Companions are dedicated friends of Columbans who believe in the
responsibility of all Catholics for world mission, the exchange of
faith experiences among local churches, and the challenge of the Gospel
vision of justice and peace.
If you are engaged in full- or part-time Christian ministry, we invite you to learn more about the Columban Companions in Mission and see if helping Columban missionaries promote the message of world mission in your community is right for you.
Companions are dedicated friends of Columbans who believe in the responsibility of all Catholics for world mission, the exchange of faith experiences among local churches, and the challenge of the Gospel vision of justice and peace.
Companions promote Columban mission education materials by becoming familiar with our resources and visiting with religious educators, principals, diocesan directors and mission coordinators.
To learn more about Columban Companions in Mission, visit the Columban Companions page or e-mail Sr. Jeanne Janssen at
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The Migration Way Of Life
By Gladys M. Muñoz
Gladys M. Muñoz is a Columban Companion in Mission who is the coordinator for the Language and Cultural Diversity Services at Northwest Michigan Health Services, Inc. - The Farmworker’s Clinic in Traverse City, Michigan.
Michigan is known as the automobile manufacturing capital of the United States, but many people don’t realize that agriculture is the state’s second-largest industry.
As such, thousands of migrants work in the farms and fields of Michigan, making them an indispensable workforce for the state.
In Traverse City, known as “The Cherry Capital of the World,” generations of workers have scoured orchards of cherry trees, picking the fruit by hand or machine and transporting and cleaning the harvest to be shipped to processing plants, also mostly staffed by migrant workers. From here, the cherries are sorted, pitted, frozen, dried, boxed and shipped worldwide.
“The Cherry Capital of the World.” A young migrant worker sorted through a crate of cherries as part of her job in Traverse City, Michigan.
Cherries are harvested generally from July 15-August 15, around the clock. Harvesters work one of two shifts: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., with night-shift workers using their vehicles’ headlights to illuminate the rows of trees.
Apples are another important crop, harvested from September 15-October 15. Migrant workers also are employed south of the Grand Traverse region, where crops such as strawberries, cucumbers, asparagus and potatoes are grown and harvested.
In recent years, vineyards and wineries have been a booming business and tend to provide year-around work for migrant workers. The Christmas tree industry is also important in Michigan.
Work is plentiful for migrant workers, but times can be difficult when there is no work between harvest seasons, especially if the previous harvest was poor. Money earned is often used to survive until the next crop is harvested, as a worker hopes his or her car does not break down or family members do not get sick or injured.
The migration way of life is most difficult on workers’ children. During the summer, migrant schools help maintain students’ academic skills; beginning in September, children can attend public schools.
But by October’s end, the children are usually pulled out of school and return with their families to Florida, Texas, Mexico and other locations south so their parents can find work harvesting winter crops, such as oranges, onions and watermelons. Often, middle school and high school students join their parents in the fields after the school day to boost the family’s income.
Complex Issues Of Migration & Poverty
As Columban Companions in Mission, Fr. Wayne Dziekan and I have worked with the migrant community of northern Lower Peninsula Michigan for years.
We know well the reality of their lives and the interdependence between migrants and the local and global communities.
Many of the migrant workers are Catholic; some are from other Christian denominations. Fr. Wayne and I provide pastoral care to all who need it. We also have brought migrant advocacy and migrant-issue awareness to the community through our work.
We teach about migration and Catholic Social Justice issues through what we call “experiential education.” In other words, we offer opportunities to learn from each other through meetings and discussions in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Since 1998, we have taken groups to the U.S.-Mexico border for intense immersions into the complex issues operating at the border as well as the causes of poverty and migration.
Our experiences at the border led us to start, beginning in 2002, the “Summer Youth Mission Experience” as a way to become missionaries in our own backyard.
SYME provides an opportunity for middle school and high school students, together with parents and youth ministers, to deepen and share their faith and talents.
The program allows participants to visit migrant camps, as they share meals with migrant families and listen to their stories. In turn, we share our own stories and prayers with them.
We open young minds to the realities of migrant workers and the issues that caused them to leave their homes in search of better lives. These opportunities challenge and transform our perspectives on what it means today to be called to the mission of Jesus Christ.
Before leaving SYME, participants usually make connections to situations in their own communities that they had never thought about. They become eager to return home as Christian missionaries, immersing themselves in issues in their own backyards.
Fr. Wayne Dziekan is the director of the Secretariat for Justice and Peace in the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan.
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