Media CenterCRS’ Father David Garcia at the Hispanic Heritage Awards
For a second year in a row, on September 18th Father David Garcia of Catholic Relief Services gave the blessing during the annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. The ceremony celebrates the contributions of Latinos in the United States in a variety of areas, such as community service, education, leadership and sports.
In his blessing, Father Garcia highlighted the crisis of unaccompanied children and invited us to have the courage to live in solidarity with them:
Lord God, we know that on this festive night there are many Central American children making the dangerous trek north to the United States. They are fleeing extreme violence, deep-seeded poverty and corruption in search of a dignified life. We pray for their safety and that they will be reunited with their families. Help us confront the reasons why our brothers and sisters—children and adults alike—are leaving their homes.
Give us courage to advocate for solutions. We ask for the faith, spirit and strength to continue living solidarity and justice in our broken world.
Father Garcia is a priest of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and serves as senior advisor for clergy outreach for Catholic Relief Services. Earlier this year he was recognized with Hispanicize’s Positive Impact Award because of his work promoting solidarity with our brothers and sisters overseas, as well as his work promoting the preservation of Spanish missions in San Antonio, Texas, a good reminder of the long history of the Hispanic culture in the United States.
The Hispanic Heritage Awards were established in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan to commemorate the creation of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. Visit hispanicheritage.org to learn more about the work and programs of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.
The awards ceremony will air on Monday, September 29 at 10 p.m. on PBS.
Alsy Acevedo is a former communications officer for Catholic Relief Services. She was based in Baltimore, Maryland.More
