KNXT Pastoral Message, August 2005
Bishop John T. Steinbock
My dear people of God,
Every July I visit farm workers and their families and celebrate Mass at different labor camps. These camps vary a great deal, some are run by the government, some are privately owned; some are comprised of single men, many of whom are very young, some are comprised of families; some of those families are here all year long, others migrate here following the harvest of crops; some are born here, some are here legally, and some are undocumented; some are fairly well paid and have benefits, and some are not well paid and have no benefits.
I visit labor camps throughout the Diocese, from the north as in Los Banos and Atwater to the south as in Lost Hills and Shafter. Sometimes farming families join the farm workers. Sometimes we have First Communion for their children. After Mass either a meal or refreshments are served. It is truly a time of joy as the people celebrate the love of the Lord in their lives even in the difficult situation in which they work and live. Teams of our Catholic lay people visit these camps through the year, giving instructions to the children, having bible studies, leading rosary and prayer groups, and helping with their social and physical needs as able. Soon through our Catholic Charities we will bring a nurse practitioner to some of these camps to help with their health needs.
One thing common to them all is their working in the heat of the day, every day, often in very difficult situations, for the support of their families. They are all honest, hard working people, enduring the extreme heat, and we all benefit through their labor. Without these men and women, there would be no harvest of the rich bounty of our Central Valley. We are indebted to them a great deal, for the food they provide for all of America as well as the world, and for the stability of the economy of our Central Valley.
The people all speak
Spanish in the labor camps I visit.
They have come here for a better life, especially for the lives of their
families and their children. They bring
with them a rich heritage, their faith and their culture. Practically all of them have a strong faith
in Jesus Christ, a strong devotion to our Blessed Mother especially under the
title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a strong love of the family, a great respect
for life, both for the unborn and for the elderly, and a desire to work
honestly for the good of their families.
These are the very values that so many in our country have lost, and they
are the values we need if our country is to survive.
At a time when we hear so much condemnation of migrants and undocumented in our country, I would remind everyone that the vast majority of the migrants and undocumented enrich our lives especially here in the Central Valley. They are our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Thank God for the migrant, and thank God for the undocumented, the vast majority who come here to better their lives and become a blessing for us all. Let us encourage our legislators not only to enact laws to protect better our borders, but also to have the courage to enact immigration laws that respect the hard working, honest laborers in our midst, and that take into account keeping the family intact. God bless you all.