Introducing padremigrante.org
Welcome to padremigrante.org. The Redemptorists came to the United States in 1832, missionaries working with immigrants, especially from German speaking nations. St. John Neumann is patron of immigrants and Blessed Francis Seelos is a patron of immigrant ministry. This site celebrates the mission of Redemptorists to work with the “most abandoned”. I am one of many Redemptorists offering spiritual care to migrants and immigrants today.
I am Fr. Mike McAndrew, C.SS.R. For the past thirty years, I have worked in Hispanic ministry. As a Redemptorist missionary, it has been my privilege to work with migrants and immigrants in a variety of ministries: youth work, mission preaching, rural ministry, immigration advocacy and working with seasonal workers. While being involved in advocacy, justice, and social service, I am concerned have about evangelization and the availability of migrants to receive the grace of sacraments in the Church. Pope Francis captured my concern when he wrote, “I want to say, with regret, that the worst discrimination which the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care. The great majority of the poor have a special openness to the faith; they need God and we must not fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing, his word, the celebration of the sacraments and a journey of growth and maturity in the faith. Our preferential option for the poor must mainly translate into a privileged and preferential religious care.” (EG 200)
Several years ago, I wrote Migrant Faith/La Fe del Migrante, to honor the faith witnessed in the lives of migrants and their families. An editor for my book said that after “La Fe del Migrante,” people will know you as Padre Migrante. No one has called me, Padre Migrante, but on a mission, a younger priest asked me to tell him stories of my experiences in migrant ministry. He encouraged me to make a Facebook page, Padre Migrante. It is a platform to tell stories and live stream Masses, but I wanted a platform to offer more substantive ministry.
The website, padremigrante.org, is to encourage greater pastoral care for migrants, immigrants and their families. While I may be the face of this page, it is my hope that people realize the ministry and love for migrants by my brother Redemptorists. There truly are many Padre Migrantes whose stories and experiences will be told on this website.
St. John Neumann, C.SS.R., patron of immigrants, pray for us.
Blessed Francis Seelos, C.SS.R., patron of immigrant ministry, pray for us.
