News

Every December, the Farmworker Ministry of the Diocese of Tucson/Arizona (USA) hosts a binational Mass at 3 a.m. for farmworkers before they head out to their work into the fields.

The farm workers till, cultivate and harvest the produce that is sold in grocery stores across the country. The fruits and vegetables are nourished by the Colorado River, which originates in the United States and flows southwest into northern Mexico. It is estimated that the fruit and vegetable industry in this region reaches nearly $3 billion each year.

One of the organizers of the Mass was our Sister Gladys Echenique OP. “Farm workers live in a world of waiting every day, waiting for the call that will secure their work for the day,” she said, ”being with them, listening to their stories and extending the invitation to Mass was a deeply meaningful moment in my life. Pope Francis encourages us to dialog with those on the periphery and reminds us that we must not be afraid to open our hearts to their stories and share moments of hope and faith with them.”

After Mass, breakfast and hot drinks, the farm workers boarded buses that took them to their assigned fields where they harvested for hours in Yuma County.

In the afternoon, they returned on the buses to the port of entry, passing the parking lot where they had previously celebrated Mass and been blessed by the bishops.

Text Carissa Krautscheid, Diocese of Tuscon & Martina Schneider
Photo Sr. Gladys Echenique OP

December 2024