Church welcomes farm workers to dinner

Our Lady of Sorrows Parish hosts Christmas party for about 250 migrants

The B.C. Catholic

A local church served up a Christmas feast for about 250 Latinos who were away from home for the holidays.

Our Lady of Sorrows Parish hosted the banquet for hundreds of migrant farm workers who spend 6-10 months a year tilling local soil.

“This is a beautiful dinner for them because they are far away from home,” said Sister Karina Farias, CMT, a Spanish-speaking Teresian Carmelite sister who serves at Our Lady of Sorrows.

“Pope Francis said church is the family of families. We try to be the family for them here in Canada. This is the most important thing for us.”

It was the third such Christmas celebration the parish has hosted for migrant workers over the years.

According to Father Richard Zanotti, pastor, their aim is to feed the seasonal workers spiritually, first.

“These people are working on farms at Christmas time,” he said. “Part of our reason is to give them an opportunity to know they are a part of the family of God.”

It’s also to throw them a party during Christmas while they are away from home. Workers trying to provide for their families by working in Canada often miss birthdays, funerals, and other important events.

Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, celebrated Mass in Spanish to open the festive night. After Mass, the 250 seasonal workers moved to the parish hall for a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, rice, beans, and cakes donated and prepared by volunteers from various organizations and parishes.

Feliz Navidad played through speakers as volunteers gave away gift bags filled with free toiletries, T-shirts, and other necessities. Then came the raffle, with prizes of new soccer balls, wrapped gifts, and the big-ticket item: a bicycle donated by St. Helen’s Parish.

“This dinner is very special,” said Martha, one of the workers. “I like all the people who want to help the farm workers. I feel at home.” Martha, who works on a chilli pepper farm, is a mother of two from Guatemala. She said it is hard for her to be away from her family, especially during the holidays.

“I miss them a lot. But when I am in these activities, I hold my mind and my memories to them.”

Martha was one of only three women at the Christmas feast. Isabel, who works at the same chilli pepper farm, said it can be difficult to work not only in a different country, but on a farm where the majority of the workers are men.

“They are a lot of people. Sometimes I feel discriminated by them,” she said as Sister Farias translated for her.

“I think it is difficult for us to be married and care for our children far away from home,” added Guatemalan co-worker Lucrecia.

Under Father Zanotti’s leadership, the archdiocesan farm-worker ministry reaches out to a fraction of the thousands of migrants working farms from South Delta to Abbotsford.

There are Masses held in Spanish at Our Lady of Sorrows, Precious Blood, Sacred Heart, St. Luke’s, St. Joseph’s, and St. Ann’s parishes – at least one, somewhere, each week.

Catholic volunteers also pay visits to farms, bringing meals and sitting down with the workers at the end of a long day to talk about faith. “Our volunteers prepare some food and they bring it over so the guys don’t have to cook.” This gives them some free time, said Father Zanotti.

Volunteers and farmers sit down over a meal and open up Discovery, a faith study guide produced by Catholic Christian Outreach that has been translated into Spanish.

“It’s a catechesis with migrant farm workers,” explained Sister Farias. “Our mission is catechesis and spiritual life with them.”

Since January 2015, volunteers have been visiting different farms and using the books as a starting point to talk about love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation.

Father Zanotti said once all the farms had a chance to try Discovery, they might move to the second book in the series, Source, which is also available Spanish.

After the Christmas celebration, farm workers stepped onto buses that would take them back to their homes near the farms. Generally about 8-12 farmers live in one house.

Father Zanotti said the annual banquet relies on many dedicated volunteers.

Lucrecia was filled with gratitude. “For me, this night is very special. This dinner is special because we (get to) know each other. Also, here we are (getting to know) other people from different countries. May God bless all the people who prepared this dinner. Thank you so much!”