VANCOUVER—Voices singing Feliz Navidad filled Our Lady of Sorrows Parish hall as hardworking farmers enjoyed a Christmas meal Dec. 20.
About 150 Spanish-speaking seasonal workers received hot meals and gifts from volunteers passionate about reaching out to migrants.
“It’s a huge sacrifice they make in order to be here,” said Connie Fabian, a member of migrant ministry at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish. “They want to be good providers for their families, and they are working really hard, but they miss birthdays, they miss funerals.”
At Mass before the annual dinner, Father Richard Zanotti, CS, encouraged the farmers to seek community in the Church during holidays away from home.
“Advent is supposed to be a time of joy and anticipation of the coming of Jesus, but for them it’s tough because they are separated from their families at Christmastime,” the parish priest said, summing up the homily he delivered in Spanish.
“I told them we have a bigger family – and that’s the Church and the Christian community – and they can feel very much at home.”
After the liturgy, farm workers ate turkey dinners, enjoyed live entertainment, and received Christmas gift bags. They all also received tickets for a draw for a chance to win several bigger items, including a bicycle. A table at the back held free clothing, suitcases, and toothbrushes.
Serjio Coronado, a father of eight, landed in Ladner six years ago to support his family. Handling peppers in a greenhouse for six to eight months at a time, he’s missed many birthdays and Christmases.
“It’s very difficult. To leave your family is not easy. But I need to do it because I need to raise my family,” he said as Sacred Heart parishioner Rosario Musso translated.
Coronado considers himself blessed for getting connected to the Church through Musso and Sacred Heart’s outreach to migrant farm workers.
“The Church has been very helpful in that they are providing Masses in Spanish because we don’t know the language and it’s been very hard to attend Mass and not understand anything.”
Brothers Miguel and Deivis Merida work on the same farm as Coronado. Though in their 20s, they asked Musso to find out if they could receive their first Communion in 2012.
Musso, a PREP teacher, translated her lessons and prepared the Merida brothers for the sacrament. She didn’t know it would launch her headlong into ministry for migrants.
“I guess they spread the word and so other guys started coming to me,” she said. “They started coming and knocking on my door. With three, it grew to five, and then 13.” Now 150-160 seasonal workers attend Mass at Sacred Heart.
Precious Blood, St. Joseph’s in Langley, St. Ann’s, and St. Luke’s Parishes also have ministries for farm workers, reaching up to 500 of them in total.
“The most important thing is that we have been able to find spiritual help,” Deivis said as some farm workers stood up to dance to lively Mexican tunes.
Coronado agreed. “We looked for the Church and we found the Church, and the Church has extended a hand to us.”
