfy the requirement.

In its modified form, the proposal has kept the number of hours at six, but made an explicit division between “Ultimate Questions: Theology” and “Ultimate Questions: Philosophy,” accompanied by a more detailed explanation of what exactly these courses will offer students and how they are tied to SLU’s Catholic and Jesuit mission. 

Another commonly repeated concern was the proposed core’s lack of any sort of foreign language requirement. Expressing similar sentiments as those advocating for a greater representation of theology and philosophy, a number of students and faculty argued that the centrality of foreign language study in the Jesuit, Catholic intellectual tradition warranted its placement in the common core curriculum. 

While the final draft does not explicitly require proficiency in a foreign language for completion, it does leave room for the satisfaction of a number core requirements in languages other than English (ie. Eloquentia Perfecta 2). Therefore, while a foreign language is not a stipulated requirement, students keen on acquisition of a second language will not be dissuaded from doing so by having to fit it in as a pure elective. Individual programs have the option to change their major requirements to include a foreign language and some speculate this will happen over time. 

Concerns about inadequate funding were also addressed in the final proposal and in an accompanying letter by Interim Provost Chester Gillis. In the letter, which was sent to the SLU community soon after the final proposal was released, Gillis wrote, “President Pestello and I have already committed to spending just under $1 million annually on the design and delivery of our new core.” 

The final proposal included a detailed map of how these funds will be allocated in order to achieve a smooth implementation of the curriculum, and also maintains flexibility by stipulating that “as the Core is implemented, periodic review and adjustments to this supplementary budget may be needed.” 

Moreover, the provost’s letter noted that in addition to the $1 million annual budget for design and delivery of the core, additional faculty would be hired to assist with the delivery of “Eloquentia Perfecta,” an area which the UUCC “identified a pressing need for more resources in order to avoid inevitable delivery gaps.” These hires include a “Writing Across the Curriculum” specialist and ten non-tenure track teaching specialists for “Eloquentia Perfecta.”

In anticipation of the Mar. 20 voting deadline, the UUCC will host two separate open fora for discussion of the final core proposal on Feb. 10 and Feb. 12. If approved by each college and school that offers undergraduate degrees, the proposed core will enter into an implementation phase, with the fall 2022 semester tapped to be the first University Core roll-out for all incoming students.

Last Thursday, Jan. 16, SLU hosted its annual memorial tribute for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., honoring the life and legacy of King as well as those in the St. Louis area that exemplify King’s vision of justice and racial equality. 

The event is held each year as a reminder of King’s visit to SLU in 1964, when he addressed a crowd of nearly 4,000 in the former West Pine Gym. King’s visit to SLU in 1964 came just two days before he was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize, and two months before his “I Have a Dream” speech. 

For the past nine years, the University has organized the memorial tribute to mark King’s visit, with an awards ceremony that recognizes those working in King’s legacy in the St. Louis community. The memorial tribute also features a keynote address by a notable voice for civil rights. In years past, keynote speakers have included Martin Luther King III, King’s eldest son, and UN Ambassador Andrew Young, both influential civil rights figures.

This year, the noted journalist, author and television personality Roland Martin gave the keynote address. Martin, who has written three books, including “Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America,” has made an illustrious career discussing current events from an African-American perspective. 

Martin was named journalist of the year in 2013 for his efforts to chronicle issues facing African American voters during the 2012 presidential election, including voter suppression and intimidation. In 2008, he received the President’s Award by the National Association of Black Journalists for his multi-platform advocacy work. 

Before Martin’s keynote address, the audience heard remarks by President Fred Pestello, Ph.D., and SLU alumnus Michael P. McMillan, the president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. 

Pestello and McMillan were joined by the Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement, Jonathan Smith, Ph.D., in an award ceremony honoring those in the St. Louis community furthering Dr. King’s legacy. 

Though the recipients devote their energies to a diverse array of causes, from education inequality to health care reform, they are united by their commitment to leading lives of public service following Dr. King’s example. 

To begin the award ceremony, Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, was awarded the Donald Brennan Humanitarian Award, for her advocacy work related to health disparities and inequality. 

The Organization of the Year Award was accepted by Wendell Kimbrough on behalf of Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS). The organization “funds and strategically enhances initiatives that improve the lives of children and families” in especially disadvantaged areas of St. Louis. 

Art McCoy, Ph.D., the superintendent of Jennings school district, was awarded the Education Leadership Award for his efforts to combat inequality in education. Under his leadership, the classes of 2017 and 2018 in the Jennings school district achieved a remarkable 100 percent graduation and career or college placement. 

Congressman William Lacy Clay was honored with this year’s Political Leadership Award. Clay serves as Missouri’s senior Democrat in Congress. Currently in his tenth Congressional term, Clay is the Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance. In that capacity, he has advocated for fair housing and consumer protection and fought discriminatory practices such as red-lining. 

