Father Strassburger's Border Ministry: Hope Amid Change

0:00It's March 25th. You're listening to Canada News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Cory with the story. For the past five years, Jesuit priest, Father Brian Straussberger, has led border ministries in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, offering mass and support to. Migrants on both sides of the U.S. Mexico line, heading a small team of three Jesuits since 2021, he's shifted from helping huge crowds of asylum seekers and overflowing shelters to, serving those detained in the U.S. or deported back to Mexico. Border crossings, which hit nearly 2,500,000 encounters from May 2023 through January 2025. President Biden have plunged under President Trump's second term in emergency measures. Shelters that once packed in thousands daily now see far fewer people with policies canceling asylum apps and tightening enforcement. Migrants have shared deep fears and heartbreak over sudden changes, like families torn apart after decades and the U.S. Father Straussberger draws from.

1:03His own path raised in Colorado, he discovered his calling through volunteering in South Africa and learning Spanish in Nicaragua, focusing on faith. That brings hope amid the pain of journeys north or south. These days, his work centers on regular masses at two big Texas detention centers and shelters in places like Matamoros and Renosa, Mexico, where. Deported folks rebuild lives. One man, sent back after growing up in the U.S., finds comfort in casual talks in English chats with the priest. Nuns and shelter workers praise this listening presence and sacraments as lifelines, sparking empathy and reminding everyone of a compassionate God, walking beside them through it all.