Willing to Volunteer

Council #13005 members, Mike Scheer, left, Deacon Greg George and seminarian Antonio Aviles on the right.

It is not surprising that when help is needed, St Jerome’s Council #13005 members are willing to volunteer as they have done so many times before. Deacon Greg George of Council #13005 felt a calling to go to the border to see if what he was hearing in the news was true.How were immigrants at our border being treated?When he mentioned the trip to #13005 member Mike Scheer, he felt the call to go help as well. They were able to find rooms in the hotel located at The Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle. They then traveled to the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas and reported in with Sister Norma, Director of Catholic Charities and volunteered to help feed, clothe and care for the immigrants seeking asylum. At this site, U.S. Customs and Border Protection would bring approximately 500 legal immigrants per day, mostly from Honduras and Guatemala, to the bus station across the street. Deacon Greg and Mike would walk them to the Center to begin their assimilation into the US and travel to meet family already in this country. Mike spent most of his time working in the hot warehouse sorting supplies that had been donated from all over the country and Deacon Greg spent much of his time helping in the kitchen under the direction of Sister Ann, preparing food and serving the gracious and grateful immigrants. They also brought along coloring books donated from the Ladies of St Jerome’s for the children there. What was surprising was what happened to Deacon Greg George and Mike Scheer next. While participating in this important mission they happened upon a group of students from St. Martin de Porres Parish in Dripping Springs, Tx who were helping to sort donated clothes for the immigrants. While talking to the group’s young leader they found that 25 students and sponsors had worked in McAllen for a week helping repair and paint homes in the Rio Grande Valley area and were also helping immigrants at the Humanitarian Respite Center. While talking to the young leader, he asked them, “Where are you from?”They replied, “We are from Waco.”The young man said, “What a coincidence, a Knights of Columbus council from St Jerome’s in Waco has supported me with tuition during my time in the seminary.”Mike and Deacon Greg were proud to announce, “That is us, Council #13005.” Council #13005 has supported the young man, Antonio Aviles with tuition for the past 4 years. Danny Garces, Seminarian Support Chairman for Council #13005 has stayed in touch with Antonio, often sending birthday and Christmas cards along with additional gifts from Council #13005 and other individual members. Danny also noted that Council #13005 has supported many seminarians throughout the council’s history including one of our own members who became a transitional deacon this year and will be ordained a priest next spring. Grand Knight Ed Arredondo said,”It is a blessing to see our hard work pay off in the actual acts of charity that we were able to see Antonio committed to. We feel like our efforts are rewarded when we see kindness and compassion resulting from those efforts.” Antonio has another year of education before being ordained a transitional deacon and an additional year to be ordained into the priesthood. You can bet that council #13005 will be there at his ordination supporting him again.