In his acceptance remarks, Clay emphasized his debt to King and his legacy as well as other civil rights leaders, echoing King’s famous declaration that “Anyone can be great because anyone can serve.”

The final award was the inaugural Whitney M. Young Humanitarian Award, which was given to Michael and Neomi Neidorff. Neidorff is the president and CEO of Centene Corporation and has worked to implement programs and services under Medicaid and Medicare. 

The event was capped off by Roland Martin’s keynote address examining King’s life and legacy. At the outset of his address, Martin made it clear that his remarks might be tough for some to hear. He warned the audience: “it is my job to make people uncomfortable.” 

Martin’s speech focused on King’s legacy in the 21st century, asking the audience to avoid appropriating King and his legacy and instead focus on imitating his commitment to political action. Martin issued a challenge to the audience—“Don’t you dare quote Dr. King unless you are willing to live like Dr. King.”

For Martin, King was more than just a man who gave speeches on racial equality, but a man radically committed to social justice in all spheres of life who paired his electrifying speeches with tangible political action. 

Martin challenged his audience to live as King lived, striving for direct and sustained action on behalf of the marginalized and downtrodden.

On Thursday, Nov. 21, SLU hosted the 2019 Opus Prize ceremony in the Center for Global Citizenship. Sister Catherine Mutindi was announced as the 2019 Opus Prize Laureate, winning $1 million for her charity, Bon Pasteur. 

The Opus Prize is an annual award that rewards faith based humanitarian service and leadership, recognizing the “unsung heroes who are conquering the world’s most persistent social problems.” Each year, the Opus Prize Foundation coordinates search efforts that identify leaders and organizations striving to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. 

The Opus Prize Foundation partners with Catholic universities across the United States, who host the prize ceremony and also assist in research and evaluation capacities to pinpoint where the Prize money will be best utilized. Once SLU was chosen as the partner university, experts tasked with finding and researching potential candidates submitted nominations to a panel of jurors who were selected by SLU. 

Student participation is a key element of the Opus Prize. Five students—sophomore Carly Manshum, senior Margaret Kirsch, senior Jordan Glassman, junior Patrick Jones, and senior Suzy Kickham—were selected as Opus Prize Ambassadors, and in that capacity accompanied members of the Opus Prize foundation on fact-finding missions to the communities of finalists.

This year, three Opus Prize finalists traveled to St. Louis to share their missions with the SLU community in anticipation of the award ceremony. The three finalists were Michael Fernandez-Frey of Caras con Causa, Brother Charles Nuwagaba of the Bannakaroli Brothers of St. Charles Lwanga and Sister Catherine Mutindi of Bon Pasteur. 

Mutindi, the 2019 Opus Laureate and recipient of the $1 million prize, is a member of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, an international organization of religious women dedicated to providing ministry for vulnerable children denied basic human rights through exploitation and trafficking.

In 2012, Mutindi’s ministry took her to Kowlezi, a city in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kolwezi is an important mining center, containing materials that power the world’s digital devices, from smartphones to Tesla cars. Specifically, the DRC is home to the world’s largest cobalt deposits. Kolwlezi is at the center of this industry, their resources valued at $24 billion dollars. 

Kolewzi’s mining industry has come under repeated international scrutiny, especially in light of a 2016 Amnesty International Report that detailed horrendous human rights violations, including child labor and sexual exploitation. 

Mutindi’s development program seeks to assist vulnerable groups in the mining communities of Kolwezi, specifically by strengthening child protection systems, increasing the accountability of mining companies, ensuring equitable distribution of resources and guaranteeing food security and steady income to families in the mining community. Bon Pasteurs vision is “an inclusive and democratic Congolese society where the rights of girls, women and children are respected, protected and promoted.”

Bon Pasteur’s theory of change, which has been recognized by local Congolese government officials as well as international entities like the UN and UNICEF as a “best practice initiative,” seeks to provide alternative and sustainable livelihoods outside of the mine. It particularly attempts to empower children in mining communities through education efforts and foster community cohesion that can act as a check on mining companies. 

Fernandez-Frey and Nuwagaba each received $100,000 for their organizations. Fernandez-Frey is the founder and director of Caras con Causa, a non-governmental organization that works to alleviate poverty and improve living conditions for families in Puerto Rico, specifically the Cataño area and Guaynabo. 

Fernandez-Frey and Caras con Causa pursue strategies for improvement include a variety of education and sustainability initiatives in pursuit of “a better future for Puerto Rico.” They are  committed to pursuing the empowerment of children through education, restoring the wetlands after the destruction of Hurricane Maria and organizing communities to protect themselves against the destruction of their homes by the government.

