The Messenger, the newspaper of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois, published an article on Maryknoll lay missioner Heidi Cerneka in its Oct. 17, 2019 issue. Contributing writer Suzanne Koziatek writes:
Heidi Cerneka’s passion to promote justice for the vulnerable has … landed her … in the middle of one of the most contentious issues facing the nation. Cerneka, an attorney associated with the Maryknoll Lay Missioners, works as a legal advocate in El Paso, Texas, advising people who are seeking asylum at the U.S./Mexican border.
The task is enormous – Cerneka and her colleagues at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center are among only a few organizations offering free assistance to people in immigration detention at one of the busiest points of entry for the thousands entering the country from Central America.
In carrying out that task, she leans on faith. “I don’t know how someone would do this without a faith base, without believing in something bigger than us.”
You can read the full article here.
Compelled by faith to engage with people across cultures and ethnicities, Maryknoll lay missioners live, love and work with communities on the margins to promote active nonviolence and healing.
