Mission
The Encuentro Project, rooted in the tradition of Faith that does Justice, offers participants a faith-based, multi-faceted immersion program in the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez border region to experience a deeper understanding of the complex migration reality and of this community.
Vision
Encounter experiences transform the hearts and minds of participants and open new perspectives about forced migration and asylum seeking by vulnerable people. By providing education, service, activities, reflection, prayer and community, the Encuentro Project motivates participants to engage in peaceful, effective action for greater justice and compassion for migrants and refugee persons as presented in Catholic Social Teaching.
Our Team
Staff
For over 35 years Michael Costello has been a member of the Church of St Francis Xavier, a Jesuit parish in New York City. Michael has served as a volunteer, embracing leadership roles as Director at the Xavier Mission / Welcome Table, in programs in support of the homeless, elderly, migrants, veterans, the formerly incarcerated, along with food insecure and marginalized residents of the city.
Retired from a career in financial services, Michael sought spiritual direction for the next phase of life and heard the call, “go to the border”, “go to the border.” In October 2022, Michael commenced as a lay volunteer with the Jesuit/Marist Encuentro Project and various shelters in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez offering humane support of migrants seeking the bare necessities of existence. Assisting refugees fleeing unspeakable horrors in Central, South America, the Caribbean, middle east and other conflict regions of the world, Michael has sought to create a spirit of invitation within the context of Ignatian Spirituality, Catholic Social Teaching and to always look for God in the Other.
In June 2024 Michael started as Executive Director of The Encuentro Project.
Michael is a widower with three adult boys living in Charleston, Pittsburgh and Madrid.
La formación académica de Hermano Todd incluye una licenciatura en teología con un título en psicología y una maestría en kinesiología / educación al aire libre, así como cursos adicionales en administración escolar. Además, ha obtenido certificaciones como instructor de seguridad en el agua y Wilderness First Responder.
H. Todd ha trabajado como Maestro, Entrenador, Supervisor de Campo, Desarrollador de Currículo, Entrenador, Consejero, Especialista en Actividades, Subdirector, Instructor de Desierto, Ministro del Campus, Director del Programa de Retiros de Aventura, Facilitador, Misionero, Supervisor de Obras, Director de Vocaciones. Ha trabajado en muchos entornos educativos diferentes, tanto tradicionales como no tradicionales, y con poblaciones que van desde preescolar hasta médicos académicos superiores. Él es un apasionado de la educación experiencial, la formación de equipos, el aire libre y el trabajo con y para los “menos favorecidos”.
H. Todd es actualmente miembro de la Nueva Comunidad de Hermanos Maristas en El Paso, Texas, un proyecto conjunto de los Estados Unidos y México, para cooperar en el cuidado de los migrantes y refugiados.
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Brother Todd’s educational background includes a BA in Theology with a minor in Psychology, and a MS in Kinesiology / Outdoor Education, as well as additional courses in School Administration. Additionally, he has held certifications as a Water Safety Instructor and Wilderness First Responder.
Br. Todd has worked as a Teacher, Coach, Field Supervisor, Currticulum Developer, Trainer, Counselor, Activities Specialist, Assistant Principal, Wilderness Instructor, Campus Minister, Adventure Retreat Program Director, Facilitator, Missionary, Construction Site Supervisor, Vocation Director. He has worked in many different educational settings, both traditional and non-traditional, and with populations ranging from pre-kindergarten to Senior Academic Doctors. He is passionate about experiential education, team-building, the outdoors, and working with and for the “least favored”.
Br. Todd is currently a member of the New Community of Marist Brothers in El Paso, TX, a joint project of the United States and Mexico, to cooperate in the care of Migrants and Refugees.
Coralis has been a Maryknoll Lay Missioner for the past 21 years. In May 2020 she moved to El Paso and worked as a community volunteer at Casa Vides, a shelter for asylum seekers, and at La Tilma, the food pantry and restaurant at Sacred Heart Parish in El Paso. Coralis joined the Encuentro Project staff as Group Shepherd when the Encuentro Project resumed its in-person immersion programs in July 2021.
