St. Francis Cabrini Parish to Host Reunification of Immigrant Families
St. Francis Cabrini Parish Community in LA to host Reunification of immigrant families who have not seen each other for decades
Auxiliary Bishop Matthew Elshoff will welcome and bless more than 30 families hailing from Jalisco, Mexico, including a mother who hasn’t seen her children in 20 years, during which she lost her sight
More than 30 families, mostly senior men and women arriving in Los Angeles from different towns in Jalisco, Mexico, will be welcomed at St. Francis Cabrini Parish, 1430 W Imperial Hwy, Los Angeles, CA 90047, by its Pastor Fr. Juan Bosco and the parish community today, Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 10 a.m., when they will meet with loved ones they have not seen in decades. In a special ceremony, the families will be blessed by Auxiliary Bishop Matthew Elshoff for the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region. The effort is being spearheaded by the Asociación de Clubes Jalisciences de California (California’s Association of Jalisco Clubs) an organization dedicated to assisting elderly people in Jalisco obtain visas and come to the United States to visit their families. The visitors will stay for three weeks, enjoying precious time and Easter with their loved ones before returning to Mexico.
“We are happy to celebrate this reunification in the church because Holy Week and especially the Day of Glory and Day of Resurrection, is the time for Christian families to meet again, to reflect, live together and be happy despite the difficult situations that the world is experiencing,” said Javier Wenceslao, the association’s president. “It is special to give great happiness to 33 parents of families, who for many years have been away from their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren. It is also special that this Church, St. Francis Cabrini, bears the name of a saint who knew what it was like to leave her family and her homeland to live in a foreign country.”
The reunited families –approximately a total of 150 people— will have the opportunity to share their stories during the ceremony, after a welcoming light breakfast. Auxiliary Bishop Elshoff will then offer a blessing, celebrating their reunion and extending his blessings upon their journey ahead. The reunion will serve as a reminder of the importance of cherishing our loved ones and the importance of family being together for this Easter season.
The parish’s patron saint, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian American religious sister, was the first American saint, declared patron of immigrants, who founded the order of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1880, whose ministry focused on immigrants. For more information about the Asociación de Clubes Jalisciences de California and livestreaming, go to @acjalisciencesca. For information about St. Francis Cabrini Parish, visit https://cabrinilosangeles.org.
RECAP
WHO: Auxiliary Bishop Matthew Elshoff, St. Francis Cabrini Parish community
WHAT: Reunification of Immigrant Families from Jalisco, Mexico
WHEN: Saturday, March 30 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (noon). NOTE: all families will leave the parish by noon.
WHERE: St. Francis Cabrini Parish, 1430 W Imperial Hwy, Los Angeles, CA 90047