Dreamers offer their talents in service to the church

By Enedelia J. Obregón | Senior Correspondent

In June, the Supreme Court of the United States blocked the plan to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has protected 700,000 young people from deportation since it was issued by President Barack Obama. The young people who DACA affects are often referred to as “Dreamers.”
Bishop Joe Vásquez said the Supreme Court ruling is important to the families and communities in Central Texas.
“I rejoice with the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers — including over 120,000 DACA recipients in Texas — who are committed to the common good,” he said. “Dreamers contribute significantly to our communities through leadership in our churches and to the economy.”
Locally, the DACA program and the Supreme Court’s recent decision have changed the lives of three men studying to be priests of the Diocese of Austin, as well as Lily Morales, the diocesan coordinator of Hispanic Ministry.
Daniel Mani, Porfirio Duarte and Jose Tobias are in the early stages of priestly formation at St. Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana. They became acquainted through Pastoral Juvenil, a diocesan ministry for Spanish-speaking youth.
Mani, 30, arrived in Central Texas at age 8 from Chihuahua, Mexico. His family lives in Pflugerville, and he considers St. William Parish in Round Rock to be his home parish. A 2007 graduate of Stony Point High School in Round Rock, he is also a graduate of the Killeen Fire Academy and served as a firefighter.
At age 22, a year before DACA, Mani applied for seminary, but it was not an option because he did not have a Social Security Number. He instead became a lay missionary with the Missionary Servants of the Word, serving throughout the U.S.
“A couple of years ago a nun told me, ‘You will never be happy until you stop giving God excuses,’” Mani said.
With the help of Immigration Legal Services at Catholic Charities of Central Texas, he applied for and received DACA protection.
“I feel such joy,” said Mani, who is now two years into his studies for the priesthood. “I am able to find if it is God’s will for me to be ordained.”
Duarte, 31, moved to Austin when he was 10 from the Mexican state of Guerrero. He and his family are parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish in Austin, where he was an altar server, a member of the youth group and a catechist and leader in young adult retreats and programs.
Duarte said the more he served and grew in faith, the more he wanted to serve.
“After seven years of doing that, I wanted more,” he said. “I learned about the discernment house (St. Charles Borromeo House) and contacted Father Jonathan Raia (then vocations director).”
He spent 11 months at the Borromeo House, which was established by the diocese to give men the opportunity to discern and be formed in community to help them prepare for the possibility of seminary.
“I had this longing — a desire — to enter the priesthood or religious life,” Duarte said. “I was so excited to apply.”
His biggest concern was his family.
“I felt responsible to help my siblings pay bills, save and leave my parents with a house,” he said. “My parents knew a long time ago about my desire for the priesthood. They have been very patient and noble. They are very proud. My brothers knew, always telling me I should just stay in the church.”
As he enters his third year of formation, Duarte feels fortunate and privileged to have DACA protection so he can fulfill his vocation.
Tobias, 26, was 12 when he arrived with his family in 2007 from the Mexican state of San Luís Potosí. His family still worships at Santa Cruz Parish in Buda. After graduating from Hays High School, he applied for and received DACA protection and attended Austin Community College.
He remained active as a catechist and Eucharistic minister and attended monthly Masses, which is where Father Jonathan Raia, then the diocesan vocation director, suggested discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Tobias attended discernment dinners and spent time at the Borromeo House.
Tobias said DACA made his discernment possible because it allowed him to be safe and focus on his studies and his vocation.
He said being in seminary during the COVID-19 pandemic has made him realize he has to put his total faith and trust in God on a daily basis. Plans made for tomorrow can change.
“We practice that every day,” he said. “The pandemic has forced people to do that. We have to walk in faith.”
The three seminarians have discussed what they would do if DACA were rescinded and they had to return to Mexico.
“The only place where we could be priests is in Mexico,” Tobias said. “But we would be looking at another 10 years.”
Morales, 31, arrived in Austin at age 11 with her family from Monterrey, Mexico. The DACA decision allows her to continue her role as coordinator of Hispanic Ministry for the diocese, where she has served for four years.
“I always knew I wanted to work in the church,” she said. “When I wasn’t able to, a piece of me was missing. I didn’t feel complete.”
Despite the Supreme Court ruling, Morales sometimes feels insecure with DACA protection.
“I am grateful I am able to renew,” she said of the required DACA renewals. “But you never know when it will be taken away.”
If her status were to change, Morales has put everything in place so whomever succeeds her can step in and do the work.
“It’s always in the back of my mind,” she said. “I love my ministry.”
That uncertainty has become so stressful that she sought counseling.
“It was very difficult for my mental health,” she said. “For many years, I didn’t know what would happen.”
Morales talks about her status because it helps her start dialogue about immigration and DACA.
“I want people who disagree about DACA to not be afraid and to allow their hearts to be transformed,” she said. “I am doing something positive for the community. I want people to see us as human and not a security threat, to see us as people, not just images. Hear my story. See all the talents we are giving to the church.”
Bishop Vásquez said the DACA decision reaffirms the U.S. bishops’ commitment to advocate for Dreamers and their families.
“We will continue to pray for our government leaders to enact comprehensive immigration reform with reasonable and rational solutions,” he said.