SKAGIT COUNTY – On a Thursday evening in late July, Isabella Espirito found herself carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary through a farmworker camp in Skagit County as part of a procession leading people to Mass. 

“I was kind of nervous,” said Espirito, who is going into the seventh grade at St. George School in south Seattle. 

The Mass took place during Youth Migrant Encuentro, an immersive service-learning program for middle schoolers. From July 31 through Aug. 3, 15 students from parishes in south Seattle worked with and learned about the migrant farmworker community.

Organizers “said it was life-changing, and I didn’t understand that in the beginning,” Espirito said. 

Participants came the South Seattle Parish Family — comprised of St. George, St. Edward, St. Paul and St. Peter parishes — along with youths from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in south Seattle and St. James Cathedral. 

Mass was celebrated by Father Scott Connolly, pastor of the South Seattle Parish Family. Following Mass, children in the migrant community received donations of jackets and backpacks.

Father Scott Connolly, pastor of the South Seattle Parish Family, distributes Communion during Mass at a farmworker camp in Skagit County. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Ibach)

Youth Migrant Encuentro participants stayed at St. Mary Parish in Anacortes. When they arrived there, the youths took a hike at a park where they had time for prayer and reflection on the goodness of God, said Sarah Riggio, who works in youth ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. 

Students then divided into two groups: One spent part of the day working on the farm while the other helped prepare for food distribution at the Tri-Parish Food Bank in Burlington, a joint operation of St. Charles in Burlington, Sacred Heart in La Conner and Immaculate Conception in Mount Vernon. 

Participants switched jobs on the second day. Then, on Saturday, the groups combined to help distribute food to more than 1,000 families at the food bank. 

Young volunteers get a taste of the strawberries they’re picking at they learn about farm labor in Skagit County, (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Ibach)

Espirito said the farm she visited was small and grew blueberries, strawberries, tomatillos and peppers. Her group pulled weeds from a row of crops. “For me, who doesn’t do it every day, it was really long,” Espirito said.

The group had lunch at the farm, and Espirito said she tried some of the fruit grown there. “They were some of the best strawberries I’ve had in my life,” she added. 

‘Put things in perspective’

Danica Singian, who is entering the ninth grade at Seattle Preparatory School, said Youth Migrant Encuentro helped her connect with the people being served. 

“I can really be thankful to God on how much he has given me and given me an opportunity to meet these people,” Singian said. “This opportunity was in God’s plan.”

She added that the visit to the farm and three hours of weeding was physically challenging.

Geraldine Donovan, also an incoming ninth grader at Seattle Prep, added, “It really helped put things into perspective and kind of humble me.” 

Riggio said the youths reflected that “this is hard work, and I cannot believe people do this every single day.” 

She added that food distribution day was also a physically challenging task that didn’t provide time for taking many breaks. 

However, she praised the connections the youths made with the food bank volunteers and the farmers. 

“I was really impressed that they were able to meet people by name,” Riggio said.

Amid the hard work, there was also time for fun. The members of Youth Migrant Encuentro threw a fiesta in a farmworker camp, and 40-50 children attended. The temporary tattoos the students handed out proved popular. 

Youth Migrant Encuentro participants toured the sacred artwork at St. Mary Church in Anacortes. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Ibach)

The visit to Skagit County also allowed time for a tour of the sacred art at St. Mary Parish, which also has an outdoor walking rosary, Riggio said. 

“As soon as I stepped in, I didn’t know what to look at,” Espirito said, noting the stained glass and a three-dimensional image of the Last Supper in front of the altar. “It was just really beautiful.”

An opportunity for encounter

Youth Migrant Encuentro is similar to the Youth Migrant Project, which ran for 40 years. Youth groups from across the archdiocese would spend days in Skagit County working, playing and praying with the farmworker community. 

It didn’t take place during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Jose Ortiz, longtime organizer of the Youth Migrant Project who currently works as a Latino network builder for Catholic Community Services of Western Washington. His wife, Lilia, operates the Tri-Parish Food Bank. 

“We’re trying to figure out how to bring it back,” Ortiz said. Right now, parishes get a sample of Youth Migrant Project through a one-day visit on food bank distribution day.  

In the meantime, the South Seattle Parish Family organized the Encuentro to give its middle schoolers the in-depth service opportunity.

“This is the first time in five years that we have been able to go up and spend the night,” said Jennifer Ibach, pastoral associate for the South Seattle Parish Family. 

Ibach said adjusting the name to “Encuentro” — Spanish for Encounter — suggested more of an immersion experience.

“Encuentro is more in line with missionary discipleship,” Ibach said. “We’re going up there to encounter other people and learn.”

Youth Migrant Encuentro is funded with a $4,000 grant through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Ibach said. 

“It really gives them a pretty eye-opening, life-changing perspective,” Ibach said, adding it helps young people explore Catholic social teaching. 

Espirito said she knew that food was picked, but after the trip to Skagit County, she “really understands it.” 

“I have the privilege to get to a grocery store,” Espirito said. “People work so hard to pick food, to grow food and package it.” 

Middle-school students from the South Seattle Parish Family, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and St. James Cathedral spent four days in Skagit County as part of Youth Migrant Encuentro, where they learned about and served migrant farmworkers. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Ibach)