Before moving to El Paso, Coralis served for 19 years in various roles at the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa, Kenya. She worked as the administrator of H.O.P.E. Project (Helping Orphans Pursue Education); started the Epilepsy Clinic in the rural area of Shimba Hills, South Coast; managed two clinics in Kikambala, North Coast; participated in a committee that set up the first secondary school for the deaf in Kilifi, North Coast; and contributed to building the rescue center for abused children of the Archdiocese of Mombasa.
Coralis was born in the Philippines and graduated from Maryknoll (now Mirriam College) with a liberal arts degree majoring in International Studies. She migrated to San Francisco, California with her five children, and worked as administrator in an investment banking firm. She was active in St. Cecilia Parish and volunteered at the San Francisco HIV & AIDS Suicide Nightline.
Coralis co-authored a book based on her mission experiences entitled, “What’s So Blessed About Being Poor” [Orbis Book, 2012].
Brother Héctor has been a lifelong Marist. He became a Marist Brother in 1981. His passion is accompanying young people, learning from young people and accompanying young people from the LGBTQ+ community.
He has been a teacher in primary, secondary and high school. He was a primary and high school principal and the last 28 years of his life have been dedicated to pastoral work and accompanying young people in various universities and high schools in Mexico. All his professional training has focused on enriching and improving his work as a companion every day. Normal School; Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Sciences; Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Master’s Degree in Human Development in Organizations. Diploma in Youth Ministry; Diploma in Catechetical Pastoral; School for Trainers and countless courses with the Marist Brothers and in other institutions.
He likes and practices swimming. He currently works at a shelter that serves migrants in El Paso, Texas, and occasionally accompanies groups that participate in The Encuentro Project.
Hermano Héctor es marista por toda la vida. Inició a ser hermano marista en 1981. Su pasión es el acompañamiento de jóvenes, el aprender de los jóvenes y el acompañamiento de jóvenes de la comunidad LGBTQ+.
Ha sido profesor en primaria, secundaria y bachillerato. Fue director de primaria y de bachillerato y los últimos 28 años de su vida los ha consagrado al trabajo pastoral y de acompañamiento de los jóvenes en varias Universidades y Bachilleratos en México. Toda su formación profesional se ha enfocado en enriquecer y hacer cada día mejor su tarea de acompañante. Escuela Normal; Licenciatura en Ciencias Religiosas; Licenciatura en Psicología, Maestría en Desarrollo Humano en las Organizaciones. Diplomado en Pastoral Juvenil; Diplomado en Pastoral Catequética; Escuela para Formadores y un sinnúmero de cursos con los hermanos maristas y en otras instituciones.
Le gusta y practica la natación. Actualmente colabora en un albergue que atiende migrantes en El Paso Texas, y eventualmente acompaña los grupos que participan en el programa encuentro.
Board of Directors
Mary Baudouin is the Assistant for Social Ministries for the Jesuits of the Central and Southern Province. Prior to beginning her work with the Jesuits in January 2003, Mary worked for 14 years in social justice ministry with Catholic Charities and the Office of the Social Apostolate of Archdiocese of New Orleans. After the U.S. bishops wrote their pastoral letter on the U.S. economy in 1987, Mary coordinated their Office of Implementation for the United States Catholic Conference Office of Social Development and World Peace. She also worked for seven years as a consultant with faith-based and social service nonprofits in the south, specializing in the areas of strategic planning, board development, and grantwriting. Mary holds a Master’s degree in Social Work with a specialization in community development from Washington University in St. Louis. She and her husband, Tom Fitzgerald, are the parents of three adult children.
Christopher Benoit is an attorney with The Law Office of Lynn Coyle, PLLC and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. in El Paso, Texas. Christopher has spent over a decade working as an advocate for human and labor rights in Mexico and the United States. Christopher has worked alongside workers and unions since 2003 and practiced employment, labor, civil rights, and human rights law for the last ten years.He has tried numerous cases against federal and local law enforcement for civil rights violations and against employers for violations of state and federal employment rights throughout Texas and New Mexico.
In addition to his legal career, Christopher has coordinated wage and hour organizing committees in worker centers in El Paso, Denver, and Seattle andsupported migrant workers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border with the Southern Poverty Law Center Immigrant Justice Project, Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farmworker Division, and the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. Christopher also worked for Proyecto de Derechos Económicos Sociales y Culturales, AC (ProDESC) in Mexico City supporting human rights campaigns throughout the country.
