As international travel once again became reasonably safe, in September 2021 and again this past March I was able to visit La 72 and offer dental care to asylum-seeking guests.
I have been a Franciscan friar for 39 years from The Most Holy Name of Jesus Province in the United States. Also, for 43 years, I have been a dentist. Learning from the example of several dental colleagues, I went to the jungles of Peru from 2006 to 2008 to provide dental care to communities in remote locations.
I returned to my province with no plans to continue this mission, but with a lot of equipment donated by friends and family. So, after a while, I contacted a friar from the San Felipe de Jesús Province in Yucatán. He enthusiastically invited me to go to Tenosique, Tabasco. That was in 2010, when there were only a few simple facilities to support immigrants crossing the local border. La 72 did not yet exist.
I continued to visit Mexico for 10 years and the communities served by the friars in Chiapas. Finally, in 2020, in the last weeks before the closures of the pandemic, I arrived at La 72 to attend to the dental needs of immigrants. And thank God, after a year and a half, I was lucky enough to return to Tenosique and La 72 in September 2021 and March 2022.
These trips have been a blessing for me. I am always very grateful to each and everyone who helps me. More than anything, I am grateful to Fray Gabriel Romero Alamilla, OFM. He has always welcomed me and done his best to support me in helping people. He is a director, but above all, he is a true brother.
The La 72 team is obviously great. Although I only met a few of the team members, they all helped me feel at home. I am always impressed by their professionalism, and I learn a lot from them. I am even happier to see the affection they have for the people.
I have always had someone who has helped me with record-keeping as well as other tasks . On my last visit in March, a couple of nurses helped me substantially; these two men were a great help to the patients as well. I enjoyed their company and their assistance.
On these mission trips I hope that the patients feel and know that they are in good hands. Despite the crude, simple chairs and the materials and instruments scattered on a table, I want you to know that everything is disinfected and/or sterilized. The patients’ healing is more complete if they are confident in care. This care is a gift that God has given me to pass on. I try to share it with the greatest dignity possible, and I dedicate myself to offer the best of my ability and knowledge.
I have always had a desire to know these sisters and brothers and as individuals, but for many years I was afraid of sounding just curious. On my first visit to La 72, I did not ask any personal questions that did not apply to dental care.
In these most recent visits, all that has changed. Now I am grateful for the privilege of having the trust of patients. I am interested in the circumstances that led them to leave their home and their loved ones. I want to know, for example, how was the trip? How did they cross the borders? What violence, disaster, or abuse did they escape? Who was left behind? What is their destination?
I have learned to show my sincere concern and simply allow these brothers and sisters to tell me whatever they want to say, and all while their mouths are busy receiving dental care! Learning about the lives they have lived and about their strength and hopes has been an amazing eye-opener. I will remember the people for the rest of my life.
Migration is a worldwide phenomenon. The impetus to seek a safe haven abroad seems to be steadily increasing. The human need that results from people fleeing with what little they could salvage and carry is tremendous.
It is necessary to help end the terror of extortion that forces people to flee. It is necessary to solve the damage to the climate, which is a factor that makes people move. And there is a need to help these seekers make a new life in a safe haven. And it is necessary to protect and care for these immigrants along the way. That is what La 72 offers. I feel honored and privileged to participate in its great work.
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