Nuwagaba heads a primary school in the Kibera slum, Africa’s largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya as a member of the Bannakaroli Brothers of St. Charles Lwanga, an order of priests committed to education and evangelization. The Bannakaroli Brothers oversee twenty-one primary schools, seven secondary schools, ten vocational schools and two orphanages. 

His work as director of a primary school in the Kibera slum serves 280 students and 260 young people and is heavily centered around vocational training. These vocational programs fight poverty by training individuals for success in diverse professions, including programs in “motor vehicle maintenance, hairdressing and beauty, hospitality and computer technology.” 

The award ceremony, which was held in the Center for Global Citizenship, was broadcast nationally and gave each finalist a chance to address the SLU community. Each of the finalists ultimately fulfilled the Opus Prize Foundation’s commitment to challenge college students to think globally and live inspired lives of service.

For the past twenty-two years, three dioceses of El Paso, Las Cruces and Ciudad Juarez—all situated around the U.S-Mexico border—have hosted an annual border mass in El Paso, Texas in a show of international unity, peace and solidarity. 

This year, a contingent of SLU students and faculty, sponsored jointly by Campus Ministry and the Center for Service and Community Engagement, packed into two chartered buses to El Paso in order to experience firsthand the stunning display of solidarity that takes place at the border mass.

Leaving in the afternoon of Wednesday Oct. 30, the group spent nearly a day on the road, arriving in El Paso midday Thursday. The group spent two days in El Paso before the actual border mass, educating themselves on the issues that migrants and refugees face at and around the border through conversation and interaction with those whose ministry brings them face-to-face with the marginalized on a daily basis. 

Kevin Khuel, S.J., a Jesuit scholastic currently studying philosophy at SLU, said it was this face-to-face encounter that that made the trip such a worthwhile experience. Khuel stressed that experiences with the “gritty realities of life” are the hallmark of a true Jesuit education, saying “part of a Jesuit education is the knowledge that comes with the encounter with people that are suffering and people that are on the margins. The classroom can lay the foundation but it is only in that physical encounter that our hearts start to be transformed.” 

Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, an outspoken advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that affords migrants, refugees and asylum seekers the basic human dignity they deserve, delivered a presentation to the group that outlined the efforts of his diocese to minister to the marginalized individuals fleeing violence and seeking economic opportunities. 

The group also spent time in one of the oldest neighborhoods in El Paso, El Segundo Barrio. Dubbed “the second Ellis island,” this neighborhood is home to the Sacred Heart parish, where the SLU contingent met Rafael Garcia, S.J., who spoke on his experiences with outreach and ministry efforts to migrants and refugees. 

Throughout the trip, the group learned about the myriad ways that the El Paso diocese and El Paso’s sister city, Ciudad Juárez, have worked closely to minister to the marginalized migrants and refugees arriving at the border, engaging in cross-border dialogue and international solidarity in a refusal to be divided by a man-made border. As the El Paso Diocese said in their invitation to the border mass: “We are missionary disciples of Christ, that we are primarily called to live in communion. For our Catholic faith, there is no “us and them”, but one family of God.” 

Saturday morning, hundreds of parishioners from both sides of the U.S-Mexico border gathered for mass. The mass was held in the middle of the Rio Grande canal near the Santa Fe Street Bridge, a bridge that connects El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.  A wooden bridge was constructed specifically for the event that connected both sides of the canal. 

This year, the mass was held in honor and in memory of the migrants and refugees who have lost their lives on the journey to the border, often fleeing brutal violence and environmental and economic catastrophes. Those who have died in United States detention facilities and those children who have been separated from their families, and the 22 individuals murdered during the El Paso Walmart shooting three months ago, were also honored. 

Those in attendance were especially struck by the sense of community and solidarity that accompanied the celebration of mass. Kevin Khuel emphasized the overwhelming atmosphere of the mass, stating: “A big takeaway was the sense of solidarity that came with the border mass itself. Coming together in that very unique space, right on the border, with the altar literally in the middle of the river that marks the border, as people from the US and Mexico that are divided by this man-made border were brought together as one … that’s an image I won’t soon forget.” 

Bishop Peter Baldacchino of New Mexico and Bishop Guadalupe Torres of Ciudad Juarez joined Mark Seitz at the mass, urging those in attendance “to remember that they too are refugees who must open doors to others in need.” This message of unity and solidarity aimed to combat the divisive politics of fear and rhetoric of hate that often characterizes dialogue on the U.S-Mexico border. 

The SLU contingent left El Paso soon after the mass concluded, spending another twenty hours on the bus before arriving back in St. Louis sunday afternoon. As students and faculty re-enter the SLU community, the hope is that they continue to draw on their experiences at the border for advocacy and educational work. Khuel said: “We have just had the experience of solidarity with a suffering humanity” asking, “Now, can we convert that into action for systemic change and put our voices, our power and our privilege to work for the good of other people?”