Seminarians encounter Jesus, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City

Under the sunshine at a city park. In silent moments at an orphanage. Amid the noise of one of Mexico City’s dumps.

Twenty-one seminarians of the Archdiocese of Omaha encountered Jesus in the people they met in places overlooked or forgotten by most in the most populated city in North America.

From July 21-27, the seminarians served alongside the staff of Hope of the Poor, whose mission is to alleviate the poverty of being unloved. Their pilgrimage was based near the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where Mary appeared to Juan Diego in 1531. The seminarians together celebrated Mass at the basilica and viewed Juan Diego’s tilma featuring the miraculously imprinted image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

During their pilgrimage, they spent time with young adults living with development disabilities, formerly homeless women abandoned by their families, families recovering from life on the streets and families who live and work at the dump.

Their mission was one of service and presence to those ministered to by Hope of the Poor — through eye contact, drawing, dancing, soccer, basketball, simple conversations, prayer and shared meals.

Many of the seminarians on the trip described the power of these otherwise benign moments as evidence of Jesus’ presence in the poor: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” Matthew 25:40. 

Read the reflections from some of the seminarians below.

Stephen Driscoll

Stephen Driscoll (right) and Harrison Elhabbal | HOPE OF THE POOR

“The combination of mission and pilgrimage was unique. It created space where the grace from prayer could be turned to action. My biggest grace was the people we encountered. They were the face of Jesus and showed us the love and joy that comes from a relationship with Him. I was reminded of the power that each encounter can have if we are present to the person in front of us and we invite the Lord into that moment.”

Deacon Logan Hepp

Deacon Logan Hepp | HOPE OF THE POOR

“Every time I get to go on mission, it’s a new experience of suffering with the Lord in the ‘distressing disguise of the poor.’ This trip was no different. While we do provide some temporary aid and relief, I’ve learned that I’m incapable of solving their problems or saving them from their sufferings. I’ve also learned that they don’t necessarily want that. What they want is to know that they are loved, that they are lovable. To simply listen to their stories, to sing and dance with them, to share life with them for a while can do so much more than money. The physically poor are not the only ones starving to know that they are worthy of love. Spending this time with them has filled my heart with a desire to share with people the incredible truth of God’s love for them. Whoever they may be, or whatever their circumstances, I want to be a witness to them of that immense love because everyone deserves to know that they are known and chosen by God.”

Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson | HOPE OF THE POOR

“What is essential is invisible to the eye. Only with the heart do you see rightly.” –“The Little Prince”
“I was shocked by the capacity for joy and generosity of the people we encountered in Mexico. When we were spending time with homeless families or orphaned children, they were so quick to smile at us and ready to share a good laugh. It was remarkable how, although they are poor, they are so rich in what matters most.  Anytime food was served, without fail, the people we were supposed to be serving offered the little food they had to me. I’m grateful to my brothers and sisters in Mexico for helping me to pierce through the littleness of my own problems to see what really matters.”

Deacon Brian Hula

Deacon Brian Hula (center) and Luke Capoun | HOPE OF THE POOR

“It was a tremendous blessing to spend this week ‘in the presence of the saints.’ It was amazing to receive love from, and deepen my relationship with, the Blessed Mother and other saints and blesseds we saw such as St. Vitalis and Blessed Miguel Pro. A grace from serving the poor was being able to embrace my own poverty! As I encountered them, I found that I wanted to ‘do something’ to better their lives and take away their suffering . But this wasn’t possible. The only thing I could give them was the seemingly insignificant gift of my love and attention. Yet the Lord assured me that this gift was actually beautiful and powerful, especially because He was working through it.”

Casey LaMotte

Casey LaMotte (center in yellow) | HOPE OF THE POOR

“I had the unique opportunity to work with Hope of the Poor’s apostolate in Omaha as my summer assignment, and I found myself deeply aware of the charism of the organization throughout our journey in Mexico City. I began to discover that the name of the organization refers to the hope for us that can be found in the poor. Through our mission I wrestled with hard things, that there are thousands who live in a large dump and spend their entire lives sorting trash and living among the flies, and we can’t get them out. We are forced to encounter our own poverty and inability to save them. I found as a fruit of that a deeper recognition as Christ as my Savior and the Savior of all. Embracing this has left more room in my heart for God to accomplish the work He has portioned out for me, and a greater desire to be used by Him for all the good He intends.”

Kyle Snodgrass

Kyle Snodgrass | HOPE OF THE POOR

“For me the major thing that stuck out as a major grace was just the beauty from the poor. Each encounter was different but showed the Face of God in a unique and powerful way. But the biggest two that stood out were the mentally and physically disabled kids and adults, and working at the dump. There was a moment in the dump during Mass when I looked over and saw all the trash, and thought, ‘Man, this is where Jesus desires to be the most.’ As a whole, this gives me so much life, an appreciation for what we have in the U.S. and also just gives me a desire to serve the poor more.”

Alex Kennedy

Alex Kennedy (right) and Kyle Wozniak | HOPE OF THE POOR

“This was my first time doing this kind of ministry with the poor and it was definitely an eye opener. We are very spoiled in the U.S. in every aspect, and it has given me a better appreciation for what I have and have been given in my life. Besides that, the biggest thing that stood out to me was the first day working with the disabled children. I was hit very hard emotionally as soon as we walked in and was slightly uncomfortable. But I just went all in like Father Scott (Schilmoeller) told us to do, and after hanging out with (the residents) for a bit, I realized how much joy was in that place. Also, that was honestly the best dance I have ever been to.”

