Debbie Northern, Maryknoll Lay Missioners Class of 1999, served in Tanzania and El Salvador, and at the U.S.-Mexico border, pictured above.
My first assignment was to Tanzania. Since I had just gotten a second bachelor’s degree in Spanish, I was expecting to be assigned to a Spanish-speaking country. After prayer and reflection, I decided to give Tanzania a try (and my desire to see the animals won out!).
The wonderful thing about mission is that you get to develop talents you don’t know you have. In Tanzania, I taught journalism, communications, and gender issues at a Catholic university. I discovered a talent for teaching and finding ways to look at the gender roles in the culture respectfully and critically.
But after my first contract with Maryknoll Lay Missioners concluded, I asked to go to a Spanish-speaking country so I would not lose my ability to use Spanish. I then went to El Salvador to work with Maryknoll sisters in an AIDS ministry doing workshops on the prevention of HIV/AIDS.
I learned so much about the history of El Salvador and the martyrs who died there because they sided with the poor and powerless. I became much more aware of social justice issues and developed a desire to work for social change.
Debbie is now working with Commonwealth Catholic Charities in Roanoke, Virginia as a refugee education specialist.
In 2011, I was offered the opportunity to return to Ossining, New York to work with Maryknoll Lay Missioners’ orientation program. The idea of helping new missioners with their transition to a different culture was exciting, and over the next nine years I got to know pretty much all the missioners and the great work they were doing.
While in Ossining, I had the privilege of joining some of the Maryknoll priests in prison ministry at Sing Sing prison, which is located there. I worked mostly with the Spanish-speaking inmates. I really enjoyed this ministry to a population that is often overlooked and rejected.
Finally, I ended my Maryknoll Lay Missioners journey in El Paso, Texas at the U.S.-Mexico border. I worked with an immersion program that helped participants learn more about the complex issues of immigration, and I learned too.
I knew very little about what it takes to enter the United States legally. I spent some time in Juárez helping migrants with the mobile app to try to get an appointment to request asylum, which is not an easy process. Also, I visited some of the shelters there and heard harrowing stories of people’s journeys and the dangers they faced coming to Mexico and the ones they still experienced in Juárez.
It was a hard decision, but last year, I decided that it was time to leave Maryknoll Lay Missioners and start on a new path of ministry. I am now working with Commonwealth Catholic Charities in Roanoke, Virginia as a refugee education specialist. I received a teaching certification in ESL (English as a second language) and I teach English classes for refugees and migrants as part of my job.
Even though refugees are a special classification different from other migrants, the reasons they fled their countries are the same. They are all coming to the United States for a better life for their families and to find a safe haven after so much trauma.
I have been very distressed hearing the anti-immigrant rhetoric and outright lies about migrants. From my experience, the people who come here want to work hard and contribute to their new country. They are grateful for the opportunity to live here.
I am still connected to Maryknoll Lay Missioners as a member of the “Always a Missioner” advisory council. I am excited about attending next year’s 50th anniversary celebration and hope to see many of the missioners and friends I made over the years.
Debbie Northern, Maryknoll Lay Missioners Class of 1999, served in Tanzania and El Salvador, and at the U.S.-Mexico border.
