By: Roxane Ramos The pilgrims and Native Americans who celebrated the first Thanksgiving have a lot in common with the migrants of today. There are many misconceptions about the origins of the U.S. celebration of Thanksgiving. For one thing, the now-legendary feast on Plymouth Plantation in 1621 was not a celebration of thanksgiving, but an acknowledgement of a successful harvest. Nor was it a “first”—it was common to set aside a time of thanks well before this Plymouth event, though …Read More

Kino Border Initiative staff, board members, and volunteers as well as the migrants they serve weigh in about what they are thankful for during this season of gratitude. “I am grateful for the generous way that the migrants I encounter every day in the comedor share with me their hopes, their smiles, and their struggles. That people who have suffered so much are still so willing to give of themselves to help at the comedor, and to share who they are with me constantly amazes me and is a …Read More

By: Roxane Ramos Fr. Sean Carroll, executive director of the Kino Border Initiative, entered the order of the Society of Jesus on August 27, 1989, and celebrated his twenty-fifth anniversary as a Jesuit this past August. All who have the privilege of knowing Fr. Sean are grateful for his vocation and, of course, his presence at KBI. The KBI Board of Directors presented Fr. Sean with a 2009 bottle of wine from the Kino Winery in recognition of this important milestone. …Read More

Tricia Lothschutz, KBI Immersion Participant By: Roxane Ramos As the outreach/volunteer coordinator for the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Chicago, Tricia Lothschutz facilitated an immersion trip to the Kino Border Initiative in October 2013. Tricia frequently contributes to YOUCATholic.com and other social justice and faith-inspired sites, and reflects here on her experience at the border and what it means to be a pilgrim. To journey without being changed is to be …Read More

By: Roxane Ramos The Kino Border Initiative uses all its in-kind donations in the service of feeding, housing and helping deported migrants. We all know it takes a village to accomplish formidable projects. At the KBI, it also takes shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and socks. The KBI is grateful to so many supporters who have donated toiletries, clothing and other necessities over the years. These in-kind donations are a crucial contribution, supplying basic provisions to the migrants who …Read More