Luke Gunderson

Luke Gunderson (right) and Kyle Wozniak | HOPE OF THE POOR

“Have you ever seen Christ in the poor? We had visited many poor people in Mexico: homeless families, crippled, outcast. Yet Craig (Johring, co-founder of Hope of the Poor) proclaimed these are the people who are the most like Christ to us. I had moments to see my God in these individuals, some of which were the most profound encounters with people I had ever had. One encounter was with Fernanda. She had autism. We were with each other for about an hour, mostly sitting in silence communicating with hand signals. But for a moment she gave me a gaze from her eyes. I totally thought there I had seen my Savior’s eyes.”

Brandon Hernandez

Brandon Hernandez | HOPE OF THE POOR

“Hope of the Poor has forever changed the way I view poverty. Not only in the lives of others, but in my own life as well. As we encountered many people from the streets of Mexico, I realized they had something I lack: hope. Hope is not only a gift from God, but an invitation to lean in closer to the Heart of Christ. The many people we encountered throughout our week have responded well to this invitation, whether they realize it or not. They live a life of authentic joy, love and hope regardless of their circumstances. Although our trip to Mexico was short, we truly encountered Christ in every person.”

Luke Capoun

Luke Capoun | HOPE OF THE POOR

“My major grace from this trip was again getting to experience the joy of the poor, despite some difficult and heart-breaking circumstances they live in, which I’ve experienced numerous times before. They never cease to amaze me! It was a great blessing to connect with certain individuals and practicing seeing Jesus in them. My favorite encounter were with two older ladies I met at the Villa Mujeres, who have no family to take care of them. These two ladies were both willing to share their stories of being estranged from their families. And the Holy Spirit moved the conversation in such a way where I got to pray with both. It was exceptionally beautiful to affirm them in their goodness through that.”

Caleb Kosch

Caleb Kosch (left) and Ethan Menning, Kyle Snodgrass, Brian Johnson, Deacon Brian Hula, Luke Gunderson and Luke Capoun | HOPE OF THE POOR

“To be with my brothers for a week was a gift. So rarely do we have a chance to be together, and for one week we were able to have seminarians together from four different seminaries. … To hear different brothers’ stories, to see them in beautiful moments of ministry and to rest with brothers was inspiring. Iron sharpens iron, and to have senior and younger brothers help teach me how to be a better man was a gift. Thank God for the gift of relationships.”

Deacon Will Targy

Deacon Will Targy | CATHOLIC VOICE

“This seminarian trip was such a unique and life-giving experience. It combined the graces of a pilgrimage, mission trip and time with brother seminarians. It was such a blessing to have time each day at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, allowing for significant time with the Blessed Mother. I was also very moved and edified by the witness of saints like Juan Diego and Father Miguel Pro. It was an incredible gift for me personally to preach at the chapel where Juan Diego is buried and was also the site of countless baptisms. I was also very moved in our time spent with the poor of Mexico City. Our invitation was to encounter Jesus in them and allow Him to love us through the poor. What a profound opportunity it was for us to hear the incredible testimonies from those who have lived in extreme poverty and have continued living out their faith through the assistance and ministry of Hope of the Poor. This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I am so grateful to have shared it with my seminarian brothers.”

Thomas Matya

Thomas Matya | HOPE OF THE POOR

“One opportunity we had was to visit a home for women. The women all had very little; whatever they had, they either wore or carried on their person. I felt a little unsettled as we arrived, wondering how our time would go. I was able to connect with a woman and have a basic conversation in Spanish, despite my limited Spanish knowledge. I experienced the joy of connecting with her, and at the end of our conversation, she gave me a rosary bracelet she had. It was one of the few possessions she had, and to receive it as a gift and as a reminder of her, was very moving. It is truly in giving that we receive!”

Thomas LaSala

Thomas LaSala (center) with Brandon Hernandez and Seth Conrad | HOPE OF THE POOR

“While so limited in how I could communicate and interact with the people we served with Hope of the Poor, I found that Christ gave me the gift of simply loving the people with just a smile and a gaze of love. It seemed as if Christ gave me His smile and His eyes. And although I was able to ‘do’ so little, this gaze of love which Christ gives to us all seemed to be more than enough. Only an omnipotent God would choose to love in such a profoundly simple way. I also found that I was able to be loved in this same way. So many times either impoverished workers or young children, or even the religious sisters we stayed with, would just look upon me with eyes of love. And even not being able to speak the language, I found Christ looking upon me, and loving me through them. It truly reminds me of Matthew 25:40, the verse that Hope of the Poor builds their mantra upon: ‘Whatever you did to the least of Mine, you did to Me.'”

Michael Figura

Michael Figura | HOPE OF THE POOR

“A grace for me was spending an entire afternoon with a number of homeless families at a park in Mexico City. We engaged the people there much like you would spend time with any of your family and friends: with music and dancing, snacks, cake to celebrate those who’d had a birthday recently, soccer, basketball, frisbee, and many good conversations. Though these people were living in very difficult situations, our goal was not to immediately solve all of their problems but to meet them in their humanity and to love where others have overlooked them. This is because the worst poverty that any person may face is not material poverty but a poverty of love. In a marvelous way, God invites us to meet this need in our neighbors through a sharing of time, interests, hearts. That is to say, God asks us to combat this poverty of love through a sharing of our very selves, something that each of us can afford to do. What is even more mysterious is that in giving ourselves away we ourselves receive so much. Everyone is enriched by a sharing of self.”

HOPE OF THE POOR

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