AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

God Walks with His People: Santos & Noehlia

Santos and Noehlia worked with Jesuits in Nicaragua; when the government began to attack the Church, they had to flee. This audio reflection is part of a series marking the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Over the course of six episodes, we invite you to join migrants in solidarity and prayer. Find supplemental resources for reflection and action here: https://sites.ignatiansolidarity.net/world-refugee-day-website

Broadcast on:: 29 Sep 2024
Audio Format:: other

(soft music) - Good, a mighty father. - We are your Telegram Church. - Walking towards the kingdom of heaven. - Though we live here on earth. - Our true citizenship is in heaven. - Help us to keep walking. - Together with our migrant brothers and sisters. - Towards the eternal home that you have prepared for us. - Open our eyes and our hearts. - So that every encounter with those in need. - Also becomes an encounter with Jesus. - Your son and our Lord. Amen. (soft music) - Welcome to God Walks With His People. A podcast prayer series from the Jesuit migration network of the US and Canada. My name is Brian Strasburger and I'm a Jesuit ministering to migrants on both sides of the US-Mexico border and based in Brownsville, Texas. Every September, the Catholic Church marks the world day of migrants and refugees. This year Pope Francis has chosen the theme God Walks With His People. Reminding us that in every age, from the Exodus account to the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt to the present day, God accompanies people on the move. Through six episodes, this podcast will feature the stories of migrants and those who accompany them as they reflect on how God has walked with them on their journeys. We invite you to join us in prayer and reflect on how you can walk with migrants in your own community. In this episode, we'll walk with Nicaraguan asylum seekers, Santos Anuelia. A married couple with two children, Santos Anuelia worked for Jesuit run organizations in Nicaragua, including the University of Central America known as the Uka. But in recent years, the political dictatorship in Nicaragua has repressed nonprofits and religious orders, ultimately shutting down the organization where Santos worked and seizing the Uka in 2023. Marked by the government for their affiliation with the Jesuits, Santos Anuelia fled Nicaragua and came to the US through a program called humanitarian parole. So now, we invite you to listen prayerfully to the story of Santos Anuelia. [MUSIC PLAYING] My name is Noelia Cantone, and I'm originally from Nicaragua. I'm 35 years old. My name is Santo Martinez. I'm also from Nicaragua. I am only 44 years old. I was born in the municipality of Hicaral. Hicaral is in the Department of Leon, one of the warmest departments in our country. My family consists of my wife, Noelia, my son, Gris Santos, and also Celinesse. Celinesse is our daughter. She's 18 years old, but she stayed in Nicaragua to continue studying. She's studying law. I'm one of seven siblings, four men and three women. My mother, thanks me to God, is alive too. In Nicaragua, I work with the Society of Jesus in an institute called Juan Benetitres. Later on, they changed their name to Rongali Association. To relax, I like to play sports. I love sports, especially baseball and basketball. That is how we have fun. And occasionally, when we had the opportunity, we would go to the beach. I am originally from Granada, the oldest municipality on the continent, the American continent. I am an only child and growing up in a study at Gieshruz schools. I also study at the University of Central America, a Gieshruz university, where I received a degree in social work, and then work at the same university for 12 years. In Nicaragua, we have a government that is at the dealership. It's a country where now, unfortunately, there is no democratic government. The person in power has been there for about 20 years. So laws and rights, they do not exist. And it's very unsafe, because all law enforcement, whether it be the police or army, they are controlled by him, he and his wife, the president and vice president of the country. Our story is that the Nicaraguan government closed of all of our opportunities to work. This is because we work in a University of Central America and in Juan Benjidrens, which also was part of the university. So when they confiscated the university, our jobs were gone. There is no safety anymore in our country, no safety for the people, because all of this, we were forced to migrate. In Nicaragua, you have the private sector and the public sector for employment. However, the government began stripping the NGOs of their legal operating status. So why does that make it hard to find a job you made ask? Because we had work for NGOs, both my wife, at the university and myself. If you have that on your resume, that you work at one of those places, then private companies will be too scared to hire you. It is the same way for public sector jobs. They literally just close the doors on you. Unfortunately, many of the big politicians are also business owners, so they take all of this into account when hiring. And since they keep a record of this information, it's easy for them to filter out who comes from one of these institutions, the NGOs, in this case. Let me give you an example so that you have an idea of how things are. In 2018, when they uprising me again in our country, my wife started a master's degree in human development at the Unan. The Unan is a public university. The Ministry of Salinista Youth, a government institution also known as the Minhouve, they offered master's degrees. So my wife applied to one by submitting a project. And since they approved the project, she was accepted. But things began going downhill in 2019 because they expelled everyone from the master's program who had come from the University of Central America. That's to say, there were about 32 or 33 master students and only 15 of them remained. The ones who had not gone to the University of Central America. That is an attack on the citizen. That is an attack on civil rights. So the scenario is quite complex. Since we began this process of trying to migrate, many people have extended a helping hand to us. And I believe it was God who put them in our path. We filled out a lot of information to apply for our humanitarian parole. And we received the approval in practically record time. It was incredible. I believe it took around 25 days. Meanwhile, there are people who applied a year and a half ago and still have not received an answer. And then there's the person who made this trip possible. And then conditional support that she has given to us. And Julie. She even picked us up from the airport without even truly knowing us. She let us stay in her house. She's a person, I believe, who God put in our paths so that we could successfully migrate. I believe that God was always accompanying us in our lives. That this was all part of God's will. And that we never would have been able to come this far if it wasn't for him. All because the mercy of God is so great and because God knows all. And has control of everything that happens in our lives. Though I know it can also be easy to get depressed, someone once told me, you just talk. God will listen. God has ears everywhere. You can always say, God is with you. God is always listening. I know I've already said this, but it's because I know that his mercy is great and transcends all barriers. He's always with the most vulnerable because, as the Bible says, God always hears the cry of his children. And that is where I see the presence of God in our lives. Thank you for listening to Santo's Anuelia's story. As you listen to their story, what struck you? (gentle music) What were the injustices committed by the Nicaraguan government that most surprised you? If you found yourself unaware of the political situation there, can you look up further information to learn more? (gentle music) (gentle music) Santo's reflected on how God always hears our prayers and strengthens us in difficult times. What is an example of a moment in your life where you felt accompanied and strengthened by God through a difficult experience? (gentle music) (gentle music) - Let us pray. Lord, allow me to truly be your instrument of peace. Let me walk with my migrant sisters and brothers who often endure hardship and exclusion at the hands of peoples and governments. Let me listen deeply to their stories so that I may accompany them on this journey and help them carry their burdens. Let me speak their truth so that others may hear when their voices are silenced. Let me hold their hand when they can go no further. Allow them to see your face, O Lord, through mind, when they feel that all hope is gone. Amen. (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) You