Mary Luz Salazar Leon was born in Cusco, Peru. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 2006. Her present ministry is teaching high school religion in the Faith and Joy School N° 32. The Faith and Joy schools are part of a network of educational institutions of the Jesuits in Latin America.
by Mary Luz Salazar, CSJ
Mrs. Lilianis is an enterprising Venezuelan woman. She has three children and I met her when I was teaching at a school near our CSJ home in Brisas de Villa. The family was also very involved in the church and her children participated in the preparation to receive the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation.
Lilianis, her husband, and her children left Venezuela out of necessity, not because they wanted to. Economic and political life was in crisis in their country and they could not support themselves as a family. Therefore, they decided to immigrate to Peru. They had heard that life was better in Peru. Her husband left first, then Mrs. Lilianis with their three children. Now, Mrs. Lilianis works in a store cutting meat for anticuchos and her husband works as a cab driver. They are grateful for the help they have received at different times when they have been in need. The support has helped them to keep going because they have discovered that life in Peru is a little better, but life is very hard!
Eyes open, ears attentive, sleeves rolled up in readiness for the mission. – Portrait of a Daughter of St. Joseph
by Marius Nepper, SJ
In line with our commitment to defend the rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, our new blog series “Our Border Brothers and Sisters,” we present the stories that our sisters and associates who have had border experiences would like to share. We are grateful to them for their generosity. It is our hope that these stories will open us to seeing and understanding our brothers and sisters in greater depth because, as Colum McCann once said: “You can’t hate someone when you know their story.”