No one left behind
Nadie se queda atrás

You do not have to look far today to see a growing concern for migrants coming into the United States. And regardless of the political issues polarizing our society around the issue of immigration, we have people at our doorstep who need help for their very survival.

United in a common mission of service, members of St. Vincent de Parish and DePaul University have come together to help this special population. To be clear, as a community of faith, our mission is not to solve, but to serve.

After months of preparation, we have officially committed to a migrant family assigned to us through Catholic Charities. We met them for the first time on April 17 and we are so happy to introduce them now to you. Their story is one of incredible courage.

A young mother and father left Colombia with their four little girls in the fall of 2023. They were embarking on the journey of their life. Columbia afforded them little more than a life of severe poverty. But they took a chance at finding an opportunity that might give them hope.

It took three months for 29-year-old Fernando Arroyo and his family to make their harrowing trip to the United States. And at times, they came perilously close to paying for it with their lives. Passing through Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, they made it to the border of Texas.

The traumatic events of that trip will undoubtedly haunt them for the rest of their lives. But no event was worse than what they encountered in Panama when hijackers abducted two of their little girls.

For most people, the idea of kidnapping a child is only something you read about. You might hear about an abduction in the news or hear about a story far removed from your everyday life. But for Fernando and Carmen, the nightmare was real. Their family was reunited, but not until the hijackers threatened their lives at gunpoint.

When the Arroyos arrived at the U.S. border, a bus was waiting for them to bring them to Chicago. Here they found food and shelter. Despite the immense struggles that sanctuary cities such as Chicago have faced this past year, families like the Arroyos are finding lifesaving resources.

Since December, Carmen and Fernando have been living with their four daughters in a facility for migrants on Irving Park Road. The two oldest daughters are enrolled in school in Albany Park. Carmen has six houses that she now cleans on a regular basis to make a modest income. And Fernando is working as a handyman for a local landlord.

On May 11, the Arroyos are due for eviction from their shelter. The city has already granted them the maximum number of extensions allowable. We—the parish and the university—are working diligently to find housing for our new family by the end of April.

We will follow up with specific information with how you can help. In the meantime, please join us in welcoming the Arroyos and remembering them in your prayers.