About 50 young women from schools from 10 schools as close as Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood neighborhood to those as far away as Belize, Honduras and Jamaica recently came together to provide a carnival-like experience for immigrant families served by Catherine’s Caring Cause in Chicago.

The four-day Conference of Mercy Student Leaders, hosted at Saint Xavier University in Chicago this year, offered students in the Mercy education system an opportunity to further develop their leadership skills along with a good dose of empathy.

“There was a little trepidation in organizing a group of migrants to come to an identifiable place given the actions of ICE, but we are committed to this work and the respect and dignity of every human person,” said conference director Kim Baxter.

“We need to lean into the conflict and demonstrate resolve in the face of inhumane treatment of other human beings and to change the narrative to a much truer picture of the reality that these families are experiencing. They just want to make a better life for their families.

They are not criminals, etc.”

Baxter explained that the conference reflects the spirit of Catherine McAuley, the Sisters of Mercy founder, and her leadership.

To that end, the event incorporates team-building activities and focuses on a Sisters of Mercy critical concern. “This year is immigration, so we have speakers like Sister JoAnn Persch and Sister Pat Murphy, as well as Jean Stokan, the Mercy Institute justice team, speak about their work with immigrants and migrants.

“We also engage in advocacy,” she added. “Each school also presents on how they live out the critical concerns and Mercy Education core values in their respective schools.”

In addition to about 50 student leaders, the event drew about 65 immigrant adults and children, representing current and past families served by Catherine’s Caring Cause, which began in 2022 (incorporated in 2023) to help immigrant families. It’s currently helping 17 families.

“Our purpose is to help asylum seekers who either are in shelters or losing housing — and by that I mean sometimes they moved in with a friend or family member — but they are people who need housing, so that they’re not on the street,” said Sister JoAnn Persch, president of the organization and its co-founder along with Sister Pat Murphy.

“Our process is we provide rent, utilities, food assistance, legal help, get the kids in school and then (cover any) emergencies that come up for one year,” she said. The hope is that after one year, they’ll get work permits, secure a job and at the end of the year take over the lease. “Then, once that happens, we can move another family in.”

Persch was pleased that immigrant families participated in the event, given the current political climate.“They only came for the carnival, but they’re all so afraid right now. In fact, a couple of our families were afraid to come. We understand that,” she said. “But for the ones who came, it was a couple of hours of fun, being able to feel like normal kids, have fun and interact with those young women.”

Casual conversations also were part of the carnival. “Some of our people at the conference spoke Spanish, and they went around interacting, so that was great for our families to meet all of those young women who would take time for them,” Persch added.

Plenty of food was on hand, and Baxter worked with organizers from Catherine’s Caring Cause to create the “carnival” theme for the families.

“My group organized face painting, friendship bracelet making, musical chairs, Simon Says (the Spanish version), football and any other gym activity in which the children wanted to engage,” she said. “We also had two huge pinatas for the children to burst!”

She considers the conference a success. “The student participants demonstrated incredible leadership, asked thought-provoking questions and have a passion for advocacy and making the world a better place,” Baxter shared. “There is much to hope for in the future in the development of these Mercy leaders!”

Persch also praised the conference participants. “They were an amazing group of young women. Not only did they participate with their own school but they have the opportunity to meet students from other schools and not just in this country but beyond. They form friendships.”

She said the students are encouraged to share their experience with others. “They go home with the commission to bring what they heard and to look at this issue with new eyes when they hear immigration and will look at it differently now. … We hope something touches each one of them that they’ll take now into their lived experience.”

The nun incorporates stories in her presentation, using examples of kids that she’s worked with. “Of course that inspires them. They think ‘Wow – that could be me!’”

After her presentation, Persch asked them to share something they were surprised by, or never knew.

“I was really amazed at the things they came up with. They were taking notes while I was speaking, and I had said when Pat and I got a law passed in Illinois to get into the (immigrant) detention centers, we always had an interfaith group with us: a nun, a rabbi, all different faiths,” she said. “This is not a Catholic issue – it’s a moral issue. And one of the girls stood up and said, ‘I’m really touched by that — that this is a moral issue.’”

The closing Mass and commissioning moved Persch. “I was touched,” she said. “One young woman came up and hugged me. She was from Jamaica. She said, ‘I will bring your story to my school.’”

Catherine’s Caring Cause, which has about 40 volunteers, can always use monetary donations and more volunteers.

“The more financial help we get, the more families we can help,” Persch said. Information is with Carol Larson at carol.larson@nyu.edu.

Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.