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Objective
THEME: Ubuntu, “I Am Because We Are.”
OBJECTIVE: Students will DEMONSTRATE understanding of the African Philosophy of Ubuntu, “I am because we are,” which emphasizes the interconnectedness of all people and the importance of community, compassion, and mutual support. They will ANALYZE Scripture in order to APPLY Ubuntu to their lives and the lives of others. Students will IDENTIFY organizations that support refugees in their area and then respond to some of their needs.
Step 1: Pray
During Advent and Christmas we remember how God chose to become connected to us through Jesus, who showed us how we are all interconnected to each other. With a partner or in a journal SHARE the three things you thought of before the prayer. When you share say I am… then finish the sentence with because we are and add something or someone that supports you to be who you are. USE the prayer as an example.
Ubuntu means “I am because we are.” Before you begin this prayer, think of three things that make you who you are. Pause for a moment and in your mind finish this statement three times. “I am…”
Now pray the following prayer having two readers take turns reading one sentence at a time.
I am because we are:
I am a student because we are teachers, classmates, scholars, siblings, parents, and grandparents.
I am creative because we are the beauty of creation, artists, singers, audiences, and backstage workers.
I am fed each day because we are farmers, the sun and the soil, migrant workers, truck drivers, grocery store workers, restaurant help, and parents.
I am an athlete because we are coaches, gym teachers, olympians, and factory workers making sporting equipment.
I am refreshed because we are rivers and wells, utility workers, plumbers, and people who pay the bills.
Amen
This Advent season USE this prayer each day. At night WRITE in a journal I am and then because we are recalling something you noticed about yourself each day and how you are connected to creation and others.
Step 2: Personal Connections
Maryknoll Fr. Ray Finch with some of his parishioners wearing indigenous dress.
Mission Story:
Maya 11 and her brother Rocco 13 arrived in El Paso, TX 3 days ago. They were so happy to arrive in the United States after traveling through the Darién jungle where they walked through mud up to their waist, were surrounded by snakes and the largest insects Maya had ever seen. The kids were separated from their mother on the journey because their mom did not have enough money to pay the guide for all three, so she stayed behind. The family was fleeing their home after their dad was killed by gang violence. Frightened for their lives they set out to seek asylum in the United States.
As Maya sits staring at the blank wall, she prays that her mom will get the money to join her and Rocco soon. She recalls on their last night together how they read the story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and that her mom had said that people would help them just like the innkeeper had helped Mary and Joseph. Maya recalls all those who had helped them so far, Rosa who had given them food on the trail, Carlos who had invited them to walk with his family, and the volunteer at the detention center who had assured her that Rocco was there, separated from her in the boys section, but he was there somewhere behind this wall.
Maryknoll Deacon Matthew Sim, (far left) and Fr. Finch celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with two of their parishioners.
Every day Maryknoll Missioners in El Paso, Texas, hear stories from displaced people just like this story of Maya and Rocco and every day Catholic El Pasoans try their best to help those families escaping violence.
Maryknoll Father Raymond Finch M.M. arrived in El Paso in 2022 to serve as pastor at Cristo Rey Parish. Shortly after his arrival, he visited an immigration detention center for minors and celebrated Mass for about 150 boys there. “It is very impressive, first of all, that the children survived,” says Father Ray. They are resilient. You don’t expect kids to be in detention centers.They have already been through so much.”
Father Ray shares how the parishioners at his Cristo Rey parish do all they can to welcome the stranger, the migrant, and the needy of El Paso. When migrants had to sleep on the streets in very low temperatures because shelters were full in December 2022, “the people in the parish here, and most people in El Paso — and I was very impressed with this — reacted to help,” says Father Ray.
Fr. Finch saying mass on the top of Mt. Cristo Rey
Gloria Ibarra, formation director at Cristo Rey, leads a group of parishioners in a migrant ministry she started in 2018. Since then, every Tuesday, they prepare up to 150 hot meals to bring to refugee and migrant shelters. Ibarra puts herself in the shoes of the migrants: “Some of these people have been traveling. They probably haven’t had something homemade, so we always provide things like spaghetti, a salad and a piece of bread or Mexican cuisine.”
Ricardo López is another parishioner that serves at Cristo Rey. He will be ordained as a permanent deacon in 2025 and then he will go on pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee. For the Jubilee year, Pope Francis urges us to give “signs of hope” to migrants and refugees, and Ricardo has seen those signs in his parish community. “The way we look at it is that we are called to serve God’s children,” Lopez explains. “It’s not up to us to determine whether that person is here legally or illegally. It’s up to us to provide, to serve them with open arms. I think our parish community strives to do that.”
“Displaced people do not expose themselves to the danger and suffering involved with seeking asylum in the United States for trivial reasons,” says Father Ray. “The majority are escaping life threatening situations.”
