How the Diocese of Brownsville ensures detained children receive sacraments

Dallas, Texas, Sep 21, 2018 / 20:22 pm

Most, if not every, diocese in the United States has some sort of prison ministry. Most do not have a detention center ministry to tend to the spiritual needs of minors detained by the the U.S. Border Patrol.  

The Diocese of Brownsville, located in southern Texas along the U.S./Mexico border, isn't like most dioceses.

While the diocese had been providing services to the detention centers for a long time, Bishop Daniel Flores told CNA that things started to change about four years ago when the number of unaccompanied minors detained at the border started to swell.

"We've always had numbers," Flores said, but 2014 saw a major influx in the number of unaccompanied minors from Central America attempting to cross the U.S. border. This increase in the number of people sparked a realization that something had to be done to care for the unusually high number of people in detention.

"So our prison ministry, you know, kind of morphed into more of a detention center ministry," Flores told CNA during a closed session with the media at the National V Encuentro conference in Grapevine, Texas on Sept. 21.

This "detention center ministry" would consist of teams who would go into the centers, determine who was there, and then create some sort of spiritual offering.

These teams would "develop opportunities to go in and either offer catechesis or say Mass or hear confessions" as part of an ongoing process to minister to those in the center. This process is "ongoing," Flores told CNA.

While the diocese tries to have some sort of presence at the centers, this can be challenging due to changes in policy over time.

"The circumstances changes, because, I'll be honest, the government sometimes changes the rules," said Flores, "and we try to respect that but we also kind of ask questions" as to why the changes are being made.

Despite this, Flores said the diocese has "very good cooperation" with the centers and is able to address the needs of those who are detained.

"I think the people who work at the detention centers, for the most part, that I know, recognize that it's important that these young people have access to somebody who can help them have hope and can follow up on their cases," explained Flores.

This ministry, while important, is "really serious commitment of time," and is carried out by priests, religious, and laypeople. Flores credited the laypeople who volunteer their time as those "who really make the effort."

Flores also praised the Latin American apostolic movements that have taken root in the United States for assisting with this effort.

Each minor's experience in the detention center is different. Some may be there for weeks, and others for months, depending on the circumstances of their case.

The diocese attempts to extend this ministry even after the minors are released from custody. Flores said that after a minor leaves the center, they will attempt to contact a group or charity (such as Catholic Charities) in their destination that will keep tabs on the minor once they arrive.

"It's good to get a phone call that's not asking 'where are your documents?'," said Flores.  "It's a phone call (asking) 'how are you doing, and can we help you with something?"

"That makes a big difference."