El Paso, Texas was once a vibrant site for people crossing the border, supported by volunteers from across the country and the world who come to give and share their compassion, support, and care for the migrants. Maryknoll’s presence in the Borderlands of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez dates back to 2004 when Maryknoll Sister Josephine Lucker first served with other sisters, priests, and lay missioners. Sr. Josephine belongs to the Magoffin family (https://thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/magoffin-home), a pioneer of El Paso.
After 21 years of Maryknoll expressions of commitment and service (priests, brothers, sisters, lay missioners) in El Paso, the Maryknoll Sisters and Maryknoll Lay Missioners collaborated to develop the Maryknoll Monarch Initiative (MMI), an education and training program with a focus on Care for the Earth, Human Migration and Nonviolence among other priorities to respond to the signs of the times. This educational ministry is an extension of Maryknoll Mission Institute which begun in New York in 1969 and is now known as Maryknoll Sisters Institute for One Earth Community. The Director of this Institute is Sr. Helene O’Sullivan. (Register here for their webinars and online classes).
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.
