Haitian Roman Catholic priest May Joseph helped officiate Sunday, January 16, at a Mass at Tlaquepaque’s Nuestra Señora del Refugio (Our Lady of Refuge), as part of an effort to support around 50 Haitian refugees living in a shelter that has been partially constructed at the parish.
The facility, El Refugio Casa del Migrante, has the support of an urban-improvement program undertaken by students at the nearby ITESO university, an institution headed by Jesuit priests.
Joseph expressed gratitude at having been so well received by Guadalajara and ITESO, adding that he has been studying along with other priests, including other Haitian priests, at the prestigious university. A preparation program, Professional Application Project or PAP, for students in engineering, public communication, journalism and other disciplines, has been an important engine behind the shelter, which focuses on integrating migrating and permanent neighborhood residents in one of the city’s most challenged suburbs to improve the lives of both.
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