Michael S. Gallagher, SJ has been a Jesuit for over 50 years and has worked on migration and refugee issues for over 25 years. From 2008-2019 he was Jesuit Refugee Service‘s Representative to the Offices of the United Nations in Geneva. He holds a law degree (J.D.) from Georgetown University and a Master’s degree in refugee studies (M.St.) from the University of Oxford.
Father Rafael Garcia, SJ is a member of the UCS Province. Born in La Habana, Cuba, his mother, brother and he left Cuba in 1962 as political refugees and settled in Miami, when he was 9. After public high school, he went on to study architecture, earning his degree from the University of Miami in 1978. Rafael worked as a draftsman through high school and college and then practiced architecture on his own until 1983, a year after he had experienced a call to be a priest, entering the then New Orleans Province of the Jesuits.
After a long formation process and theology studies at Regis Jesuit college in Toronto, Canada, and ordination to the priesthood at the Jesuit parish in Miami, in 1994, Rafael was assigned as pastor at the Jesuit parish in El Paso, Texas, Sacred Heart, where he served until 2007. Those 13 years transformed his life into a greater understanding and compassion for the suffering migrant and refugee persons, and the many undocumented persons who live in the parish’s barrio. During his time as pastor, and with the leadership of a Sister of the Social Service, the parish started many social ministries, including education classes for adults, some of them in conjunction with Mexico’s education system and the Mexican Consulate.
From 2008-2014, he served as pastor and superior at the Jesuit parish in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While there, he helped to develop the growth of the parish’s Hispanic immigrant community, and was involved with others in the re-structuring of an interfaith immigrant justice group (New Mexico Faith Coalition for Immigrant Justice). Also, funds from the Jesuits financially supported a bright, dedicated immigration attorney who went from working on her own to now being the director of an immigration law clinic that has several immigration attorneys (New Mexico Immigrant Law Center).
From 2014-2016, Rafael served as pastor of the Jesuit parish in Kansas City, Missouri. He was able to form a team (a kind of mission band) that included students from Rockhurst University, to provide sacramental preparation on several consecutive Sunday afternoons to an immigrant rural community in the Lexington, MO area, which had not had any pastoral care for years. Children, teens and young adults received Sacraments of Initiation.
Feeling a desire to dedicate himself more to serving migrants and refugees, he was missioned back to Sacred Heart parish in El Paso.
Rafael provides pastoral care, mainly Mass and Confessions at the ICE immigration detention center as well as at two (of three) residential detention centers for unaccompanied minors, operated by Southwest Key. He also regularly helps at a shelter that assists paroled asylum seeking families.
For about 10 years, he has participated in the Jesuit Migration Network of Central and North America (RJM-CANA), and is a member of El Paso’s Bishop Mark Seitz commission on migration.
For about 5 years, he has served on the advisory board of the Jesuit Social and Research Institute (JSRI) which is part of Loyola University. He is presently an associate for JSRI in El Paso. JSRI supports the Encuentro Project.
His ministry in El Paso, with the Grace of God, led him to vision and initiate the Encuentro Project, with the help and support of many others.
Vicki Castillon Simon of St. Louis, Mo was Director of Social Ministry at St. Francis Xavier Jesuit Parish and later selected as Director of Ignatian Volunteer Corps – St. Louis. Prior to these positions Vicki served as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner in Kenya and later as Director of Mission Services in Ossining, NY. Prior to joining Maryknoll, Vicki held several positions in university administration, in human resource management and training, and in teaching Spanish.
Vicki currently resides in St. Louis and serves on the Board of Directors for The Encuentro Project and for Maryknoll Lay Missioners, as chair of their Governance committee. Recently retired, Vicki now volunteers with Ignatian Volunteer Corps and with Midtown Community Services. She is an active parishioner at St. Francis Xavier “College” church and serves on the Sister Parish and Fair-trade committee.
Vicki holds an M.A. in Human Resource Management and an M.A. in Spanish. She is a proud mother, grandmother and an avid gardener.
Marie Kenyon is the Director of the Office of Peace & Justice for the Archdiocese of St Louis. She is also chair of the archdiocesan Immigration Task Force. An attorney, Marie founded and directed the Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry for 28 years providing free legal representation to low income victims of domestic violence, immigrants regardless of status, the homeless and veterans and advocating for systemic change.