Shelters in El Paso offer a uniquely humanitarian response to migrants. Many times, those who serve in shelters see themselves transformed when they hear the stories of people there, says Monsignor Arturo Bañuelas.
Bañuelas has advocated for many years for the rights of migrants and refugees. His Hope Border Institute in El Paso studies the reasons why migrants are coming to the United States and documents human right abuses against them. Even though there are so many conflicts in the world and so much tragedy at the border, Monsignor Bañuelas says he’s never felt “hopeless.”
“That’s why hope never fails,” he says. “It engenders in us possibilities of love that are bigger than hate. When you struggle with the poor, you struggle for justice, you march, you work in shelters…you look at life from the possibility that love is going to win, that justice is going to win, and it’s on its way.”
REFLECT on these questions in a journal or in a small group:
- Name some of the people in this story and what they did to help Maya and Rocco or other displaced people in El Paso.
- How is supporting the basic needs for a person’s survival living Ubuntu?
- Share a time when you needed to depend on someone else in a tough time. How did that make you feel connected to them?
STEP 3: EXPLORE SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION
READ the following scriptures. REFLECT on the questions.
Old Testament: Leviticus 19:33-34
Life of Jesus: Luke 10:25-37
Christian Living: Galatians 5: 13-14
ANSWER the following questions with a partner or in a journal.
- How does God say we should treat one another, in all of these scripture passages?
- In the story of the Good Samaritan, which characters demonstrated Ubuntu and which did not? How did they do that?
- Throughout time people have been forced to flee their homeland. How do we use the messages from scripture to inform how we should treat the refugees of today?
WHAT DOES THE CHURCH SAY?
Catholic teaching strongly supports the right to migrate, rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus and the Church’s commitment to human rights. It emphasizes addressing the root causes of migration—such as poverty, injustice, religious intolerance, and armed conflicts—so that people can live and thrive in their homelands. Pope Francis acknowledges that fear of migrants is a natural instinct but urges people to move beyond fear and embrace a creative openness to others. He warns that fear can lead to intolerance and racism, depriving us of the ability and desire to truly encounter and welcome others.
Resources:
STEP 4: TAKE ACTION
LEARN about the African Philosophy of Ubuntu by WATCHING this video with Mathias Segeja who is studying with Maryknoll in Nairobi, Kenya. Ubuntu teaches us that we are all interconnected, I am because we are. In this issue we will use the values of Ubuntuto CONSIDER migration and how it impacts everyone in the world.
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns explains, “Due to climate change and drought, as well as violent conflict in Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Palestine, Myanmar, and other countries, the number of refugees is ever-growing. The UN estimates that there will be 130 million people forcibly displaced by the end of 2024.”
To UNDERSTAND more of the stories of today’s refugee’s WATCH the UNHCR Video on YouTube, “What Happens When People are Forced to Flee.”
ANSWER these questions in a small group or journal:
- What surprised you in the video?
- What emotions did you experience after watching the stories of the displaced people?
- In what ways is your life connected to the lives of refugees and migrants?
- How can the values of Ubuntu which include empathy, caring for others, respect, and community empower you and others to support displaced people?
Take action by CREATING a list of local organizations who are supporting displaced people in your community. (examples: Catholic Charities, and CRS) Find out what the organizations need, i.e. supplies, volunteers, money, etc. Include this on your list with the organization.
As a class or a group IDENTIFY one organization that you can support with a service project, collecting supplies, holding a fundraiser, etc. Make a PLAN of how you will live Ubuntu as a community and support one of these organizations.
RAISE YOUR VOICE
INVITE other classes, groups, families, church members and/or neighbors to a screening of the UNHCR Video on YouTube “What Happens When People are Forcedto Flee.” SHOW hospitality and caring by having a welcoming environment and by greeting everyone. Before the video EXPLAIN why you have invited them and that after the video there will be a time to share about what they have seen.
In small groups ANSWER these questions:
- What surprised you in the video?
- How did you feel watching the video?
- How can working together as a local and world community impact the lives of displaced people?
BE A GLOBAL NEIGHBOR
You can support displaced people in Asia with Maryknoll Fr. John Barth, M.M.. He and other organizations are helping displaced people who are running from the violence in their homelands from various countries in Asia and Africa. Fr. Barth and others take care of their physical needs by providing food, clothing, shelter, medical care and education to refugee families.
Visit Maryknollsociety.org for more info on how you can make a difference today.
ENGAGE YOUR FAMILY
As a family, WATCH Maryknoll student Mathias Segeja in Nairobi, Kenya in this Video on Ubuntu. Afterwards, DISCUSS how you can better live Ubuntu at home. Have everyone WRITE or DRAW a word that describes an Ubuntu value that you already practice or want to practice as a family and put them on the refrigerator as a reminder to live with the value system that supports and uplifts each member of your family, and of your community.